“Found Feathers”
Artists often find beauty in everyday objects. For her newest body of work, local artist Alexandra Bowers drew inspiration from bird feathers she encountered. Practical Art will exhibit Bowers’ work in “Found Feathers,” on view through Monday, July 31. The artist developed the 45 pieces by photographing the feathers she came across, then drawing it, and then burning the images onto wood with a soldering iron. The collection is meant to inspire viewers to notice the little things around them, to think about the destination and purpose of birds, and to contemplate larger issues of existence. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, July 10. For more information, call 602-264-1414 or see the Practical Art website. Laura Latzko
Discuss Satrapi’s Embroideries with fellow book worms.
Courtesy of Phoenix Public Library
Graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi is best known in the U.S. for Persepolis, her multi-volume memoir about coming of age in post-revolutionary Iran that became an Oscar-nominated animated film. Satrapi’s Embroideries, a narrative with a more leisurely feel, eavesdrops on her grandmother’s friends sipping tea and discussing love and sex — because that apparently remains a fascinating mystery for our whole damn life. The latter work is the topic of July’s Book Club meeting at South Mountain Community Library.
Book Club at the library is a commitment-free, episodic experience that focuses on an entire book at each meeting. Check it out (library joke!) from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, at 7050 South 24th Street. Admission is free. Visit the Phoenix Public Library website or call 602-243-8187. Julie Peterson
“Water, Water Everywhere”
If you think “art gallery” and “liquid,” it’s safe for us to assume you’re thinking “wine.” But there’s a fluid more essential to life and nearly as potentially destructive. “Water, Water Everywhere” at Bonner David Galleries aggregates a few dozen pieces, from the extremely realistic to the satisfyingly crazypants abstract, into an exploration of the humid condition. Media used by the 20 artists range from oil to glass to mixed media. Not unlike water, your viewing experience can go broad, deep, or both.
Hours on Thursday, July 13, are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and also from 6 to 9 p.m. during the Scottsdale ArtWalk. Admission is free. The exhibition hangs through Saturday, July 22, at 7040 East Main Street. Visit the Bonner David website or call 480-941-8500. Julie Peterson
Thump Daze
While downtown Phoenix continues to carve out a unique identity as a bustling urban center, one little bar has stood quietly amid the shadows of a shifting skyline. There are hotspots with more panache that — deservedly or otherwise — draw more buzz, but ever so unflinchingly the Lost Leaf, 914 North Fifth Street, has stayed true to its modest roots.
A fine purveyor of burgeoning local talent, the art bar has provided Valley artists with nightly proving grounds since 2006. But even the most welcoming of crowds need to know they can let their hair down from time to time, which is why every second Thursday of the month the Lost Leaf throws one helluva dance party. Featuring DJ KNS, Thump Daze is an ’80s- and ’90s-themed dance party, and as always, there’s no cover. The 21-and-over event starts at 10 p.m. Visit the Lost Leaf website or call 602-258-0014. Rob Kroehler
Live-Music-Flow
If music helps you relax, think of what it will do to you when you combine it with yoga. This Live-Music-Flow class led by Alissa Will lets guests of all levels practice yoga to the live guitar sounds of Kurt Kleinhans. Stay after to class to meet others involved in the yoga community, as well as guests from benefiting charities.
Stretch to the sounds from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 14, at Metta Yoga, 4041 East Thomas Road, #106. Admission is free, and donations are accepted to benefit the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. Call 602-252-0662 or visit the Metta Yoga website. Amy Young
Support local arts by attending the Creative Catalysts Gallery Project exhibition.
Creative Catalysts
Want to inspire and assemble an arts community? Give local artists plenty of places to show and sell their work, then find creative ways to encourage people to explore them. For the city of Mesa, that includes Second Friday art walks and the Creative Catalysts Gallery Project.
Creative Catalysts is a Mesa Arts Center initiative geared toward the 40-and-under set. It’s all about bringing more art to the suburb’s downtown area and supporting its arts scene. Next up for the project is a free selfie-themed art exhibition taking place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, July 14. The group show is on view at K’é, 126 West Main Street, a small business center that takes its name from the Diné (Navajo) word for a system of kinship. The night includes not only visual art but live entertainment as well. Visit the Creative Catalysts Facebook page. Lynn Trimble
