There’s something about a glowing light — be it neon, flame, or an electric flicker — that makes us feel particularly connected to the holidays. Perhaps it’s because the bright glow is a symbol of hope, or maybe we just like the idea of illuminating the unknown future.“Lighthouse” at the…
The Phoenix Coyotes haven’t given their fans much to celebrate in the last two seasons, but they’ve at least been exciting. The ‘yotes have seemingly been sitting somewhere between seventh and 10th place for the last season and a half. This has given championship implications to virtually every game the…
It may not be considered a professional sport, but roller derby certainly is one of the most badass. Is there another word for a combination of fierce women, brutal battles, and high-speed pursuit?This month’s match pits the Arizona Derby Dames Hot Shots against the Phoenix Rattlesnakes. Now in its ninth…
It’s not exactly the Thanksgiving Day parade, but giant seven-story high bumblebees and other creatures will fill the sky during the 4th annual Cave Creek Balloon Festival. That’s just part of the fun as local vendors and restaurateurs provide food and libations while local bands sound off from country to…
Depending on how you look at it, a bazaar can be, well, quite bizarre. The former is typically an interesting place to shop where something things can be, well quite bizarre. Consider the possible overlap at the fourth annual Black Bird Holiday Exhibition and Bazaar. Part art show, part gift…
Before the start of this NBA season, the Phoenix Suns seemed less like a professional basketball team than the premise for Major League 3: a team put together with the express purpose of losing games so ownership could grab a decent pick in next year’s stacked draft. But this bunch…
Halloween seems like a distant memory and Comicon is over six months away. If your costume yen needs to be fulfilled, the fourth annual edition of Taiyou Con celebrates the different dimensions of Japanese pop culture starting Friday, January 3, that includes, yes, cosplay.You can bet your very rare Shining…
Broadly speaking, Pablo Francisco is a stand-up comedian, but that’s somewhat misleading. The Tucson native’s line of work doesn’t seem to involve standing as much as it does flailing and writhing. And rarely does Mr. Francisco actually tell a joke. Instead, the 39-year-old weaves numerous characters and impersonations into a…
Though her minimalist installations speak volumes (audio tracks are involved in some cases), artist Julianne Swartz will discuss her playful, interactive works during a talk. Swartz’s exhibition “How Deep Is Your” is featured at the museum through Sunday, January 26, and features pieces that ask their viewers to engage with…
Few things we’d wait thirty days for. Cheese Puff Day at Four Peaks is one of them.The moniker “cheese puff” conjures up notions of brightly colored packaging and orange-stained fingers, but that imagery would be misplaced. Nor are these garden-variety mozzarella sticks, the standbys of sports bars. Alas, these six…
Based on the 1980 musical fantasy film of the same name — which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly but somehow still managed to barely break even in the box office — Xanadu brings together roller-skating, disco-dancing, and Greek mythology. The Broadway hit tells the story of Kira, a Greek…
What if every dreary January day brought us a rollicking farce (the theatrical variety, for a change)? Gilbert’s Hale Centre Theatre covers 21 of those 31 days with Cash on Delivery (continuing through Saturday, February 8, for good measure). The plot overflows a nutshell: Our hero tries to end his…
In the Musical Instrument Museum’s four-class course, “The Art of Music,” creativity comes full circle with art spreading from the ears to the eyes and the instruments to the canvas. Led by artist Roberta Kritzia, “The Art of Music” teaches students of intermediate and beginners levels to create still-life renderings…
If photography leaves you wanting more, but you enjoy images in a gallery setting, perhaps one of the latest exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum will pique your visual interest. “See, Hear, Feel” features black and white works from camera wielders Debra Bloomfield and Christopher Churchill. Each artist soundracks their own…
Didn’t get exactly what you wanted this holiday season? Looking for a little craft-spiration? The Mesa Arts and Crafts Festival has you covered.MACfest, not to be confused with the makeup, the computer, or some serious face-on-face action, features a wide selection of vendors and artists selling one-of-a-kind creations including paintings,…
Austin Rickert wears whatever he can get his hands on. The 23-year-old Arizona native says he’s very communistic with his clothing. “I give all my clothing away, borrow everyone’s clothes, and I’m not opposed to girl clothes, either,” he says, toying with his colorful fishnet top, which he’s sure is…
Sure, 2013 had a boatload of good movies. But 2014 looks like it’s off to a promising cinematic start. Here are five flicks to see this January. Her Joaquin Phoenix stars in Spike Jonze’s Her, which is about Theodore Twombly, a lonely soon-to-be divorced man who falls in love with…
From artists who illustrate Jay-Z’s 99 problems to artists who turn Internet memes into impressionist paintings, the world wide web is a creative goldmine of “who’da thunk?” But just when we thought we had officially seen everything — what with Casey Jenkins’ vagina knitting — we stumbled across Marcey Hawk,…
Bust out the ol’ glue gun and prepare to have inexplicable amounts of glitter on you for weeks. Be Crafty is coming to town. The Minneapolis-based crafting duo of Amanda Rydell and Jessica Kesterson announced plans to bring their handmade ways to Tempe in March 2014 for a one-day-only workshop…
This past year was a hot one. When it came to drawing the lines between cinema, erotica, and straight-up pornography, 2013 taught us that in the end that it’s really just one big clusterfuck — no pun intended. From movies to television and the big screen to privacy of your…
If you’re feeling bummed that the crafting mania of the holidays is dying down, we’ve got good news. Beatrice Moore of Bragg’s Pie Factory recently announced the guidelines for submissions to this year’s Mutant Piñata show at Frontal Lobe Gallery. The annual piñata show has become a staple of Phoenix’s…
2013, it’s been real — and really, really busy. That was especially true when trying to take in as much art, culture, comedy, architecture, and anything else I could get my eyes on this past year in Phoenix. In no particular order, here are the best things I saw. Topia…
