Desert Lives

Any opportunity to see new work by Mayme Kratz is one worth taking. The artist, known internationally for her gorgeous cast-resin wall works and sculptures that trap the beauty of the desert landscape in lovely translucent shells, is offering her newest work at Lisa Sette Gallery this month. The show,…

Tool Me Once

Stanley Kubrick had it right. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, he showed that the dawn of man occurred when a bunch of ape-like creatures figured out how to use tools (yes, that’s what that Act One was about). He’s not the only artist to take the role of the tool…

History Anew

When we see our parents and elders through our own eyes, we’re only getting one dimension of the story. Tempe artist and photographer Kris Sanford encountered a diary that her grandfather, someone she never met, had kept in 1954. That particular journal inspired Sanford’s exploration of lives, families, and loves…

Dance Magic

Rooms filled with art depicting dancers always pack a punch, especially when the bodies are at different scales, range from still to slow to frenetic, and include entertainer and recent guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance, Toni Basil. In “Dance with Camera,” the exhibition at the Scottsdale…

Respect: A Musical Journey of Women Is a Jukebox from Hell

It’s not every day one has the opportunity to see a compilation musical based on a historical survey published by a Vanderbilt professor who’s also a Fulbright Scholar, a one-time United Nations delegate, and a member of the Bahá’í faith (that last tidbit should be irrelevant but isn’t, for a…

Cycle: F.I.N.S. Is Good for the Kids

Jackalopes can ride bikes, right? Welcome to Cycle, a weekly feature where our own fanatic, Jason Franz, tells tales of rides and routes, and cycling dos and don’ts, as he spins pedals across what Bicycling Magazine calls the 15th best bike city in America. You know what you hardly see…

A Wednesday Night w/ Sean Deckert

It’s been three years since Sean Deckert moved to Phoenix to study photography at ASU, and in addition to books and dark rooms, he’s also thrown himself into the Downtown arts scene.His work as the program organizer for Heritage Square First Friday Art Walk, recent photo documentation of light rail…

“Arizona On My Mind”

Denise Bradfield, aka Threadbarestitcher on etsy, created a treasury (a curated group of goods by a variety of etsy accounts) in response to the tragedy in Tucson over the weekend. The collection, “Arizona On My Mind”, includes Arizona-phile soaps, cutting boards, turquoise necklaces, plush appliqued cacti and local landscape photography,…

Phoenix Improv Festival 2011 Dates Announced

The 2011 edition of the Phoenix Improv Festival will take place on April 15 and April 16, festival officials announced last week. The indie fest, which will be entering its tenth year, is produced and run by Bill Binder, a stalwart in Phoenix’s improv community. PIF (the hip kids pronounce…

Picture it in Words

One new idea for every day in 2011. We’re talking big, small, local, international, in action and on the drawing board. Here’s today’s — what’s yours? A typogram created by Aaron Kuehn, a Los Angeles-based graphic designer. [via aarline] Anyone up to do the light rail?…

Ultra Lounge Tuesdays at Merc Bar

Looking for something to do this week? “Night Owl” is a quick guide to special nights at bars and clubs around town. We’ll give you a few hints re: cover, dress code, music and atmosphere. Tuesday nights mark “Ultra Lounge Tuesdays” at Merc Bar in Phoenix. We’re sharing another “secret” event…

Mark ‘Ellery’ Leach’s Independent Style

If you go out in Downtown Phoenix, chances are you know Mark “Ellery” Leach. His skill behind the DJ Booth isn’t the only thing commanding our attention during one of his weekly gigs at Bar Smith or The Lost Leaf; it’s his distinguished sense of style–and maybe his penchant for…

Roosevelt Row’s First Friday Street Closure Meeting Tonight

Downtown Phoenix’s First Fridays could look a little different after a public discussion tonight at MonOrchid. The Phoenix Police Department and Roosevelt Row came to an agreement in June to postpone road closures, citing the summer’s heat and lack of sufficient patrolling resources. The heat faded, but Phoestival — the…

Rick Waymire, Owner of Waymire Studios (1946 – 2011)

Rick Waymire, co-owner of Glendale’s Waymire Studio for the Performing Arts, has died following a long-term illness. He was 64. His passing was announced by wife and studio co-owner Linda, who said, “Rick slipped away peacefully and my mind knows he’s in a better place. I’m trying to get my…

Meet My Followers: A Conversation Beyond Twitter

One new idea for every day in 2011. We’re talking big, small, local, international, in action and on the drawing board. Here’s today’s — what’s yours? Kade Dworkin’s bridging the 140-character gap between himself and his followers, who know him better as @kadedworkin. The Scottsdale-based entrepreneur was looking for connections…

Asian Gallery Reopens at Phoenix Art Museum

With the help of architecture and environmental design firm Studio Ma, Phoenix Art Museum spent the last year redesigning the Asian Gallery, located in the South Wing on the first floor.See more photos of the gallery and its art after the jump…