The Best Things to Do in Phoenix This Week

This year really has flown by. We're already into November, but don't despair: There's still plenty of time to have fun and create some great memories of 2021. This week, you can check out the Body Art Expo in Scottsdale, celebrate 50 years of the Alwun House, learn how to cook noodles, and more.

Pancakes and Booze

Maybe your paintbrush skills are lousy, but you really excel at using a fork. If so, you’re sure to dig the Pancakes and Booze Art Show coming to The Duce, 525 South Central Avenue, at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 5. It’s a pop-up exhibition with more than 300 artworks by over 75 local artists, where you can get your fill of art and shovel in all the pancakes you can eat. The evening also includes live painting, including body painting, plus DJs spinning vinyl tunes. You need to be at least 18 to attend. Tickets are $15 at the door. The event, which runs until 1 a.m., is part of the Los Angeles-based Pancakes and Booze brand, which has been doing pop-up arts shows around the country for a decade or so. And it’s one of many exhibitions you can see in or near downtown Phoenix during November First Friday. Lynn Trimble

Alwun House Exhibit

The offbeat arts venue launched in 1971 as a way to emphasize the “all one” approach to making and experiencing art is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year with a series of events showcasing local talents. The Alwun House Foundation opens its 50th Anniversary Invitational Art Exhibit on First Friday, November 5, when the free opening reception takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Expect an impressive lineup curated with assistance from Ted Decker, as the gallery highlights artists who’ve had a significant impact on Alwun House and the Phoenix arts community during the past five decades. Head to 1204 East Roosevelt Street to take it all in. The exhibition continues through November 20, with regular viewing hours from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Lynn Trimble

'Naked and the Nude'

Nudity in art might get taken down on social media, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. Northlight Gallery, 605 East Grant Street, is presenting an exhibition called “Naked and the Nude,” were you can see self-portraits by a trio of contemporary photographers: Granville Carroll, Tarrah Krajnak, and Arno Rafael Minkkinen. Collectively, they explore identity, pandemic isolation, and the body as landscape. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 6, and admission is free. The gallery is located at ASU’s Grant Street Studios, where you can also explore an exhibit inside Step Gallery that day. “Naked and the Nude” continues through November 20, and also includes works from the Soleri Foundation Collection by artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, and Edward Weston. Lynn Trimble

Lowrider Show

You’ll find more than 200 lowrider vehicles in the west parking lot of Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 North Chandler Avenue, Chandler, when the center presents a Lowrider Car and Art Show with Original Street Life. It’s happening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 7. Expect vintage vehicles in 18 classes from trucks to low rods, dating from the 1930s through the 2000s. The show also includes a 20-foot wall of art and photography, plus food trucks and DJs spinning music. Artist Cain Carias and his puppet El Triste will be holding a meet and greet. And artist Lalo Cota, whose lowrider murals dot the metro Phoenix landscape, will be doing a collaborative project with a pop-up barbershop. The event is free, although you do risk getting home to find you have an uncontrollable urge to buy yourself some new vintage wheels. 

If Rocks Could Talk

If rocks could talk, they’d probably have something to say about the recent climate talks in Scotland. Of course, rocks don’t speak, which means we have to rely on geologists and other experts to explain their origins, properties, and significance. Mike Nolan, a steward with the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, will be talking rocks during a free presentation at the Mustang Library auditorium, 10101 North 90th Street, Scottsdale. He’ll focus on how rocks formed in the region and the fascinating history of their evolution over time to become the landscape we see today. If Rocks Could Talk: The Geology of the Sonoran Mountain Preserve takes place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Monday, November 8. Register online before you attend. Lynn Trimble

Oodles of Noodles

You might have lived off cheap packets of ramen noodles during college, but your tastes have likely grown at least a bit more sophisticated since then. If you’re ready to really dive into the culinary world of noodles, check out the Oodles of Noodles cooking class coming to Sweet Basil Cooking School, 10749 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 101, Scottsdale. The 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. class on Tuesday, November 9, will include making not only homemade ramen noodles, but also vegetable chow mein and five additional dishes from tagliatelle with pancetta and parsnips with homemade pasta to authentic German spaetzle with mushroom sauce. Patricia Ribeiro will be teaching the class, and the cost is $75. Once you've taken the class, you might have a hard time believing you ever settled for those store-bought noodles. Lynn Trimble

Arizona Speaks

Pandemic restrictions opened up a whole new landscape of online and virtual offerings that people are still enjoying today, including talks with various artists and authors. Arizona Humanities is presenting "From "Chief" to Code Talker: Four Profiles of the Navajo Code Talkers" as part of its AZ Speaks series online from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10. It’s being led by Laura Tohe, a Diné poet, librettist, and author whose own father was among the Navajo Code Talkers who had such a significant impact on World War II. She’ll be sharing stories of four members of the Navajo Nation, exploring the ways they demonstrated resilience and self-determination after returning from the war to accolades yet still living in poverty. The talk is free and you should register online if you’d like to participate. Lynn Trimble