Megalopolitan Life

It’s easy to take the beauty of the Sonoran Desert for granted, surrounded as we are by its alluring textures, colors, and sounds. When Ballet Arizona performed Ib Andersen’s Round at Desert Botanical Garden, we were thrilled to be reminded of all its bounties. Andersen exquisitely choreographed this site-specific work to make the desert itself the set, and the sky a dazzling lighting element that shifted over time as the sunset delivered a vast array of pastel and fiery hues. Everything about the piece, including its compelling movement, embodied the complex ecology of the desert. We loved having an excuse to sit under the stars and do a bit of wining and dining while witnessing this collaboration between nature, artistry, and community.

When was the last time you spent just $3.50 on a movie ticket? Ticket prices keep rising, but you’ll always find a movie bargain at Pollack Tempe Cinemas at McClintock Drive and Elliot Road. The theater plays second-run movies (those no longer showing in regular cinemas) in addition to classic features such as The Breakfast Club and Friday Night Lights. Pollack Tempe Cinemas an old-school, Hollywood-meets-Disney vibe replete with life-size displays of characters from Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, and Superman. Head to the snack bar for popcorn, Blue Bunny Ice Cream, or a Hebrew National Hot Dog to accompany your flick, then sit back and enjoy the show knowing that you snagged a great deal.

Let other cities have glitzy film festivals filled with celebrity sightings and movies by big-name directors. Here in Phoenix, we have a hometown festival that makes it easy for anyone to experience an eclectic array of films that reflect the diversity of human experience and give us pathways for forging fresh conversations and collaborations. The Indie Film Fest gives voice to local talent, while expanding our vision beyond the Valley of the Sun. We’re never sure what creative community-based activities the Indie Film Fest organizers are going to come up with, but they always add another layer of fun. With shorts, documentaries, music videos, and more, the festival mixes it up to remind us that there’s true movie magic beyond our favorite couches and streaming services.

Film archivists have a term for the chemical reaction that causes old film stock to deteriorate. It’s called “vinegar syndrome,” and it often looks like pools of luminescent liquid eating away at the celluloid. When the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix screened a restoration of Mario Roncoroni’s 1915 film Filibus with an original live score by avant-garde dieselpunks RPM Orchestra, the visual quality of this silent movie was excellent — full of striking colored tints and silvery B&W photography — except for a distorted scene in the middle of the film that suffered from a bad case of vinegar syndrome. It was the best part of the screening. A film shot in the same spirit as Louis Feuillade’s classic serials like Les Vampires, Filibus is the story of a cross-dressing female thief who pulls off heists from her secret airship. RPM Orchestra’s score added a playful and immersive energy to Filibus, but what made their music particularly entrancing is how they responded to the quality of the physical film. Whenever there were scratches or distortions the music would take on a similar dissonant quality. When the vinegar syndrome was at its worst, RPM Orchestra wailed a cacophony that would make Merzbow reach for some earplugs. It was sublime.

For more than 30 years, the Circle K at the corner of Southern Avenue and Hardy Drive in Tempe was more than just a convenience store: It was the shooting location (and subsequent local landmark) for some of the pivotal scenes in the classic ’80s comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. (You know: “Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.”) Then the news came this spring that the store was closing, and a generation of local film buffs bemoaned the imminent loss of this cultural touchpoint. Local movie chain Harkins Theatres responded to the outcry by giving the Circle K the best possible sendoff: On May 18, it hosted two screenings of Bill & Ted in the parking lot of the convenience store. Tickets sold out pretty much immediately for both shows, and attendees showed up ready to party, several of them dressed up like the titular characters. The screenings included a prerecorded intro from Alex Winter (a.k.a. Bill S. Preston, Esq.) and a sense of nostalgia so strong it was palpable. Today, the convenience store at Southern and Hardy is called Corner Market, but to us, it’ll always be the starting point of a most excellent adventure.

A literary hub might have sounded like a luxury just a few years ago, but now it’s an absolute necessity as politicians at the local, state, and national level are working so hard to limit access to books with material they find offensive. The small presses, bilingual bookstore, and zine shop that share this literary home are working tirelessly to assure that community members have a place to find a diverse array of titles written by local and international authors with authentic voices. You can relax and read zines inside the Wasted Ink Zine Distro, shop for great gifts at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore, or enjoy works by local artists in the on-site gallery. Great conversations happen here, in a welcoming, unhurried environment that always has something challenging and new to offer.

Sometimes you just need to get lost in a sea of stories where you can have your pick of thousands of adventures spanning myriad times and places, while also delving into the wonders of your own little corner of the world. There’s so much more to explore at Burton Barr Central Library than just a fabulous collection of books. There’s the architecture of Will Bruder, city views through walls of windows, works by local artists exhibited in the gallery and other library spaces, dedicated spaces for youth, a rare book room, and even a gift shop where book nerds can support a good cause while finding book-themed gear or old magazines for all those collage projects. We feel more alive every time we step inside, as if we’re actually skipping through the pages of one of our best-loved books.

Flash back a few years before the pandemic, and you couldn’t go a week in Phoenix without tripping over a live storytelling event. Storytelling series and open mics sprouted up faster than weeds. Time, the most patient and merciless of gardeners, has yanked most of them out by their roots. But some plants are hardier than others — The Storyline’s roots run deep in downtown, and it continues to bear sweet storytelling fruit each month at Changing Hands’ Phoenix location. Hosted by Dan Hoen Hull and Joy Young, The Storyline Slam combines the confessional storytelling you’d see at places such as The Moth with the competitive energy and scoring of a poetry slam. Each month, a group of storytellers tell stories around a theme like “magic” or “camp,” wowing crowds with their hilarious and emotional personal stories while a panel of audience judges score each storyteller. Ever wanted to tell a story? Don’t be afraid to throw your name into the hat — this event is open to newcomers and veteran performers alike.

The best storytelling has a visceral, authentic quality that grips all those who experience it. That’s exactly what happened at Tempe Center for the Arts, when Teatro Bravo presented a short play called Memorial created by Antonio Miniño, a Caribbean genderqueer artist based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Collaborators including theater and visual artists explored the stories of children and families in U.S. detention centers, while centering the memories and relationship of one particular mother and daughter. But instead of storytelling through a traditional, staged production, they coupled tales of migrant journeys and experiences with powerful works of visual art that viewers encountered as they wandered through the space. The experimental mix of culture and creativity reverberated with the power of present, future, and past.

For local cinephiles who are tired of watching classic films on the small screen, the Majestic Neighborhood Cinema Grills are your huckleberry. The three east Valley locations regularly screen repertory films alongside new releases. Where else in the Valley can you see Robocop on 35mm one week and then catch a restoration of Lost Highway the next? The Majestic team has done a great job in catering to both arthouse and grindhouse audiences, screening horror cult classics such as Blood and Black Lace and Texas Chainsaw Massacre alongside film canon staples including Rear Window, Wings of Desire, and The Seventh Seal. They’ve also had special guest Q&As, film and meal pairings, and other fun events. If you’ve ever wanted to drink a beer and eat a cheeseburger while reclining in a comfortable chair with Richard Elfman’s deranged Forbidden Zone playing in front of you on the big screen, they’re the only game in town.

It’s hard to shake the stereotype that ballet is boring, but there was no doubt that ballet can be bold and beautiful as dancers with Ballet Arizona took to the stage to perform Juan Gabriel, a work choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Ib Andersen. The full-length ballet perfectly embodied the flamboyant spirit of this iconic Mexican performer through movement, music, and costume design. Latinos have deep roots in Phoenix, and soon they’ll comprise the majority of people living in the greater Phoenix community, so we love the way that Andersen is leaning into Latino culture, creating work that embraces and celebrates its vibrancy and impact.

It’s a scenario most of us can’t even fathom (unless we’re Alexander Hamilton or Carole King): seeing our life story turned into a successful musical. But the life of Tony Valdovinos, an Arizona man who tried to join the Marines and discovered that he was an undocumented immigrant, brought to the U.S. at the age of 2, captivated local audiences when it came to the stage at The Phoenix Theatre Company as ¡Americano! in 2020, directed by Phoenix Theatre’s producing artistic director Michael Barnard. Then came the big news: ¡Americano! was headed east to Off-Broadway, where it opened at New World Stages in May. It ran until mid-June and attracted attention from everyone from former President Barack Obama to Broadway darling Lin-Manuel Miranda while highlighting the struggles of DREAMers such as Valdovinos, those individuals who seek citizenship and acceptance in the only home most of them can remember. Bravo.

The bright lights of Broadway are about 2,500 miles northeast of here. But we don’t miss the Great White Way so much when we’re sitting in the audience at ASU Gammage. The 3,000-seat auditorium is the last building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright — he based it on a design he made for a Baghdad, Iraq, opera house that was never built. After decades of attending shows there, we’re convinced there’s not a bad seat in the house. ASU Gammage is the only place in town that’s shown the blockbuster musical Hamilton, and it’s usually the first one of the local theaters to get Broadway hits such as Come From Away and Frozen when they begin their national tours. Add in tasty themed cocktails for every show, plenty of parking, and great dining options near its Tempe location, and you’ve got a script for a perfect night out at the theater.

Journalists are used to taking their lumps. Many save hate mail as a badge of honor and a story to swap over beers. GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake’s beef with Brahm Resnik, KPNX-Channel 12’s host of the Sunday Square Off talk show, is something categorically different. It came to a head a year ago when Lake held a rally to stomp on a COVID mask for the cameras. Resnik tried to get a question in; Lake ducked it and called Resnik a traitor and accused him, for the cameras, of refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. After she aired an ad during Sunday Square Off making the same bogus claims, Resnik invited her for a sit-down interview at any time. (He’s still waiting.) Historical note: Many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were publishers, and it’s no coincidence that the first addition to the Bill of Rights established freedom of the press. In that tradition, Resnik has carried on doing his job, not stooping into the gutter, and calling bullshit on political nonsense in Arizona, of which there is an ample supply. Enemy of democracy? Try guardian of it.

Aching to ogle at Arizona’s craziest candidates ahead of November’s general election? Pining for a preview of the Arizona Cardinals’ season debut against the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs? Talk radio veteran Bill Brady says, “Why not both?” The Bill Brady Show airs every weekday afternoon from 5 to 7 p.m. on 1100 AM radio, so tune in on your drive home from work and enrich your day with what he calls “a return to common sense commentary.” His instantly recognizable voice has graced the ears of Valley residents during interviews with everyone from CIA directors to sports greats such as NFL quarterback Johnny Unitas and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. Most recently, Brady has taken in-depth dives with the Arizona Wildcats, state candidates including Adrian Fontes, and even New York Governor Mario Cuomo.

Monique “Mo!” Rodriguez stands out from other on-air talents working the Valley radio dial — and not just because of her vibrantly colored hair. The Alt AZ 93.3 midday host is more charming and engaging than other local jocks, her jokes are funnier, and her quirky, self-effacing personality feels genuine. Between songs, her segments aren’t filled with mindless chatter, as Mo! dishes on geeky topics during her “Nerdgasm News” segments or plugs upcoming shows by local bands. Her support for Phoenix’s music scene doesn’t end there. On weekends, she provides airplay to local artists during her Homegrown with Mo! show every Sunday evening, or occasionally can be found hosting events such as this year’s Phoenix Rock Lottery at Crescent Ballroom or DJing at The Rebel Lounge’s LGBTQ-themed Emo Pride Night. In an age when many DJs are just corporate radio automatons who just shill the latest hits, Mo! is a personality with a pulse and a passion for her city, on or off the air.

Some remarkable things happened in 1922. Beloved comedic actress Betty White was born. Haribo invented the gummy bear. And the radio station KTAR was launched right here in Phoenix, making this its centennial year. It’s changed owners and buildings through the years, but continued to deliver the news every day, keeping Phoenicians informed about politics, sports, culture, crime, education, the great outdoors, and so much more. In a day and age marked by fake news (and fake accusations of fake news), we take comfort in knowing this staple of the local news scene is still going strong, with broadcasts and podcasts that both enlighten and entertain.

When First Friday rolls around, you only have a few hours to take in the city’s creative side, whether you’re looking for art exhibits, culinary fare, or ways to shop local. Grand Avenue is the place to be, because it’s a walkable area filled with galleries, eateries, artist studios, and creative spaces where you can show off your local love. Outdoor art installations from murals to trees that have been yarn-bombed and decorated with playful plush animals make great backdrops for selfies or photos with your crew, and you never know when you might stumble on someone demonstrating skills like making a glass bong or using a vintage printing press — or get the chance to talk with one of Phoenix’s amazing artists. Grand Avenue is the perfect place to hang with friends, take out-of-towners, or meet some fellow creative folk who share your love of all things quirky and off the beaten path.

Mormon churches dot the landscape of metro Phoenix, and you can walk in and attend services whenever the doors are open. Temples are a bit different: There are only three in the Valley (Mesa, Gilbert, and Phoenix), and you can only enter if you’re a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with a temple recommend. The exception occurs when a temple has yet to be dedicated, or in the case of the Mesa Arizona Temple, rededicated, which is why thousands of non-Mormons were afforded the rare opportunity to tour the building late last year. The temple, which was finished in 1927, had been closed for renovations since 2018, and before it was rededicated in December 2021, we got to take a look inside the house of worship. Modest dress was encouraged for the free tour, and all attendees were required to put disposable booties on their shoes so as not to sully the pristine carpets. We were walked past the baptismal font, through dressing areas, and into rooms devoted to worship and wedding ceremonies. The smiling volunteers greeted us, but didn’t try to convert us, and after the tour, we took a few minutes to wander the temple’s beautiful public gardens. Seeing as how the last time the temple was open to the public was 1975, we feel fortunate we were around last year to sneak a peek inside one of metro Phoenix’s longtime landmarks.

Unless you’ve lived here for a lifetime, you probably still don’t know the names of all the cactuses growing throughout the city. Nobody’s going to quiz you, but if you’re going to be an urban desert dweller, you might as well become something of a cactus connoisseur. Artist Jen Urso set out to map the locations of various cactuses growing in the city several years ago, and her latest cactus map shows you where to find more than 50 varieties, which means it’s a great way to learn more about the urban desert terrain. The map, which she sells through her website, is a great tool for locals and visitors because it illustrates where to find a particular cactus while also providing basic info about each one. It’s a plus that you can’t plug the name of a cactus into your GPS and then have it spit out directions, because the whole point of using the map is to reignite your sense of adventure.

The jackalope may be the best-loved mythical desert creature, with its long hare ears and antlers, but artist Christy Puetz has imagined something even more wonderfully weird. For an exhibit at The Gallery at Tempe Center for the Arts, she showed the head and torso of a creature named Stanley with a trio of prickly pear pads forming a crown over its head, almost like a cactus halo suggesting the sanctity of desert wildlife. Her thoughtfully conceived and carefully crafted creature brought a delightful sense of whimsy while also suggesting the importance of respecting the plants and animals in our midst. And it made us want to run right home to see what we might be able to do with a jumbo pack of colorful seed beads.

In some ways, The Phoenician is like the modern-day equivalent of some medieval castle. It’s near the base of a mountain in Scottsdale, and it’s meant to cater to a particular tax bracket of locals and tourists alike. Luckily, you don’t have to breach their walls with force, and everyone can access the whimsy of the resort’s cactus garden. This slice of pristine nature isn’t just home to 250 or so succulents and cactuses, but also chuckwallas, roadrunners, and other desert creatures. And whether you opt to traipse around yourself, or join the resident horticulturist for a guided tour, visiting the garden is a chance to explore a microcosm of our rich desert. It’s a highly cultivated, mostly manufactured desert, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less compelling. And what better way to understand why people live here — or maybe why you’d want to make the move yourself — than by exploring the understated beauty and downright serenity that comes with accepting and embracing life in the arid Southwest. Plus, when you’re done, just go back to the hotel for a swim or a mojito the size of your face.

It’s like something out of Tomorrowland at Disney Word. Sure, the technology isn’t all that futuristic. But how many rides give you a bird’s-eye view of the top of a jumbo jet? Or the sweeping vistas of the mountains and sunsets that remind us why we live here in the first place? The driverless PHX Sky Train takes you from the 44th Street Light Rail Station, over the taxiway, and right into Terminals 3 and 4. In the summer, the extension to the car rental facility opened. It’s free and runs every three to five minutes. It’s a great way to avoid the traffic or expensive parking at Sky Harbor, and here’s a tip: You can avoid the lines to check your bags at the terminal by doing it at the 44th Street station. You’d pay for this at Tomorrowland. But here’s the best bit, besides the views: It’s free.

If you’re an OG resident of metro Phoenix — we’re talking several decades or more — you remember Legend City, the bygone amusement park that operated from 1963 to 1983. As for anyone who moved to the Valley since then? They’ve only heard about the place. Conceived as an Arizona-themed version of Disneyland, the 87-acre destination on the border of Tempe and Phoenix was filled with attractions riffing on our state’s history, particularly the Wild West era. There were such themed areas as Indian Country and Boom Town, experiences that allowed you to stroll through the Lost Dutchman Mine or down the “River of Legends,” and rides including a circa-1880s locomotive. Since the park’s closure, it’s become a cultural touchstone for old-school Phoenicians and a part of local lore. Nostalgia for the park rages to this day (a mere mention of the park causes hundreds of responses in the popular Vintage Phoenix group on Facebook), as those who witnessed Legend City firsthand still have halcyon memories of its glory days.

Lush greenery, koi fish, and a mini waterfall in the corner of an almost a four-acre garden are unexpected in the desert. But the Japanese Friendship Garden has made its home in the Valley since 1996 when Matsuji Totani, the mayor of Himeji, Japan, proposed a sister-city friendship between Himeji and Phoenix. Several places in the garden offer opportunities for reflection and moments to focus on you. You can stroll the garden and admire the stones or 50 plant varieties on the property. Those who want to sink into an authentic Japanese tea experience will enjoy sipping tea and living an ichigo-ichie moment, which means that the moment you’re currently experiencing can never be repeated again. The tea ceremony is meant to be savored because each seating is treated like an experience that is singular and unique. A quiet awareness is palpable when you visit the Japanese Garden and chances are that floating feeling may just mean you found your zen — at least for a few moments.

Believe it or not, even at Arizona State University’s massive Tempe campus lined with palm trees and teeming with backpack-toting undergraduates on skateboards, there is a secluded place where one could have a romantic rendezvous. At the southwest corner of Dixie Gammage Hall (on Forest Mall, across from Coor Hall), meander down a ramp and through a short tunnel to find yourself, and hopefully your companion, at the Secret Garden. A lush green lawn is surrounded by leafy trees and scattered with a few benches, though a picnic blanket is another great seating option here. Stare at your lover in awe or simply head back to escape the hubbub of downtown Tempe. We won’t tell if you don’t.

When it comes to art with an erotic or esoteric spin, Alwun House is renowned for putting it all out there. At any given time, they might be presenting an art exhibit, a cabaret, or a poetry reading. The multistory house is hard to miss, with its bright orange exterior and seasonal decor such as giant spiders or hearts. But it’s really the garden that shines most, in part because not everyone knows it’s there. Behind the house, you’ll find lush plants, ponds, water features, fairy lights, and art installations. And this garden has features you won’t find in most other green spaces, including a fabulous stage and bar area — because sometimes you want to wax poetic amid an idyllic array of blooms, but other times you want to circle a runway filled with exotic fashions knowing that Mother Earth is close by, winking and wearing a sheepish grin.

If your idea of being pampered is having someone else fetch your beer while you sit on the couch watching movies from your favorite ’80s franchise, it’s probably time you step it up a notch. There’s luxury to be found at AMC Dine-In Esplanade 14, where you can order appetizers, burgers, flatbreads, salads, bowls, snacks, and more on your phone and get them delivered to your seat. You can also spend some time at the bar before or after the flick to enjoy beer, wine, or cocktails. The theater is surrounded by luxurious shops, so you can enjoy a little walking and window shopping on either side of your movie time. While you’re there, you can typically choose from classics, new titles, and artisan films. Special Fathom Events screenings from anime films to opera performances take you beyond the ordinary movie lineup, and you can bring a touch of class to your next party by booking a private screening. Just be sure you don’t show up in your tattered Big Lebowski bathrobe.

Some folks attend Phoenix Fan Fusion to geek out. Others go for the chance to meet pop-culture icons and collect autographs. We’re there for the unrivaled people-watching opportunities. Roam the Phoenix Convention Center during the three-day event, and you’ll encounter a nonstop parade of interesting characters, fictional and otherwise. Nerds wearing T-shirts with snarky sayings such as “The book was better.” Dudes in Pokémon onesies. A gal in a dress made from Beanie Boos. Punks with full sleeves of Harry Potter tattoos. You can also spot the various celebrities who appear each year at Fan Fusion, and not necessarily at their panels or booths (Mythbusters star Adam Savage dressed as Captain America and discreetly walked around the exhibitor hall in 2019). As you’d expect, cosplayers are also legion — and their costumes are always on point. At this year’s edition (the first since the pandemic) we spotted such standouts as a life-sized version of Totoro, characters from Dogma, a female version of King-Sized Homer, and an intricately crafted Eliksni Mother from Destiny 2. (Plus more Deadpools, Moon Knights, and Harley Quinns than we could’ve possibly counted.) It’s more than enough to justify the $90 price tag for a full event pass.

There’s no shortage of places to take out-of-towners whether they’re into nature, sports, or cultural activities. But sometimes you just want to show off the fact that Phoenix has a particularly rare type of museum, where visitors can see musical instruments and artifacts that deepen their knowledge and appreciation of global culture. We love watching out-of-towners find instruments, artifacts, and videos that reflect their own cultural heritage — and seeing their eyes light up when they discover a piano or guitar played by a modern music legend. It’s a plus that you can treat them to a meal at the museum cafe, shop for souvenirs in the museum store, or even get tickets for a concert inside the museum’s own theater. Exploring the museum will take you at least half a day, and you’ll never be bored going back with visitors because every time you’re there, you’ll discover something intriguing that you hadn’t noticed before.

All holidays are commercialized these days, it seems. Valentine’s Day candy shows up by New Year’s. Days of remembrance like Memorial Day and Veterans Day are excuses for stores to hold sales. And don’t even get us started on Christmas. But amid the winter holiday consumption extravaganza, there’s one local Christmas tradition that’s light on the commercialism and heavy on the, well, lights. Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden has been going on for more than 40 years. Picture it: the lovely, serene paths of the DBG lit with hundreds of luminarias. Wander around the garden, and you may find a string quartet playing Christmas music, or a small stand selling hot beverages of the alcoholic and nonalcoholic kind. The crowd isn’t loud, the lights are gentle and unobtrusive, and the only things for sale besides food and drink are the usual stellar offerings of the garden’s gift shop. Las Noches de las Luminarias, which runs through most of the month of December, is an oasis of peace and holiday magic in the midst of Christmas madness.

It’s ironic that the southern end of Central Avenue, the urban heart of Phoenix, is the beginning of one of the most gorgeous scenic drives in the city. Located in the South Mountain Park and Preserve, the road to the Dobbins Lookout starts off gently as you travel through visitor checkpoints and parking lots. Then, you begin to climb. Gentle twists, turns, and switchbacks are the name of the game as you ascend the mountain on a well-maintained paved road. It’s hard to decide what’s better: gazing at the majestic South Mountain close up or watching the city fall away behind you. After about five miles, you’ll make it to Dobbins Lookout at 2,330 feet. The altitude makes for spectacular views of the entire Valley; you can try your hand at identifying landmarks with the compass on the observation tower, or you can get out of the sun in the stone ramada. On your way back down, before you leave the park, make sure to stop at what remains of Scorpion Gulch, a neat little house and store that was built in the 1930s.

They don’t call it Central Avenue for nothing: As metro Phoenix sprawls endlessly every which way, the thoroughfare continues to mark the boundary between the east and west sides of town. And a drive from its northern terminus to the southern end (or vice versa) provides a vibrant look at the heart of the city. You can start in Sunnyslope, where Central dead-ends near North Mountain Park. Take it south and admire the historic, upscale neighborhoods that line Central from Northern to Missouri avenues. This section boasts the historic Murphy’s Bridle Path; no longer used by horses and the people who ride them, the tree-lined path is often filled with pedestrians out for a little fresh air. Head a little farther south, and you’re into central Phoenix proper. Check out Midcentury Modern architectural gems such as the Phoenix Financial Center, stop for a bite at popular eateries including Clever Koi and Forno 301, or get some culture at the Heard Museum or Phoenix Art Museum. Keep going, and you’ll cross the trendy Roosevelt Row arts district before finding yourself entangled in the mess that is downtown Phoenix construction (a low point on our tour while the streets are still torn up). Make it through downtown, and you’re now in south Phoenix, where the buildings are shorter and you’ll see much more Spanish on the signs of the businesses. This stretch of Central has its fair share of work going on (they’re building a new section of the Valley Metro Light Rail), so consider pulling over for some shopping or a meal to support the local businesses who have seen their revenues drop because of the construction mess. Finally, just as it began at a mountain, Central Avenue ends in South Mountain Park. Pull over to stretch your legs and contemplate the slice of urban Phoenix life you’ve just experienced.

Most bars in the evenings are starting to get rowdy. At Lux Central, a coffee bar on Central Avenue, the music is always blisteringly loud, and the space is usually packed — and yet most customers are deep in a book or clacking away on laptops. For those that enjoy getting work done in bars and cafes, Lux is simply the ultimate choice. Its counters are stocked with mouthwatering pastries. It has big tables and comfy pink armchairs. It serves both espresso and stylish cocktails. The jalapeño bacon mac-and-cheese is to die for. Working late in the evening here, you feel productive — and still cool, because you made it out, at least, to a place like Lux.

Walking into the McKinley Club near a strip of Grand Avenue renowned for its offbeat arts scene, you hardly feel like you’ve entered a working space. When you see oodles of plants, hanging chairs, and a geometric mural by local artist Danielle Hacche, you get the vibe of your favorite home decor show where it’s all about combining comfort and urban chic. The club has private offices in various sizes, plus dedicated desks in shared spaces, and open space memberships, too. Check out the roster and you’ll see a compelling mix of Phoenix thinkers, makers, movers, and shakers — each bringing creative flair to their own projects and their conversations with other great minds working in various ways to help the city, and those who live and work here, move forward.

There’s an incredible sense of community that arises from spending time in this alley in the Coronado neighborhood, where one mural memorializes a child who bravely faced cancer and another honors one of the city’s graffiti pioneers. The alley is home to a changing array of murals, including several by some of the city’s most renowned artists. Whether you walk through the alley alone, or attend the annual mural festival during which new pieces take shape, you can tell these artworks reflect the heart of the city. Whether you’re into music or animals or social justice or nature, you’ll find something here that speaks to you. It’s true that some murals make amazing selfie backdrops, but spending time in this space, it’s very clear that these artists were working from a place of authenticity rather than trying to promote anyone’s 15 minutes of fame.

Rusty Bowers, current speaker of the Arizona House, has a long, sometimes troubling record at the state Capitol. For decades, he’s been an enigmatic figure in Arizona politics, and in addition to his 18-year career at the state House, he’s also a sculptor and father of seven children. Until recently, his record was fairly in line with that of an old-school Arizona Republican. He’s not a fan of marijuana, nor of funding public education. But this year, we have to give Bowers some major credit for being one of the only Republican lawmakers in the state to stand up to the bizarre, neverending claims of election fraud that have infected Arizona politics over the last two years, leading to, among other things, the absolute circus that was Arizona’s 2020 election “audit.” Bowers refused to bend to the demands of former President Donald Trump and others in his party to take action to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. He became a star witness in the federal hearings on the January 6 Capitol riots, testifying to the nightmare that his life became when he resisted the fringe of the Arizona GOP. And it was a real sacrifice: Bowers lost his bid for state Senate — badly — to his Trump-endorsed opponent in August. (He did get a 2022 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his endeavors, though.) Is it depressing that Bowers, once considered something of a hardline reactionary, is now the lone voice of reason in the Arizona Republican Party? Yes. But we’ll still thank him for it.

Arizona has produced its fair share of celebrities, but not many can say they’ve won the highest honor in the world of cinema. The latest is Mesa native Troy Kotsur, whose revelatory performance as a struggling fisherman in the 2021 film CODA earned him the 2022 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Kotsur is the second Arizona native to win an acting Oscar (the first was Emma Stone for La La Land in 2017), and more importantly, he’s the first deaf man to win one. In his signed acceptance speech, Kotsur thanked his “hometown of Mesa, Arizona,” and declared, “This is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA community [besides being the name of the film, CODA stands for children of deaf adults], and the disabled community. This is our moment!” Since his win, Kotsur’s face has appeared on banners in downtown Mesa and Mayor John Giles gave him the key to the city, solidifying his status as the east Valley city’s favorite son.

Head to Old Town Scottsdale any night of the week, and you can’t miss them: roving packs of young women, often identifiable as a bride-to-be and her friends by matching sashes, themed T-shirts, and/or coordinating cowboy hats. The uptick in bachelorette getaways held in Scottsdale was noticed by no less than the New York Times, which published an article in June about the phenomenon. As of 2021, Scottsdale was the second-most-popular destination for brides and their bridesmaids (just behind Nashville), sparking a cottage industry of people who decorate the incoming women’s Airbnbs with wedding-themed decor and bachelorette-specific events companies. Though we’ve heard some longtime Old Town barflies complain about the bachelorettes, we don’t mind when we see a group walk through the door of our watering hole du jour: They pump money into the local economy, they bring good energy to even the emptiest bars, and if nothing else, the people-watching is epic.

TikTok, like any social media platform, can be used for good, for evil, or simply as a distraction. Scroll on the app long enough, and you’ll run across countless local influencers (legit and wannabe) just dying to tell you about Scottsdale’s hottest new restaurant. That’s fine, we suppose, but when we think about a local TikToker who we truly respect and want to keep up with, we think of the woman behind the Leftover Gains account. She goes by Lefty, she’s a veteran, and her content is part accountability, part call to action about local police and the ongoing challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness in metro Phoenix. Whether she’s filming the sweeps that Phoenix Police routinely do in the Zone (a homeless encampment downtown), or chronicling her frequent trips around town to stock free community refrigerators, she advocates for some of the city’s most vulnerable citizens with passion and intelligence. We can find the next cool bar on our own, thank you very much. We’d much rather have our FYP filled with people trying to make Phoenix a better place.

Our fair state is a wonderland of stunning natural beauty, from the red rocks of Sedona and the epic Grand Canyon to the brown-hued Grand Falls and the simple joys of wildflower season in the desert. Not that we get to see much of it in person, what with metro Phoenix being the concrete jungle it is. But when we get tired of setting our sights on buildings and freeways, we check in with the Instagram account of the Arizona Highways, the venerable magazine that’s been showing our best features off to the world since 1925. There, we can feast our eyes on everything from storm photography to snow-dusted images of the high desert in winter. It not only gives us inspiration for our next weekend getaway, it makes us truly appreciative of all Arizona has to offer.

It wasn’t detectives who found Luka Magnotta, a murderer on Interpol’s most wanted list, 10 years ago. It was social media users with a little free time and a penchant for amateur sleuthing. AZ Right Wing Watch has pledged to do the same here in the Grand Canyon State. The 2020 presidential election was the most-followed American election in history, and Arizona was at the center of the political paradigm shift that ensued. As the alt-right drifted further toward radicalism, AZ Right Wing Watch wasn’t the hero Arizona asked for, but it became the hero we needed. With the entire world abuzz about American politics, the anonymous tweeter established their successful watchdog operation on Twitter, an account that has now amassed more than 15,000 followers. The self-styed “unprofessional” and “random local” claims to be from “The Fiery Infernos of Hell, Arizona.” Apparently, said fiery infernos are rife with great tips about right-wing corruption for journalists across Arizona. Keep doing God’s work, soldier.

Veteran Phoenix journalists Rachel Leingang and Hank Stephenson launched the Arizona Agenda — a daily political newsletter on Substack — in August 2021. In the year since the Agenda began arriving in subscribers’ inboxes, it’s become a new fixture of political journalism in the state. The newsletter offers a fast-paced but thorough morning read, with a sharp breakdown of the most important stories of the moment. And the Agenda has broken big stories of its own. It’s easy to get lost in the bureaucratic weeds of Arizona politics, but Leingang and Stephenson cut through to the key stories of the day, and keep a close eye on the constant antics down at the state house. Local news in the state is better for it.

Scott Davis, the public information officer for the Maricopa County Justice Courts, is thoughtful, responsive, and always happy to pick up the phone and chat with reporters about arcane data questions. These are fantastic qualities in a PIO — and we’re always grateful to encounter PIOs who don’t stonewall. But the stakes are particularly high right now in the justice courts. It’s in this court system that most eviction cases across the Valley are handled. Davis’ monthly updates and analysis of eviction data — and constant willingness to work with reporters on stories about evictions and the Valley’s housing crisis — have been essential to helping the public understand evictions through the pandemic. Without Davis’ work to get reporters (and the public) eviction numbers, case information, and other stats, we might have a far less detailed picture of a mounting problem here in Maricopa County.

When Laila Dalton tried to start a union at the north Phoenix Starbucks on Scottsdale Road and Mayo Boulevard in January, Starbucks fought back. Hard. The coffee giant targeted the then-19-year-old for months, giving her frivolous disciplinary writeups while interrogating other employees at the store about the union drive (all of which the National Labor Relations Board documented in a hefty complaint against Starbucks). Ultimately, within days of the election, Dalton was fired. If Starbucks thought that would make her go away, it was very wrong. Not only was the union election successful at that store (though it’s still being contested by Starbucks), Dalton has since become one of the faces of a young, newly empowered labor movement — in Phoenix and beyond. She was out in the streets protesting against Starbucks this spring, and spoke before massive crowds about the power of young people rising up at the abortion rights protests at the state Capitol this summer. Now, she’s working on union campaigns around Phoenix. We’re rooting for her.

We who live in metro Phoenix already knew the good work that Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson was doing in the field of the arts. Until late last year, she was an Institute Professor in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, where she founded the Studio for Creativity, Place, and Equitable Communities, where students learn how to integrate arts, culture, and design into community planning. Then, in December 2021, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 13th chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, the federal agency that grants money to arts and culture programs across the country. Jackson is the first African-American and first Mexican-American to serve in the role, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love for the arts. “I’m definitely going to tap into that sense of the arts being critical to healthy communities and to a healthy society,” she told the Washington Post in her first interview after being confirmed. She added, “There is a power of the arts that allows us to, encourages us to, be curious, to hold nuance, to have the kinds of thoughtful deliberations and a view on humanity that I think is so critically important.” We couldn’t agree more, and we can’t wait to see what Jackson does in her new role.

In a time when the debate has turned ugly around who we should commemorate or not, it was heartwarming, even inspiring, to see that Phoenix changed the signs on a short block of Fourth Avenue at Osborn Road. This is a brief walk from where Arizona Republic investigative reporter Don Bolles was blown up in a car bomb attack at the Clarendon Hotel in 1976. He died 10 days later, and within days, the nonprofit organization Investigative Reporters and Editors met for its first national conference. Bolles was a member of IRE, which rallied a team of reporters to investigate his still-unsolved murder. It resulted in a 23-part series about widespread corruption in Arizona and propelled IRE to become the preeminent organization promoting investigative journalism. Around here at Phoenix New Times, we share that mission, so when the street signs were changed to Don Bolles Avenue, we felt it was richly deserved and long overdue. If one kid looks at that sign, Googles the backstory, and is inspired to hold the powerful accountable, then it’ll be worth the strip of aluminum it’s painted on.

Mirabella at ASU in Tempe touts its residents as an “intergenerational community fueled by lifelong learning and collegiate energy.” You might as well add “unrelenting party-poopers” to the description, since they helped snuff out a thriving electronic dance music venue nearby. The senior-living apartment building, which is owned by Arizona State University, debuted in late 2020 along University Drive near Myrtle Drive across the street from restaurant, bar, and music venue Shady Park, a longtime hub for live music and EDM that was closed down at the time due to the pandemic. When it reopened and resumed DJ events on its outdoor patio in March 2021, Mirabella residents weren’t pleased with the noise. Months later, a spat over the issue unfolded on social media. In response, Shady Park owner Scott Price installed step-pyramid roofing and other sound-reducing elements. It wasn’t enough. The codgers at Mirabella filed a lawsuit against the venue and sought an injunction against gigs. In April, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled in Mirabella’s favor and imposed stringent noise restrictions on Shady Park, causing Price to nix future shows and inspiring fans of the venue to stage protests. The decision is currently being appealed.

Joe Arpaio is 90 years old, and his reign over the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has long since ended. This did not stop him, though, from launching a final bid for power — this time in the tiny, conservative retirement town of Fountain Hills, where he lives. Arpaio announced his candidacy for Fountain Hills mayor in fall 2021. Compared to his last two races, which failed, the Fountain Hills mayoral seat seemed like an assured win. The incumbent, Ginny Dickey, was a Democrat in one of the most conservative communities in the Valley. Arpaio had access to far more fundraising resources than are ever usually deployed in a small-town mayor’s race. And, surely, the Fountain Hills constituency — wealthy, conservative seniors — would be the ideal voter base for the former tyrant of Maricopa County and close ally of former President Donald Trump. It seemed like the perfect comeback race. Much to our amusement, it was not. Dickey prevailed over Arpaio in the August election. The months of hawking pink underwear to fund the campaign, it seems, did not get him across the finish line. It’s fitting that the former sheriff’s last, most insignificant election would end this way. At least, we hope it’s the last one.

Maybe this category should be why we should spot Ted Simons for a therapist or a year’s supply at a dispensary. Here he is on live TV, flanked by Kari Lake, Karrin Taylor Robson, and two other people who don’t matter much, all of them talking over each other — and Simons, the host — for 57 excruciating minutes. It took the frontrunners six minutes before they began cutting each other off and calling their opponents liars, elitists, or cowards. “We have to have some semblance of order. Please,” Simons said after 16 minutes. One of the most patient and gracious personalities on TV (he’s the host of Arizona Horizon on PBS), even Simons was getting frustrated. He wasn’t even supposed to be there. He was tapped 24 hours beforehand, with almost no prep time, because Lake objected to an Arizona Republic reporter moderating. Several times, Simons tried to end the broadcast and the candidates wouldn’t let him. Even Lake at one point said the event felt like a Saturday Night Live skit. Maybe Meghan McCain summed it best when she tweeted later: “can’t believe this is a real debate, in real life. Arizona really brought out the winners to run for governor.” The real winner is Ted Simons, who should get the Presidential Medal of Freedom and combat pay, but at least we can give him another Phoenix New Times plaque.

Okay, let’s just be frank: Rogers faced a lot of competition for this prize. So, Windy Wendy, take a bow. You’ve earned this. It takes a special breed to be censured by some of the very people who could claim the title themselves. How, you ask? Well, our distinguished state Senator reacted to the invasion of Ukraine by blasting its heroic president as a puppet of George Soros. She also attended the America First Political Action Conference, an event run by known white supremacists and Holocaust deniers. She called the organizer, Nick Fuentes, the most persecuted man in America and implored him to keep doing what he does (hint: spout hate). All that resulted in a 24-3 vote by Rogers’ colleagues to censure her. Her reaction: “Today is the day where we find out if the Communists in the GOP throw the sweet grandma under the bus for being white.” Not surprising, because Rogers hasn’t been shy about spouting white replacement theory. Having clearly not learned her lesson, she later called the mass shooting in a Buffalo, New York, grocery store a false flag operation. And the voters loved her for it. She won the Republican primary for her state Senate seat, beating Kelly Townsend, who’s not exactly a beacon of reason and tolerance herself.

When Phoenix drag queen Barbra Seville (a.k.a. Richard Stevens) went after gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, he brought receipts. The face-off began in June, when Lake tweeted some characteristically disparaging comment about drag queens, playing into the bigoted far-right furor of the day. In response, Stevens blasted Lake on social media — attaching screenshots and photos that documented Stevens and Lake’s longtime friendship, as well as photos of Lake posing with other drag queens. Stevens had once even performed, in drag, in front of Lake’s young daughter, he said. When Lake threatened to sue, Stevens was unfazed, telling the Arizona Republic: “If Kari sues me, she’ll get 66 pairs of high heels, 112 wigs, a rescue dog, and my mom’s ashes.” Although the incident did not, unfortunately, cost Lake the GOP nomination for governor, watching Stevens call out her hypocrisy was nothing short of delicious.

When the news came down that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, undoing the right to an abortion that had been in place in the country for decades, Phoenix took to the streets. If you walked in the crowd of thousands that swarmed the Arizona State Capitol in the days after Roe fell, you felt a sense of immense urgency, camaraderie, and defiance. The stakes are high in here in Arizona, where a century-old abortion law still on the books could soon serve as a blanket ban on abortions, across the state. Demonstrators — disproportionately young women — reacted accordingly, shutting down the streets, flooding First Friday activities, and cursing out lawmakers. Unrest continued for days, with some nights ending in tear gas and bogus arrests of protesters. Abortion rights remain existentially threatened here in Arizona (though at press time, the courts have yet to clear up what laws hold). But during the summer, Phoenix proved that it would not take the end of Roe quietly.

Land speculation is an old Arizona tradition, as are the political scandals that follow in its wake. (Right, Fife?) One of the best ways to make a buck is to buy some bare desert somewhere and convince a government body to slap a highway through it. So when the Federal Highway Administration approved a brand-new interstate to run through the Hassayampa Valley west of the White Tank Mountains, the well-heeled and well-connected must have been doing cartwheels on their private jets. Parts of this area are so remote that you’re hard-pressed to see any form of human habitation. It’s 40 miles west of downtown. It will be home to Buckeye’s grandiose plans to become bigger than Phoenix. Environmentalists see the destruction of the Sonoran Desert habitat and growth-inducing sprawl. Developers see a payday. They had a name for it before they even had a map: Interstate 11. Critics have a name for it, too: boondoggle.

Driving along most freeways in metro Phoenix, you won’t find much to delight your senses. There’s the occasional mile marker, signs telling you where you can eat and drink near various exits, and sometimes a humorous overhead display by ADOT that references pop culture icons such as Star Wars or the musical Hamilton as a way to encourage safe driving. But when you travel along the six-mile strip of the Pima Freeway/Highway 101 in Scottsdale, where the freeway walls sport Carolyn Braaksma’s massive desert designs inspired by cactus, flowers, and wildlife, you get a delightful respite from the regular freeway views. On the freeway, and retaining walls in adjacent neighborhoods, you’ll find her massive prickly pear cactuses, giant green lizards, and other desert delights that renew your sense of pride in living in the desert, with all its natural beauty.

Phoenix is a lively and lighthearted city. And with great jocundity comes even greater jokes — remember the whole Penis Man graffiti saga? But the most epic prank in the Valley of the Sun this year came one night in late February, when a $30 million roadwork project in north Phoenix was briefly derailed after pranksters hijacked the controls of an electronic message board near Interstate 17 and Thunderbird Road. More than 100,000 motorists were instructed to “SUCK MY ASSHOLE” as they passed the sign on that fateful Tuesday. Just one day later, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the invasion of Ukraine, the hacktivist hijackers targeted another illuminated message board on I-17, this time directly on the interstate near Thunderbird Road. This time, the political vigilante manipulated the traffic sign to say “FUCK PUTIN.”

Scottsdale Public Art transformed the banks of a portion of the Arizona Canal between Scottsdale Road and Goldwater Boulevard into a light-filled interactive experience to rival any and all of the immersive indoor exhibitions that hit the city during the past year, giving people a chance to explore creations by local to international artists in an unconventional setting without having to pay a dime for the experience. From bundles of multicolored square lights positioned like bunches of flowers growing out of the ground to a light-shifting waterfall made with material that looked like fancy vacuum tubing, featured light-based artworks inspired playful conversations and a beautiful sense of community. At one space, people could walk under a giant arc. At another, they could open a door that revealed a changing selection of light-infused imagery. Taken together, these artworks powered the imagination of people young and old, reinforcing the ways that art can bring people together during even the most divisive of times.

Pop art icon Andy Warhol is often quoted as saying he had a social disease, meaning he had to go out every single night. Once you’ve been to the Walter Where?House, you get it. The 24,000-square-foot event space comes alive with light, color, music, dance, funky fashion, and all manner of creative merriment that makes you forget about any unpleasant realities clogging up your brain cells before you stepped inside. It’s one of the places you’ll find the massive Kalliope dance party machine that can blast 70,000 watts of audio along with lasers and flame effects that transform the space into an alternative reality of beats and bliss. It’s also home to several large-scale art cars, jumbo versions of traditional games, walls of offbeat visual art by local creatives, and an outdoor area so you can enjoy the night sky while you take in all the electric, eclectic happiness of it all.

Traditions sometimes taken for granted took on fresh meaning this year, amid the ongoing effects of COVID-19, which shifted the ways people enjoyed creative spaces such as performing arts centers. By teaming up to bring contemporary dance to a landscape filled with natural and built environments, these two creative organizations provided a way for audiences to explore both movement and architecture in an outdoor setting where they felt safe but also experienced the serenity of seeing art created in nature. The collaboration encouraged supporters of one art form to discover another, expanding their visions of how art in metro Phoenix can and should be happening. It also brought the return of dance to Taliesin West, where it’s had a significant role in the past. And it gave dancers an opportunity to expand their thinking and feeling about connections between interior and exterior landscapes as they moved through the challenges of creative opportunities lost during the worst of the pandemic, thus creating fresh perspectives for moving forward.

Yes, it’s still a dry heat. But you can dream of bountiful waves of water when you see this giant wave form made with salvaged industrial pipe. It’s not a trip to the beach, but it’ll help you imagine being there just long enough to break your laser focus on the sweltering heat. Beyond that, this elegant organic form pays homage to the value of reusing and recycling, which is something we could all do more of in our daily plastic-filled lives. Three small pieces that appear to rise out of the desert are also part of this installation, which calls to mind the early canal system built by the Hohokam. It’s technically a temporary artwork because of the site where it’s located, but it’s permanent in our eyes and we hope it continues to surprise and delight the people who stumble on it for a long, long time.

Creative spaces can be hard to come by, especially if you’re an artist looking for a studio where you can be surrounded by other artists, have access to common areas and equipment, welcome visitors for exhibits or events, and still feel like you have your own creative home. The Rockin’ S Art Ranch operated by Phoenix-based artist Patricia Sannit has studios of various sizes, along with common areas for working on larger projects, and access to equipment like kilns. Events from studio tours to art markets give local art lovers a chance to meet artists and explore works in several mediums in a casual setting with a great community vibe. Best of all, it’s off the beaten path of the downtown arts scene, which helps to reinforce the fact that amazing work is being made all over the city.

For many, the return of air travel meant moving from isolated existence to a mélange of uncertainties, along with visions of swamped airport terminals and planes packed with bodies. For people traversing Sky Harbor Airport, several artworks installed as terrazzo flooring provide a visual break from travel worries or stress. That’s particularly true for From the Earth to the Sky, the 6,000-square-foot design that channels the energy and movement in Bill Dambrova’s larger body of work, which trains the eye on what he describes as “our biological and metaphysical relationship with plants, animals, the cosmos, and each other.” Walking atop his colorful design filled with natural forms, travelers feel a sense of wonder and joy. But the artwork is also a reminder that all those people we sometimes find so maddening in airplane aisles or restroom lines are fellow travelers on a journey through a magnificent desert that’s best enjoyed by being curious and kind.

Taking inspiration from Amanda Gorman, the country’s first national youth poet laureate, artist Jerome Fleming created the image of an African-American girl that anchors his art installation on a giant curved wall at a busy light rail station in Roosevelt Row. People using the light rail or passing the artwork while driving, bicycling, or walking enjoy a bright reminder of the power of youth, nature, reading, and imagination. The central figure in Fleming’s piece stands in a field with yellow flowers, near a lone butterfly hovering by an open book. Gorman’s poetry centers on the African diaspora, and the mural also calls to mind the Great Migration of African-Americans out of the rural South during the 20th century. Fleming’s beautiful imagery conveys an idyllic setting, but also prompts reflection on themes that are prevalent in Gorman’s work, including racism, feminism, and ongoing oppression. It’s particularly poignant when considered in the context of calls in some circles to limit youth access to books that celebrate diverse identities, experiences, and communities.

You’ll find the metro Phoenix’s best drive-by art along a strip of 16th Street south of Thomas Road that’s anchored by the mural-filled walls of renowned eatery Barrio Café. It’s the canvas for a changing assortment of murals that range from stunning portraits to powerful calls for social justice. You’ll find figurative and abstract murals by local and international artists all along this section of road. It’s a great introduction to the city’s thriving mural and street art scene, and there’s even a walk-by gallery next to Barrio Café where you can see a changing exhibit of works by emerging and established artists simply by passing the storefront window that makes art accessible to anyone who wants to take it all in.

Renting a car at the airport is pretty high on the list of mundane travel experiences, so when a monumental work of art gets installed inside a rental car center, it’s a big deal. Paul Coze’s triptych spanning 70 feet was first installed at Sky Harbor Airport in 1962, and reinstalled inside the rental car center in 2021 amid airport improvements. Anchored by a giant phoenix rising over the city, the piece speaks to the city’s past while also calling to mind its future. But it also symbolizes the city’s strong history of showing art at the airport, which gives both residents and visitors a way to experience the rich cultural diversity of the city in an unexpected setting. As Phoenix, like other major metropolitan areas, continues to face challenges, the artwork is a powerful reminder of the myth of the phoenix, a bird that rises from the ashes as a symbol of rebirth and renewal.

The best art has a way of changing our perspective, helping us to notice things we haven’t really seen before or think in new ways about the world around us. Dale Chihuly’s orbs, spires, baskets, and other glass forms exhibited at Taliesin West and the Desert Botanical Garden did just that, drawing attention to both the built and natural environments in metro Phoenix, where the pace of daily life can keep us from seeing the rich complexities of color, pattern, and texture in the urban desert. Chihuly’s installations amid desert plants, renowned architecture, and water features were a powerful reminder of the role art plays in creating and sustaining vibrant communities and healthy ecosystems, and provided a window into new ways of seeing the desert environment too often taken for granted. Through these outdoor artworks, people who might never have explored these cultural gems discovered their rich tapestries of design, and those who already frequented these sites experienced a renewed sense of curiosity and wonder.

A giant sun anchors this bright mural that exudes optimism, even as it references the history of the region with its colorful depictions of waterways, corn fields, cactuses, and rock formations. Artists Jake Early and Quinn Murphy collaborated on the mural, which pays tribute to not only the city, but also a downtown Phoenix ambassador who was killed in a bicycling accident. The mural holds special meaning because its title references the late Hans Hughes’ enthusiasm for Phoenix. Aesthetically, it stands out for its clean lines and abstracted landscape incorporating bold colors. The fact that it’s painted on the side of a historic building adds more layers of meaning. And its location near Symphony Hall affirms the fact that murals are no less important to the cultural ecosystem in metro Phoenix than more traditional art forms. It’s a visually stunning nod to history, community, civic engagement, and the essential place of artists in the urban landscape.

Even with art festivals, people tend to assume that bigger is always better. But a small festival at this off-the-beaten-path arts center proves that good things still come in small packages. Especially during the age of COVID-19, as some have felt more comfortable avoiding crowds, Shemer Art Center struck just the right note with its family-friendly, pet-themed festival that gave community members a chance to stroll around the center’s grounds taking in sunshine amid a casual, creative vibe. Visitors got to meet local artists and talk with them about their work, try pet-themed art projects led by metro Phoenix creatives, enjoy a pet parade complete with costumes and fun takes on pet transports, and explore the center’s sculpture garden. While there, visitors got to check out the inside gallery spaces as well, getting a glimpse of the charming house transformed into an intimate arts venue. And the dogs who joined them discovered that beyond the expanding universe of cat videos, there’s a big wide world of canvases covered in playful pups.

Odds are, you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how art influences or reflects the world around you, or how it affects your own perceptions and perspective. ASU Art Museum gave visitors a compelling glimpse of the ways historical images have fostered and reinforced ideas, policies, and practices related to incarceration with this exhibition featuring works by a dozen artists who drew from carceral culture in their own communities in and beyond Arizona. The exhibition perfectly meets the current times, in which advocates decry the rise of the prison industrial complex amid dwindling resources for education, family support, mental health care, and other community needs. The exhibition filled every gallery at the museum, signaling the significance of the issue, and the museum even added prompts for reflection to stairways and other spaces. Thoughtful programming supplemented the exhibition, giving community members opportunities for learning, conversation, and action, proving that art exhibits can be powerful catalysts for change.

For more than two decades, the “Chaos Theory” exhibition has been one of Phoenix’s best-loved arts traditions, in part because it brings together a stellar lineup of some of the Valley’s most renowned artists for a night of not just artwork, but also vibrant conversations and pop-up music performances. It’s typically held on First Friday in October, but that didn’t happen in 2020 when, like everything else, it was canceled due to the pandemic. But organizer and artist Randy Slack brought “Chaos Theory” roaring back in October 2021 with works by more than 70 artists, most of whom are already part of the unwritten “who’s who” list of metro Phoenix creatives (or rapidly rising stars). It’s a night when artists take time to appreciate each other’s work and people from art bigwigs to the merely art-curious gather in one place to celebrate the city’s creative side — without having to pay a dime for the experience. After all that COVID-19 isolation, “Chaos Theory” was an exhilarating way to reenergize the Phoenix creative scene.

Galleries get a bad rap in some circles, especially from those who assume that traditional art venues are stuffy places filled with art that’s hard to understand and impossible to afford. Art One gallery in Old Town Scottsdale counters that model by presenting an eclectic assortment of affordable artworks in a casual, friendly setting where you don’t have to worry about being intimidated because you’re not an art expert. The gallery has a large storefront window, so passersby can always see art as they walk down the street, and more pieces are often displayed outside the gallery during the day, which makes art feel even more relatable. Art One is the best place to see works by emerging and established artists, including many you won’t see on the beaten path of Phoenix’s downtown arts scene. On any given day, you might see a work by one of the Valley’s most prolific muralists, a piece by a well-known local artist that differs radically from their typical style, or a piece created by a talented high school or college student. The gallery also shows works by students at Autism Academy. It’s a perfect place to discover local talents before they hit the big time.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art stands out for consistently delivering the unexpected, whether it’s the replica of an artist’s living room or a mobile home trailer purchased by an artist at a local swap meet. The museum excels at introducing metro Phoenix audiences to creatives working in other cultural hubs while also spotlighting works by artists with Arizona roots or artists working in Arizona. Curators strike a delightful balance of showing works by emerging and established creatives, and the museum has demonstrated by its exhibitions a commitment to elevating the voices of women artists and BIPOC artists. The museum also creates and hosts fun community experiences, such as trivia nights, screenings of films by ASU students, and artist talks, fostering a sense that the museum is a community space for learning, growth, and creativity rather than a building designed to merely house and show works of art.