The year’s best exhibitions included a fabulous diversity of artwork, from ceramics to mail art, shown in a nifty assorted of places. Think museums, library, galleries, shipping containers, pop-up spaces, and re-purposed spaces that once housed ice blocks and forensic evidence. Several of the exhibits we loved best featured works…
A relatively light crowd during December’s Third Friday meant more opportunities to get up close and personal with artworks normally surrounded by eager viewers. Some suspected protests in downtown Phoenix during this month’s First Friday left folks wary of hitting the downtown art scene, but there was nary a protester…
A little of this, a little of that. It’s what we do this time of year — with food, spare time, and family gathered for the holidays. So we’ve picked five exhibitions that’ll help you explore the diversity of Arizona artists in some delightfully different settings. “Snoop” Halt Gallery, one…
Take note if you’re keen on assuring the metro Phoenix art scene survives and thrives: Kids aren’t getting equal or adequate access to arts education. So says the analysis and recent report prepared by Quadrant Arts Education Research on behalf of the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Commission…
Shoving your nose in a favorite bit of reading material is a beloved coping mechanism this time of year, so we’re tickled with the timing of the latest issue of Four Chambers, released in October. The Four Chambers folk, who are based in Phoenix, describe their work as an “independent…
Those attending this year’s opening night performance of Ballet Arizona’s The Nutcracker, choreographed by artistic director Ib Andersen, must have thought they’d been treated to a two-for-one special. The ballet we witnessed during the first act bore little resemblance to the ballet we watched during the second — leaving us…
There’s no shortage of Western art in Old Town Scottsdale, where folks encounter the city’s official nickname: “The West’s Most Western Town.” Best known is Ed Mell’s Jack Knife sculpture anchoring the intersection of Main Street and Marshall Way. But soon you’ll find works by Mell and more than 150…
Fans of Disney’s 2013 film Frozen take note: Center Dance Ensemble has been telling the Hans Christian Andersen tale that inspired the movie for more than 20 years in a production called Snow Queen. Performances continue through Sunday, December 21, at Herberger Theater Center, where CDE is the resident dance…
December’s First Friday was filled with opportunities to shop art for the holidays and openings for new exhibitions — but also included one- and two-day events offering a fun assortment of creative works. Here’s a roundup of our favorite finds. The Fates by Lauren Lee Most folks know Lauren Lee’s…
You’ve got plenty of great options for First Friday this month. You can up your localist I.Q., explore darkness illuminated by art, rock the multimedia vibe, and support an emerging artist with our must-see lineup. “Lighthouse” Working with the theme of illumination, guest curator Landy Headley has gathered works by…
The Heard Museum long has been a staple for entertaining swarms of holiday visitors intrigued by katsina dolls and turquoise jewelry. But that’s a cop-out. There’s far more to the landscape of American Indian artwork, as evidenced by the Heard’s newest exhibition, “Modern Spirit: The Art of George Morrison.” The…
Looking for a little something for the friend who favors museums over mixed martial arts? The family member who knows the names of more artists than athletes? The kid who thinks drawing beats digital devices? Here are 10 cool places you can shop for all the art lovers in your…
Artist Randy Slack, best known around these parts for presenting the annual “Chaos Theory” exhibition at Legend City Studios in Phoenix, recalls childhood days spent “toodling around” with his dad, an elevator mechanic whose beat included the Luhrs Building originally developed by German immigrants. Today it is part of the…
It’s hard to escape trips to the airport this time of year. Most of us either travel during the holidays or get airport duty when friends and family roll in and out of town. Instead of dreading the experience, make time while you’re at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to…
New York choreographer Jessica Lang, artistic director for Jessica Lang Dance founded in 2011, has been spending time on Arizona stages of late. Recently the company performed in Tucson and in Wickenburg, and they’ll perform this month at Mesa Arts Center, with a touring program that includes five dance works…
Before seeing the solo Fortoul Brothers exhibition inside a pop-up gallery in Phoenix, we never wondered what a cosmic stew of Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, and Steve Jobs might look like. But now we think we know, thanks to Friday, November 14’s opening reception for a seamless mix of art…
Man versus machine. To many, it’s a theoretical battle best enjoyed via books or big screen. For artists, it cuts to the very nature of their craft. How do the tools artists use shape their ideas, process, and finished product? It’s an intriguing question posed with full force in the…
We’re fortunate in metro Phoenix to feel the rich influence of Latin arts and culture not only during Dia de los Muertos celebrations, but year-round as well. Local artists including Lalo Cota infuse their work with skulls and other familiar symbols for death. In a world divided by geography and…
Full-length story ballets like Swan Lake are all good and fine, but there’s something to be said for mixing it up a bit. Hence the appeal of Dancers’ Choice, a program being presented this Friday by Ballet Arizona inside their own Dorrance Theatre. It’s a one-night only affair that raises…
We hit the Grand Avenue Festival with a few predictions about what might make for the coolest parts of the day — most of them traditions like the recycled fashion show that have been among our favorites in years past. Instead, it was new and unexpected elements we liked most…
He’s best known around these parts as the man who made the colorful geometric designs that infuse the SMoCA Lounge gallery and performance space at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. But James “Dalek” Marshall was making brownies with his 8- and 10-year-old sons the day we chatted, and looking ahead…
With this year’s dizzying array of activities, we figured you could use a little help making your game plan for this year’s Grand Avenue Festival, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 8. The festival folks have partnered with the 9th annual Phoenix Annual Parade…
