We know, the beginning of the work week sucks. But if you take a quick look at the calendar, you'll see we're off to a pretty good week of art events, sports games, dance parties, and more. Here are our must-see events from now to the weekend...
Monday, February 11: The Other Son Chandler Screening @ Harkins Chandler Crossroads 12 With 11 films selected from around the world, three movie theaters, and plenty of popcorn, the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival is on. Monday, February 11, promises a pair of dramas: the switched-at-birth tale of The Other Son at Harkins Crossroads 12, 2980 East Germann Road in Chandler, and Kaddish for a Friend, a film about an unlikely friendship between a teenage Arab and an elderly Russian Jew, screening at Harkins Camelview 5, 7001 East Highland Drive in Scottsdale.
Screenings continue through Sunday, February 24, at Camelview, Crossroads, and Arrowhead 18, 16046 North Arrowhead Fountains in Peoria. Price: $10-$11 for adults; $5 for students; $100 for festival pass. -- Becky Bartkowski
See also: - Five Must-See Arts and Culture Events This Week in Metro Phoenix - Clare Patey and Matthew Moore Explore Copper Politics, Artwork, and Identity at ASU Art Museum - ASU's Performance in the Borderlands' Beyond "Miss Representation" Aims to Open Dialogue on Women's Representation in Media
Tuesday, February 12: "The Human Touch" @ Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art For an intimate look at work by widely celebrated artists John Baldessari, Kerry James Marshall, and Ann Hamilton, and emerging artists Luis Gispert, Chen Qiulin, and Michael Vasquez, stop by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art on Satuday, February 2, from noon to 9 p.m. That's when art included in the RBC Wealth Management Collection is on view for the public. SMoCA curators describe the works in the exhibition, "The Human Touch," as a "cross-section of identity that mirrors who we are and how we live today."
The collection focuses on the human figure as well as the complexity of contemporary society. Works include a range of media, subject, and approach, including digital manipulation, appropriation, and performance. Price: $7 for adults, $5 for students, free for members. -- Claire Lawton
Wednesday, February 13: "Superheros in Narrative: Comics Come of Age in Print and Film" @ ASU Polytechnic Campus Considering we blocked out a recent Tuesday and devoted it entirely to the superheros edition of PBS' Pioneers of Television, we're not in any place to call Teague von Bohlen a nerd. This being stated, the descriptor's fairly fitting, given the novelist and UC Denver creative writing assistant professor will discuss comic book characters in an upcoming lecture.
During "Superheros in Narrative: Comics Come of Age in Print and Film," von Bohlen will outline how heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman have changed when presented in different media.
ASU's online literary mag, Superstition Review, presents the free talk on Wednesday, February 13, from 2 to 3 p.m. in Cooley Ballroom A at the Polytechnic campus. -- Becky Bartkowski
Thursday, February 14: Picasso at the Lapin Agile @ Brelby Studio For us who delight in the absurd, there is never enough Steve Martin to go around - no matter how many bluegrass records and TV cameos he makes, or the number of chuckle-inducing tweets he drops into our feed (with the handle @SteveMartinToGo, at that). Because of this ongoing shortage and the fact that we are willing to generously share our slices of Steve, we think you should know that Brelby Theatre Company is producing Martin's 1996 Off-Broadway work Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
The play re-imagines history, bringing together Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein, before either has encountered mega-fame for Cubism and the theory of relativity, respectively, at a Parisian cafe in 1904. The two chat in the company of an inventor and a bartender, among many others. And because Steve Martin worte it, a time-traveling, hip-swiveler of an icon also makes an appearance (we don't wanna spoil it!). Price: $20 for adults. -- Becky Bartkowski
Friday, February 15: "Whispers of a New World" @ Desert Botanical Garden Stroll along the verdant paths of the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway, and you'll find plenty of plant life that could qualify as art. Look closer, and you'll see that alongside some of that flora is manmade artwork -- specifically the nature-inspired sculptures by artist Carolina Escobar. In her garden exhibition, "Whispers of a New World," Escobar reveals organically-shaped works that will have you doing double takes to distinguish them from their neighboring vegetation.
Spot the differences on the Desert Discovery Loop trail, and find a selection of the artist's two-dimensional pieces in the Ottosen Gallery. -- Becky Bartkowski
Check out more things to do today (and everyday) in our Calendar section ...
