Photography, crafts, and the Phoenix Coyotes round out the five things you have to do in the Valley this week.
"Western Eye Photography" @ Eric Fischl Gallery This year, the 2013 Western Eye Photography Competition received submissions across each of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Of those entries, 35 were selected for a black-and-white-heavy show featuring drag queens and desolate swimming pools.
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The winner, Rebellion by Amy Hanen, was chosen by New York-based photographer POBY. It stands out not only for its use of color, but also for its appearance of not being staged, even though it was. Hanen and a friend drove into the desert to create the piece; the only light coming from her headlights while her friend danced in the dust, hues of sunrise in the background.
Hanen, who turns 23 this month, works for a wedding photographer and has been making pictures for a year and a half. This is her first semester at Phoenix College.
The work is on view from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays through Wednesday, November 27, at the Eric Fischl Gallery at Phoenix College, 1202 West Thomas Avenue. Admission is free. Visit www.phoenixcollege.edu/campus-life/eric-fischl-gallery. -- Janessa Hilliard
"Art Speaks" @ Arizona Museum for Youth It seems text messaging dumbs us down, but games like Words with Friends expand our appreciation for the English language -- thank you, triple letter score "qi." You don't have to be a wordsmith to appreciate the lexicon. After all "cellar door" rolls off the tongue of folks of all ages. Arizona Museum for Youth debuted the "Art Speaks" exhibition to examine the art of the English language with youthful enthusiasm. This exhibit focuses on both the art and science of language in a way that is fun and engaging for young children. Families are encouraged to partake in hands-on activities including calligraphy writing, Braille reading, and collage art, in addition to scoping out masterfully designed chairs fashioned out of street signs.
Get in touch with language from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, November 19, at Arizona Museum for Youth, 35 North Robson Street in Mesa. Admission is $7. The exhibit runs through Sunday, January 19, 2014. Call 480-644-2467 or visit www.arizonamuseumforyouth.com. -- Melissa Fossum
"Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft" @ ASU Art Museum You think you've got crafting down pat just because you bought Martha Stewart's glitter in all 24 colors? Wrong-o, pal. For proof that crafts take more than DIY spirit and ish you bought at Hobby Lobby, head to ASU Art Museum's exhibition "Crafting a Continuum: Rethinking Contemporary Craft."
It's the first exhibition to present ASU Art Museum and the Ceramics Research Center's shared collections of craft works, including around 100 pieces in wood, fiber, and ceramics. Pieces in the show include a bicycle woven from vines by Jarbas Lopes, Huang Binyan's porcelain rabbit, and Tom Eckert's Tank Chair, crafted from solid maple. Let's see you try that at home. (Just kidding -- don't.)
See the exhibition at ASU Art Museum, 51 East 10th Street, through Saturday, December 7. Admission is free. Hours Wednesday, November 20, are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.asuartmuseum.asu.edu or call 480-965-2787. -- Becky Bartkowski
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Colorado Avalanche @ Jobing.com Arena Over the last few years Valley sports fans have grown accustomed to a lot of losing.
But lately, as the temperatures drop and the leaves wither and fall, Valley sports teams seem to be doing just the opposite. Sure, the Cardinals still look like a distant dark horse in the NFC playoff race, and the Suns early successes maybe nothing more than shiny, high-flying fools gold, but there's one Valley franchise that is shaping up to be every bit legit. Off to one of their best starts in franchise history, the Phoenix Coyotes headed into mid-November having yet to be defeated at home. It's a startling statistic, considering Coach Tippett's ability to have his team playing better as the season progresses. Nevertheless, the 'Yotes will have their gloves full when the equally dominant Colorado Avalanche visit Glendale's Jobing.com Arena, 9400 West Maryland Avenue, on Thursday, November 21. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $18
Visit www.coyotes.nhl.com or call 623-772-3200. -- Rob Kroehler
"Asylum" @ Icehouse It was Bukowski who said, "Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." If you count yourself among that lucky-unlucky crowd, here's your chance -- in a new take on live theater.
Asylum, a production from ASU's Herberger Institute, transforms a Downtown event space into a labyrinth of "micro-environments," telling its story in schizophrenic-like fragments. Featuring five dancers, four actors and an aerialist, the performance explores the history of women and madness: from misdiagnosis and the disturbed to confinement and torture. Admittedly, it's a piece steeped in tales from 19th and 20th centuries and the lack of educated mental care, but its themes of women's suffering due to sexual persecution, abuse or poverty are equally relevant today.
Immerse yourself in the madness at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 22, through Saturday, November 23, at The Icehouse, 429 West Jackson Street. Tickets are $10. Visit www.vesselproject.org/asylum for more. -- Janessa Hilliard
