Is it possible to have too many good choices? Some people surely thought so during this month’s First Friday, when art was on view at dozens of Phoenix venues. Getting to each and every one of them during the course of just a few hours was impossible, but that’s not…
New Times picks the best arts and culture events in metro Phoenix from March 7 through 11. “Hierogliffic and Other Stories” Turner G. Davis’ “Hierogliffic and Other Stories” borrows from history in form and inspiration. The noted fine artist put pencil and pen to paper daily, creating images reminiscent of cave…
Museums traditionally acquire objects in two ways — via donation or purchase. As a general rule, museums show only 2 to 4% of their collections at any given time. That means their vaults are brimming with hidden gems that don’t always make it to the gallery floor. We asked five…
“Confluence: Inter-generational Collaborations” at the Heard Museum bursts at the seams with bright hues, nods to urban culture, and a strong thematic undercurrent of environmental sustainability. Rainbow-colored butterflies hang on wires from the ceiling amid glass raindrops suspended above a pond, all created from recycled materials. The piece, called Butterfly…
Most of the metro Phoenix mural action is concentrated in just a few areas – Roosevelt Row, the Grand Avenue district, and Calle 16. But now the Coronado neighborhood is home to a charming new mural by Karlito Miller Espinosa, who uses the moniker Mata Ruda. Born in Costa Rica…
Two lawmakers and a lobbyist have hurled serious accusations at the City of Phoenix over its creation of the Roosevelt business improvement district (BID). Senator Warren Petersen, Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, and lobbyist Marcus Dell’Artino say the City Council acted improperly or illegally when it voted during its January…
Launched in 2014, Paint PHX is a weekend-long mural and paint festival that has become a beloved annual affair. In the past iterations, up to 300 artists came from around the world to paint murals in Phoenix during this grassroots event. Now in its third year, Paint PHX’s celebration of…
New Times picks the best arts and culture events in metro Phoenix from March 3 to 5. Paint PHX For years it seemed downtown Phoenix was a less-than-painted desert. Today, that couldn’t be further from the truth. And while some murals and public art have been painted over or torn down…
Agnese Udinotti has seen it all. On a cold, cloudy January morning, her small frame is wrapped in layers of black, her dark hair tied back. She’s wearing shaggy, nearly knee-high Ugg boots. Taking a seat on an armless chair covered with a deep red throw in the front room…
Consider this month’s First Friday the art equivalent of training wheels. In the next few weeks, two multi-day art happenings go down in metro Phoenix. A mural festival and block party dubbed Paint Phoenix happens March 3 to 5, and the annual Art Detour event takes place March 19 and…
Soon, Grand Avenue will be home to a new arts destination. Laura Dragon, who operates {9} The Gallery, is working with artists Robert Gentile and Michael Viglietta to create a studio and exhibition space at Oasis on Grand. Owned by Laurie and Tom Carmody, Oasis on Grand is a complex of…
The man behind this week’s cleverly titled OUTLOUD: More Stories from the Gayborhood insists there’s still relevance in a gay-specific plays festival. “There’s less of a need to be on a soapbox about gay rights these days,” says the event’s organizer, journalist Richard Schultz. “But there are still points of view about…
New Times picks the best arts and culture events in metro Phoenix from February 26 to 28. Canal Convergence The Scottsdale Waterfront will be alight with art again when Canal Convergence, an annual large-scale public art event, takes over the banks — and water — of the Arizona Canal, between Scottsdale…
It often feels like we watch the Oscars every year more as a matter of routine more than anything else, as usually one or two movies seem far more likely to win than the rest. While Beasts of the Southern Wild or Amor might have been the best films nominated in the…
Chances are, you’ve seen Brian Stauffer’s illustrations. You may have glanced at his magazine cover artwork at the grocery checkout or while sipping your morning coffee over The New York Times. Since the mid-1990s, the Phoenix-born illustrator has provided smart and satirical cover art for major magazines including Rolling Stone, Time,…
There’s something inherently chic about living in a loft. Maybe it’s the fluidity that comes with an open floor plan and high ceilings. Or perhaps it’s the wall of windows and the accompanying view. Whatever the reason, Andrew King and Andy Johnson’s urban aerie does not disappoint. The view out…
New Times picks the best arts and culture events in metro Phoenix this weekend. Transition Projects Pop culture keeps shoving in our faces the idea that people of refinement go to a show and then have dinner afterward. Come on! Dinner at 8 is bad enough (as the song goes),…
Members of the Russian feminist punk protest group, Pussy Riot, were in downtown Phoenix on February 16 for a conversation on art, sex, and disobedience at Beth Hebrew Synagogue. Pussy Riot, known for staging provocative guerrilla performances and music videos, became famous in 2012 with the arrest of three of…
February’s Third Friday is shaping up to be a great night for exploring works by local photographers, which are being shown at several galleries. But It’s also a good opportunity to see works in other media – including one that’s rather rare: hair. Here’s a look at 9 shows you…
Once a year, ASU Art Museum gives both artists and sculpture fans the chance to converse over all sorts of ceramics — from decorative to functional. Those eager to elevate their skills can watch demonstrations by some of the state’s best-known ceramic artists. And those who like to go behind…
It wasn’t until adolescence that Phoenix-based artist Cherie Buck-Hutchison realized she had spent her youth in a cult. As a young girl, Buck-Hutchison was raised in an ultra-conservative religious family. Within this society, women were prohibited from all official positions of leadership: teaching, baptizing, planning — even working as parking…
New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix this week. Art, Sex & Disobedience: A Conversation with Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina, & Ksenia Zhivago If you’re at all transgressive in Russia nowadays, better disguise yourself. That’s why punk protest band Pussy Riot sports homemade balaclavas while laying down…
