Jon Haddock Talks Comic Books, Villains (With Real Superhero Photos!)

Phoenix-area artist Jon Haddock has never been afraid to venture off the path of normalcy. Best known for his vintage mouse porn drawings and Isometric Screenshots of such major crimes as the Kennedy assassination and the Columbine shootings, the ASU graduate turned art professor is currently wearing his geekiness like a badge of…

LOL Country!: A Sculpture “Preemptive Retrospective” by Andrew Hadle

Andrew Hadle always has a few tricks up his sleeve. The local artist is known for his slime-covered superheroes and quirky installations on the walls and floors of Scottsdale’s Squeeze Gallery, Downtown’s Bragg’s Pie Factory, and Tempe’s Harry Wood Gallery. And tonight, he’ll open the doors of Tempe Marketplace and…

Time-Lapse Eye Candy from Phoenix Sky Harbor

It’s not unusual to climb to a high peak in Phoenix to catch a look at the city. But nbaltz (who doesn’t give a name online) was more interested in the sky. The local photographer condensed 720 images of flights taking off and landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor that were…

I Leave You My Portrait: A Collaborative Celebration of Frida Kahlo

Tonight, the Phoenix Fridas are taking their love of, and inspiration from Frida Kahlo to a new level in a month-long, collaborative exhibition at Vision Gallery in Chandler. “I Leave You My Portrait” includes paintings and sculptures, as well as an interactive dresser, a “spirit of Frida” sitting area, and…

AZ Pop Culture Experience Hosts Green Lantern Bash This Weekend

​In order for Hal Jordan to become a protector of the Universe, he must exhibit great feats of courage, strength, willpower, and the ability to overcome fear.Luckily, none of these is required for you to have a good time this weekend at the Arizona Popular Culture Experience’s Green Lantern movie…

Downtown’s First Friday, in Pictures and Video

The First Friday scene is a different beast during the summer — school’s out, heat’s on, and this summer, a few galleries are closing their doors. We took some notes this past First Friday (see our slideshow here) and asked locals including artist Sarah Hurwitz, Modified Arts Associate Director Adam…

Peoria Artist Steve Rude Attempts a Return to Comic Books

To say ‘Steve Rude is an interesting dude’ would be putting it lightly.The Peoria-based, Eisner award-winning artist made his bones in the comic book industry during the ’80s and ’90s. Rude became a prolific artist through his work on the science-fiction epic Nexus with co-creator, Mike Baron, and employs a drawing…

Sarah Hurwitz’s “Meat Market” Wants You to Consider Eating Unicorns

Backyard chicken wrangling is suddenly very cool. Tattooed, cruiser-pedaling hipsters, NoPho lacrosse moms, and even teenagers (the sure sign that a trend’s become legit) are doing it. Spotted recently in uptown Phoenix: a hand-painted sign reading, “Fresh eggs from my happy backyard chickens!” Could backyard pig ranching be the next…

Kim Larkin to Leave Modified Arts in June

Come this fall, downtown Phoenix might lose another contemporary art space — Modified Arts Director Kim Larkin says she’ll be leaving the gallery on Roosevelt Row at the end of June. Larkin’s been coordinating and curating contemporary art exhibitions at Modified since community activist Kimber Lanning (who still owns the…

Greg Esser Takes on the Desert Initiative at the ASU Art Museum

Downtown artist, gallery owner, and contemporary arts advocate Greg Esser is back with another project — this time, in Tempe. ASU Art Museum announced that Esser will be associate director of the Desert Initiative, which will support artistic and scientific research into desert cultures and environments. Esser’s a natural fit…

A Sneak Peek at the One-Night Exhibition to Save The Icehouse

Hugo Medina’s not afraid of climbing the rickety scaffold in downtown’s Icehouse to hang the lighting for tomorrow’s show; he’s done it before … and hopes he’ll have the chance to do it again. Medina’s on a mission to raise money for the historic-building-turned-arts-venue in hopes of “saving” it from…

World of Rynaga: An Explorer’s Map by Eric Torres

Since we checked in with Phoenix designer Eric Torres in January, he’s been busy mapping Rynaga. Rynaga is Torres’s world — a narrated, illustrated environment he’s created for fantastic creatures with real life stories (think Tolkien, Homer, and Lewis Carol with a more comic feel). The World of Rynaga Explorer’s…

Phoenix Comicon’s Badge Art Contest Winners

Spiderman, The Joker, Juggernaut, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Is this a checklist of our favorite characters ever, or the lineup of the latest blockbuster crossover between Marvel and DC? Nope. It’s a sample of the sort of colorful comic book characters who will be adorning the beautiful badge…

Nine Must-Sees This Third Friday (May 20)

It’s Third Friday, and if you’re ready to fall in love with a piece of local artwork, take a Red Dress Tour down Grand Avenue, or peruse a few galleries in Phoenix, we have you covered. Here are a few shows you don’t want to miss. 1. Not a cloud…