Beatrice Moore’s Phoenix Wish List for 2013

To wrap up 2012 and kick off the new year, we’ve asked a group of local activists, artists, architects, and business owners to put together a Phoenix wish list for 2013. Up today: Beatrice Moore. Beatrice Moore has lived in Phoenix since 1986 and is a neighborhood activist, artist, small…

George Takei Reads Fifty Shades of Grey (VIDEO)

Bless George Takei and his continued participation in pop culture. The actor — known for playing Sulu on Star Trek — has shared his own commentary on the continuing Star Wars v. Star Trek Debate, Twilight, meme culture in the last couple years. And this month, he shared a video…

2: Justin Katz

When we last put the spotlight on 100 creative forces in Phoenix, it was no secret there were more than 100 individuals who were making waves in the local arts community. So in celebration of our Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome (back) to 100 Creatives. Justin Katz is a…

Twilight-Inspired Baby Names Top the Arizona Charts for 2012 (Seriously)

Too bad E. L. James couldn’t come up with cuter names for her sleezy, poorly written literary characters — or at least names we could say with a straight face (sorry, Anastasia Steele). In 2012, “Sophia,” “Isabella,” “Jacob,” and “Ethan,” (“Bella” and “Jacob” being the names of the two main…

Manifesto No. 7

Continuing Manifestos, a collection of 10(ish) life lessons and rules written by local creatives and illustrated by local designers. Up today, lessons learned by local pastor Vermon Pierre, illustrated below by Nicole Stumphauzer: See also: – Jackalope Ranch’s 100 Creatives – The 10 Best Art Exhibitions and Installations I Saw…

State of the State

Photographs made by Allen Dutton have traveled all over the world, but Arizona is still his muse. Dutton works with eight-by-10-inch and 11-by-14-inch cameras and, since the 1970s, he’s been on a mission to photograph Arizona “from desert to mountain, from suburb to city.” “Strange But True” is a traveling…

Religious Studies

Great artists draw from a pool of inspiration in the natural, cultural, and religious realms, and this January at Arizona Latin Arts Cultural Center’s Galleria 147, it’s all about Our Lady of Guadalupe. La Virgen de Guadalupe is an icon in Latino culture who’s regarded for her role in religious…

Laurie Notaro’s Greatest Hits of 2012 on Jackalope Ranch

Laurie Notaro is an author, crafter, and expert at finding a good cocktail. She grew up in Phoenix, but is currently based in Eugene, Oregon. Each week, she’s been joining us to share a crafting adventure, draw a flowchart, or remember a few of her favorite things about Phoenix. This…

15 Reasons Why We’re STILL Doomed

Congratulations! You woke up this morning and officially survived the non-existent end of the world. Now, of course, theories will still swirl around a future date, a missed portal, or a parallel universe — if you’re asking us, there are still plenty of reasons we’re ultimately doomed. From jumping cockroaches…

Spotted: Sebastien Millon’s Wonderfully Weird Artwork on Fab.com

Sebastien Millon operates in a world where bears are usually drunk, owls appreciate fat beets, and hamsters occasionally do meth. The Phoenix-based illustrator says he draws on a number of inspirations for his series of twisted-yet-charming characters, who have been displayed on the walls of Downtown galleries, printed on T-shirts…

Seven Must-See Exhibitions this Third Friday in Downtown Phoenix

Be it a ​First Friday or a Third Friday — we’re just excited about having an excuse (not that we need one) to see some great art exhibitions. Some are opening tonight Downtown, others have opened this month throughout metro Phoenix. But you better believe that we’re making the loop…

A Second Trailer Released for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby

Many adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby have seen the silver screen, and this summer director Baz Luhrmann will release his own starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki, and Amitabh Bachchan. The movie follows the literary story of writer…

Iggy Shuffle

When Jenny Ignaszewski packed her bags and headed to Florida earlier this year, the art community lost one of its brightest, most energetic members. Ignaszewski (who also goes by Iggy) has a long history in the Phoenix art scene. For years, she was a graphic designer for the Arizona Republic…

Shoot the Mess

You’d be hard-pressed to find Bucky Miller without a camera in hand. The local photographer and recent graduate of ASU’s photography program has an eye for the everyday; his photographs, presented in sequences, capture moments, objects, interactions, and experiences in urban settings. He describes his latest collection, “Destroyer,” as part…