The Best Live and Virtual Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

This week you can learn to work with chocolate, explore Japanese traditions, or immerse yourself in Burning Man culture. Here’s a look at the best live and virtual things to do in metro Phoenix, plus a friendly reminder to keep it classy with masks and social distancing.

Focus Your Lens

Explore the life, times, and photographic techniques of Burk Uzzle with an online screening of the film F11 and Be There. His decades-long career has included taking iconic images of subjects from Woodstock to Martin Luther King, Jr. Tickets for the 6 p.m. screening on Monday, March 15, are $10 (half goes to Phoenix-based No Festival Required).

Up Your Cooking Game

Add more chocolate to your life with the Chocolate Cravings class at Sweet Basil Cooking School in Scottsdale, which takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16. The class will cover truffles, tarts, and bread pudding — plus gluten-free cake and ganache. The cost is $65

Get Your Hands Dirty

Patricia Sannit, whose work has been shown from Phoenix Art Museum to FORM Arcosanti, is doing a participatory art project at her Phoenix studio, where she’s providing clay and tools for community members who want to create ceramic hands that will become part of a future art installation. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily until March 30.

Surround Yourself with Stories

The i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa is showing more than 70 artworks by local, national, and international artists in its “Art of the Story” exhibit, which includes ceramics, paintings, photography, sculpture, video, and more. Featured artists include Shachi Kale, Oladimeji Odunsi, and Esme Shapiro. Timed tickets for 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. entry on Thursday, March 18, are $4.50.

See Fire Light the Sky

Embrace Burning Man principles from radical self-expression to communal effort during this year’s IGNiGHT: A Burning Man Experience combining art, music, and fire. It opens Friday, March 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. Attend the free event at Alwun House or watch the experiences streamed online. It’s designed for all ages.

Add Drama to Your Life

See how playwright and screenwriter Elizabeth Meriwether (of New Girl and No Strings Attached) put a comedic sci-fi robotic twist on a classic Ibsen play as ASU presents virtual viewings of Heddatron directed by Stray Cat Theatre’s Ron May. Days/times include 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 20. Tickets are $10.

Explore Japanese Culture

Celebrate spring while immersing yourself in Japanese culture as the Japanese Friendship Garden presents Haru in the Garden from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 21. It’s a chance to explore origami cranes, elegant kimonos, botanical displays, calligraphy scrolls, and more. Timed-tickets are $15 for adults.