The trope of artist as shut-in isn’t completely fictitious; you could be living across the street from the next Picasso and never even know it. The “All Coronado Art Show” seeks to bring our talented neighbors out into the open with a hyper-localized exhibition that features artists from the Coronado…
Ballet doesn’t always have to be a black tie affair. This week, Ballet Arizona is bringing back Ballet Under the Stars, an annual community outreach program that seeks to make dance accessible to everyone. Dance aficionados and novices alike can cozy up on a blanket or lawn chair in one…
With the temperatures dropping (slowly but surely), it might be a good time to start thinking about cultivating your green thumb for the upcoming fall months. You can get a good head start at the Herb Gardening Workshop at Frances this week. Kenny Barrett, who co-owns GROWop and Grow House,…
Inspired by the cowboy movies of his youth, documentary photographer Lawrence McFarland ventured out to seek some wide open spaces of his own. In solo exhibition “Landmarks: From Dodge City to Shiprock” at ASU’s Northlight Gallery, 925 South Forest Mall in Tempe, McFarland explores themes of journey and discovery with…
Halloween is still over a month away, but it’s certainly not too early to start setting an eerie mood. “Creatures” might be a good place to start. The group show at the Firehouse Gallery features fantastical creations that come from the furthest reaches of fairy tales, science fiction, and mythology…
Gammage is kicking off the 2014-2015 season in style. Kinky Boots tells the story of shoe factory owner Charlie Price who turns the family business around after he meets drag performer Lola and begins manufacturing high-heeled shoes to meet the specific needs of Lola and her fellow performers. The show…
First Friday heats up tonight with creative works going up all over the city. Here are our picks for shows not to miss this evening. “Analogue Roulette” Jeff Slim’s name has been popping up everywhere these days. After exhibiting his paintings in “Beyond the Reed” at Palabra’s Biltmore Pop-Up last…
If you thought you’d outgrown your childhood fascination with pop-up books, local artist Rossitza Todorova’s pop-up sculptures may change your mind. Todorova’s dynamic paper forms are movable and thus are not limited to a single, stagnant sculptural expression. In a two-day workshop at the Shemer Art Center, the artist shares…
Bocafloja is a man of many talents, but words are clearly his specialty. The Mexico City-born artist and activist is taking to the stage this week as both a rapper and a poet thanks to ASU’s Performance in the Borderlands and the School of Social Transformation. First, he will be…
Stephen Gittins is all about making things happen. “If you’re not doing what you want to be doing, you need to create the opportunities,” he says. “You have to instill motivation in yourself to push forward and find what you’re looking for.” Gittins owns Capture12, a business that started out…
Cloisonné is a French word, but it’s used to describe an art-making technique that now exists virtually world-wide. The ancient method of decorating metalwork objects using gemstones, glass, or vitreous enamel originated in the Near East as a jewelry-making practice, but it spread to include wider geographies and more complicated…
Jeff Slim is interested in finding the realm where traditional values and modern concepts collide. His latest exhibition, titled “Beyond the Reed,” references a Diné creation story in which the Diné people must travel through a reed to enter this current world.It’s a fitting backstory for the show; Slim says…
Earlier this year we found out that eight Arizona artists were being considered for the “State of the Art: Discovering America Now” exhibition at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. We are excited to announce that four of those artists have been chosen to display work…
If the Internet makes you feel like you’re drowning in information, Daniel J. Levitin’s new book might be able to teach you how to swim. Levitin, a professor of psychology and behavioral neuroscience who currently teaches at McGill University, made a name for himself in 2007 with his bestselling book…
Phoenix is looking colorful lately, and it’s not just the usual hues of light and dark beige. Though street art culture dates back decades, the past several years have heralded a new era for murals in our fair city. We’ve documented the progress in our ongoing series Mural City, but…
Who says astroturf can’t be classy? On Friday, August 15, The Sandlot is hosting the pop-up exhibition “Soirée in the Garden” featuring sculptures by Mikey Estes and photographs by Abigail Lynch (who was recently featured in our 100 creatives series). The show is only going to be up for one…
It may not be what he’s best known for, but during his time Ansel Adams was a staunch supporter of the photographic book. The famed nature photog may have been on to something. The latest photography exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum, “The Process and the Page,” explores some of…
Walls aren’t the only place to view art this week. Art Intersection is hosting an evening of member portfolio sharing that is open to the public for viewing and input. Each member will have a space of about 18 square feet to show their collection of photographs. All artists will…
Misery loves company. I guess that’s why people won’t stop talking about the fiery furnace that is a Phoenix summer. Arizonans have a complex when it comes to the heat, which isn’t entirely unwarranted because it does, in fact, get heinously hot here. The unbearableness of it becomes a rallying…
This week, Bentley Gallery added a new artist to their already impressive roster. Jonathan Cross is a recent MFA graduate from ASU, who spent time working as a studio assistant to Don Reitz, another ceramicist represented by Bentley. Cross joins the ranks of popular sculptors Jun Kaneko and James Marshall,…
This summer, the Pueblo Grande Museum is on a mission to prove that it’s not impossible to grow plants in Arizona, though the obscene heat might suggest otherwise. For the month of August, the museum is hosting a brown bag lecture series “Mission Not-So Impossible: Sustainable Desert Gardening and Landscaping,”…
Peter Bugg’s latest curating endeavor “Animal Party,” currently on view at Modified Arts, is kind of like Disneyland. With its brightly colored sculptures and large cartoon-like paintings, it initially feels like a dreamy play world. But upon closer inspection, it’s clear that there’s something sinister afoot here. Take our advice…
