Arts & Culture

If people say they don’t like TED Talks or events, we think they’re either lying or they’ve never experienced one. Anything from fish farming to a photographer reconnecting with a past subject becomes fascinating due to the way TED speakers present it. On Sunday, April 26, at 2 p.m. see…

It’s been said that jazz is the greatest American art form, but when it comes to uniquely American musical exports, it probably isn’t the most beloved. That honor belongs to a genre that was born in the mind of Detroit’s Berry Gordy. With a mere $800, the songwriter formed Motown…

Eric Coble’s play The Velocity of Autumn, which ran in Washington, DC, and on Broadway last year, is about an elderly painter who refuses to leave her Manhattan home when her children decide it’s time for her to move somewhere more suitable to her physical and mental state. The Molotov…

The multidisciplinary collective Postcommodity made up of Native American and indigenous artists Raven Chacon, Cristóbal Martínez, Kade L. Twist, and Nathan Young formed in 2006 to boost the signal of underrepresented world views. Their latest exhibition at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, “southwestNet: Postcommodity,” consists of two large-scale installations, 2011’s…

Susan Lowell’s The Three Little Javelinas has been a popular kids’ book since its 1992 debut. The story transplants the original little pig characters to the North American Southwest, introduces legendary trickster Coyote as the villain, and throws in some gender diversity.Now it’s a musical play, The Three Javelinas, for…

Black Theatre Troupe’s closer for the 2014-15 theater season is Ain’t She Brave, a choreopoem (a performance that features dance, poetry, and song) by Erika and Ntare Ali Gault, continuing through Sunday, April 26. The show follows, celebrates, and reflects on the female African-American experience throughout American history — including…

Here’s the story: Phil and Matt are in love, but Matt is facing deportation back to Finland. So Molly, Phil’s best friend, agrees to marry Matt so he can stay in the country. Then the three of them, plus Molly’s boyfriend, move in together. Happily ever after. That is, until…

What if ASU Art Museum were a bunker? And what if said bunker was holding a store of water? That’s the premise of [DE/AS]cending, a theatrical and immersive experience that brings two troupes of master of fine arts students who specialize in theater to engage spaces throughout the museum. They’ll…

Gabrielle Blair is not your average mommy blogger. The creator of designmom.com, Blair takes on the intersection of motherhood and design in her latest book “Design Mom: How to Live with Kids: A Room-By-Room Guide.” On Wednesday, April 29, she is coming to Changing Hands Tempe, 6428 South McClintock Drive,…

What happens in the studio, shouldn’t always stay in the studio. Studio Visit Q+A is a weekly series that profiles artists in their studios. We ask them questions, they provide answers, and then we have a nice discussion about their work. This week: Sculpture MFA candidate at ASU, Cecily Culver…

With dozens of worn tools sprawled out on her workbench before her, jeweler Heidi Abrahamson struggles for a few moments to select which few she considers her essentials, the things she couldn’t do her job without. She chooses a few without hesitation, her hammer and saw, but she switches back…

The current landscape of mural art in metro Phoenix is a patchwork of pieces by local artists, artists with Arizona roots such as Luster Kaboom and El Mac, and artists who periodically roll into metro Phoenix from other parts — sometimes during such organized events as Paint PHX. But it’s…

Do you love free? So do we. We love it so much that we scour the world wide web every single week to find you the most fun, compelling, and above all complimentary events happening around the Valley. Whether you want to sit back and enjoy a screening of a…

ASU Student Film Festival You know, student films have gotten a bad rap. Sure these kids may not have the huge budgets or crews that studio productions have, but students know how to visually tell stories nonetheless. Plus, there’s a lot more to a good movie than a few big…

Since its unveiling last year, The Museum of Walking, a collaborative project between Angela Ellsworth and Steven Yazzie, has functioned as an institute that values the act of walking in its various manifestations. “Radius,” an exhibition on display at Museum of Walking’s headquarters on ASU’s Tempe campus until May 15,…

Low on funds and high on FOMO? We can help with that. Phoenix is chock-full of free events worth freeing your schedule for, including movie screenings, open mics, and a good deal of art walks. Because saving money is always in season, here 30 free things you can do all…

A trio of shipping containers located in the Roosevelt A.R.T.S. Market will be making their way to a new home across the street, says Greg Esser, who spearheaded their initial purchase and placement by the Roosevelt Row CDC. After April’s Third Friday art walk, the containers will be closed up…

Iliza Shlesinger There’s a lot more to girls than sugar, spice and everything nice. There’s Uggs, glitter, and pumpkin recipe Pinterest boards, too. Just ask Iliza Shlesinger, winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and star of her own comedy specials War Paint and Freezing Hot. Whether she’s discussing the weather…