Visual Arts

​The best decor trends complement an already-established style. The worst decor trends make you want to gag every time you log on to Pinterest. 2011 brought great trends to interior design, like classic gold accents and salon-style walls — decor choices that complement shabby-chic and Ikea-chic furniture alike. But then there…

Each week, local artist, GIF afficionado and Holy Page creator Christian Fillardo, creates The Weekly Tween, an animated image of something he finds in the local art community. …

Phoenix graphic designer Lindsay Tingstrom isn’t just making a list of New Year’s resolutions this year — she’s hanging them on her walls.Tingstrom, formerly one-third of SeeSaw Designs, launched her new letterpress project Acorn & Whale earlier this month with a series of minimalist prints inspired by New Year’s resolutions.Tingstrom’s resolutions stray…

It was a weird year for Arizona and a bright one for Phoenix. In 2011, the national spotlight hovered over the state’s border policies and political characters — even in the naming of its official state gun (the Colt single-action Army revolver — classy, huh?). Truth is, spotlights are rarely…

​As we bid farewell to the year and look ahead to 2012, Jackalope Ranch contributors will bring you some greatest hits from 2011. Today we’re taking a look back at a few local art happenings that caused a stir in the scene …  10. “Seeing is Believing: Rebecca Campbell and…

Editor’s Note: Barrio Queen is now open! And we got a taste. ​Silvana Salcido Esparza’s wanted to open another restaurant since she opened the doors of her first local venture on 16th Street in downtown Phoenix nine years ago. She says her Barrio Café was a fast-growing success because it was the…

This year’s been big for our favorite plastic brick. The Lego empire kicked the year off with a viral marketing campaign of Lego-themed movie posters and national monuments, and this month, artist and nicknamed Lego Man, Nathan Sawaya, brought his creations to Mesa Contemporary Arts. The exhibition, writes New Times’ contributor…

If the Nathan Sawaya exhibit at Mesa Contemporary Arts is underwhelming, it’s only partly because there’s so little of it. “People keep coming up and saying, ‘Is that all?'” the nice woman at the front desk told me when I stopped to ask if I’d somehow missed a big hunk…

Mary Lucking and Pete Goldlust are longtime Phoenix artists behind a few of the coolest public art projects in town (see: Lucking’s permanent installation at the Arizona Science Center and Goldlust’s temporary project in conjunction with IN FLUX). This year, the two are working together on an installation, set to take over…

From exhibitions to public art to bottle designs, here are a few opportunities you’ll want to keep an eye on: 1. Herberger Theater Center The Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix is calling for artwork for two shows in 2012 with themes: “Chomp: A Show about Comestibles” and “Memory by Play”. Interested artists…

The two share a passion for large-scale artwork — in different mediums. Breeze is all about paint. His symbolic and Tohono O’odham basket-inspired line work and definitive graffiti styles have decorated walls all over downtown Phoenix. Jetsonorama is a longtime documentary photographer. He creates photographs in black and white and prints…

There’s something about the daily ritual of commuting via subway that encourages strategizing. Especially when the LED display says that the train is still five minutes away. Time, therefore, to plot your moves. I experienced this firsthand for many years. Constantly weighing my options: Where can I stand on the…

Each week, local artist, GIF afficionado and Holy Page creator Christian Fillardo, creates The Weekly Tween, an animated image of something he finds in the local art community. …

It’s a bit of a bittersweet time for artist Jenny Fontana. The 27-year-old painter is excitedly putting the finishing touches on “Winter Carnival: Something Wicked This Way Comes,” which opens on Friday and will be the biggest show of her painting career thus far. Tempering this enthusiasm, however, is the…

​Pantone Color Institute, the world-renowned authority on color, has announced the 2012 color of the year. Let’s hear it for 17-1463, Tangerine Tango. “The 2011 color of the year, PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle, encouraged us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor,” writes Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color…

​To celebrate their town’s 125th birthday, the residents of Superior, Arizona will open their doors for the fourth-annual home and building tour. The town, 30 minutes east of Apache Junction, is well-known for its copper mines, which were shut down in 1980s. With the anchor industry closed, Superior was forced to…

You don’t have to drive four hours for a taste of Palm Springs’ Midcentury glamour. Instead, head to Modern Manor, a Melrose District warehouse specializing in designer furniture and decor. The Manor’s pieces are in perfect condition from designers including Charles and Ray Eames (Bonus: check out a documentary on the…