- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
This week you can explore books as art, try an outdoor yoga class, or learn more about the night sky. Here’s a roundup of live and virtual events happening around metro Phoenix, along with a friendly reminder to follow mask and social distancing guidelines.
'ABBA’s Greatest Hits'
An artist book collective called A Bunch of Book Artists (hence, the moniker “ABBA”) is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a free exhibition of artist books, experimental prints, and zines created by dozens of artists and community members whose themes range from cultural awareness to environmental issues. Featured artists include Peter Bugg, Monica Garcia, Jacob Meders, and Kristin Millie Salazar. This week you can check it out Monday through Friday between noon and 3 p.m. inside Harry Wood Gallery on the ASU Tempe campus.
EXPANDMural Time
Two mural projects are kicking off in Phoenix this month, which makes it a great time to get out and explore fresh outdoor art around town. Look for 28 pieces being painted through the Black History Month Mural Project in an area bounded by 15th Street and Buckeye Road as well as 15th Avenue and Indian School Road. Explore sustainability-themed works being painted during the Phoenix Mural Festival along the Grand Canalscape between Seventh Street and 15th Avenue. Or you can follow their progress on social media.
Cocktail Twist
Pair an outdoor movie with a cocktail at Lucky’s Indoor Outdoor, one of many new places to eat and drink in Roosevelt Row. It's screening the film Agave: The Spirit of a Nation on Thursday, February 4. Movie tickets cost $5 and include one of its new Oaxacan Old Fashioneds made with tequila and mescal. The event starts at 6 p.m. and the screening happens at 6:45 p.m. That night’s weather forecast includes clouds, but not rain.
Night Sky
Get a good look at the current night sky above you as the Arizona Science Center opens a new planetarium show called Arizona Skies: Winter, which will help you learn more about constellations you’re likely to spot this time of year. It opens on Friday, February 5, and continues through May 31. If you go this weekend, you can also explore the new "Astronaut" exhibit. Arizona Skies: Winter shows at 1 p.m. and tickets are $9 (plus $19.95 for general admission).
Valentine's Market
Enjoy a little shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts or everyday treasures as more than a dozen artisans and small businesses converge on the parking lot for Bragg’s Pie Factory, which sits along a strip of Grand Avenue where you can also pop into nearby shops and eateries to show your local love. The free market runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 6. Participating vendors include the Hauspanther cat boutique and the Hazel & Violet letterpress shop.
Outdoor Yoga
The Pemberton PHX kicks off its wellness offerings this weekend with a pair of fitness classes that includes a one-hour yoga and mat Pilates class on a lawn for the historic Pemberton House in Roosevelt Row. Register online for the class, which starts at 12:45 p.m. and costs $20. If high-intensity interval training is more your thing, there’s a $20 class that starts at 11:30 a.m.
Book Banter
Palabras Bilingual Bookstore will open its new location on Tuesday, February 2, and present a virtual book club discussion of Mia Birdsong’s How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community at noon on Saturday, January 6. The book features interviews, research, and stories of lived experience. This free event is a chance to engage with the local literary community, expand your reading horizons, and explore Birdsong’s approach to creating and sustaining family and community.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.
