We caught muralist El Mac in the act of art-making at The Heavy Pedal, 1309 E. Van Buren last week, working on his latest Phoenix mural. It’s a collaboration between El Mac, Pablo Luna, and Mando Rascón that took a full week of steady work to execute. The results are…
When we first popped in to see the Mesa Urban Garden a couple of years ago, it was a relatively simple affair. Raised beds had just been filled with dark, moist soil. Kyllan Maney and Lauren Lee had painted the first of many murals to don garden walls. Community members…
Figuring there’s at least a bit of artist in all of us, we went in search of some of the coolest beginning art classes and workshops for adults in metro Phoenix — and found a little something for everyone, from blacksmithing to printmaking. We appreciate the lure of affordable options,…
New year, new art. One of our cultural highlights of last year was easily ARTELPHX. So imagine our excitement when the The Clarendon Hotel announced that it would be brining in a new batch of multimedia art displays come May of 2015. The weekend show, set to open Thursday, May…
Poetry. Circus Performance. Improvisation. Sewing. Video projections. They’re all part of innovative projects moving forward thanks to funding from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, which announced late last month the names of 13 artists receiving 2015 Artist Research and Development Grants. Ninety-five artists applied for the grants, which provide…
Mark your calendars and make sure you have Thursday nights off, because ASU School of Art recently announced its Visiting Artist/Scholar programming for Spring 2015. Just like last year, the lectures will take place at ASU’s Grant Street Studios near downtown Phoenix. Each lecture will take place on Thursday evening…
Cold weather did little to deter the party atmosphere as colorful club-style lights and music blared along Roosevelt Row during the first First Friday of the year, although things were considerably calmer in some other parts of the Phoenix arts scene. Never fear if you missed it, because most of…
Once you’ve done the whole ringing in the New Year thing, it’ll be time to jump back on the First Friday horse to show your love for local artists is still going strong. Weather and hangovers be damned. Make the year’s first First Friday one to remember. Art 360: Nicole…
After recent visits by the ghosts of art exhibits past, present and future, we awoke with five resolutions certain to help all sorts of artists up their creativity and community engagement. Work outside your comfort zone. Maybe you’ve been so keen on supporting the arts in your own familiar venues…
While most of us were scurrying around with holiday errands and festivities, artists participating in a public art program called IN FLUX were readying a diverse assortment of works you’ll soon be able to enjoy in several Valley cities. Think of it as a public art-a-palooza — with support from…
Grand Avenue is about to get even more livable, thanks to a future complex of apartment-converted shipping containers aptly called Containers on Grand. The container-based housing, located at Grand and 12th avenues, is expect to open in March of 2015. While developers have only secured permits for eight units, they…
The Marvel Experience has begun in Scottsdale, and it’s a couple hours of bliss for superhero fans. The first stop of the event’s global tour is at Salt River Fields through January 3. While there are still some technological kinks to iron out, it is a must-see for Marvel fans…
In a city progressively known internationally for its downtown’s mural art, arguably the oldest surviving murals in downtown (along with the building housing them) are now threatened with imminent destruction. So reads the opening salvo of a petition crafted by a trio of Phoenix residents hoping to preserve the building…
The year’s best exhibitions included a fabulous diversity of artwork, from ceramics to mail art, shown in a nifty assorted of places. Think museums, library, galleries, shipping containers, pop-up spaces, and re-purposed spaces that once housed ice blocks and forensic evidence. Several of the exhibits we loved best featured works…
A relatively light crowd during December’s Third Friday meant more opportunities to get up close and personal with artworks normally surrounded by eager viewers. Some suspected protests in downtown Phoenix during this month’s First Friday left folks wary of hitting the downtown art scene, but there was nary a protester…
A little of this, a little of that. It’s what we do this time of year — with food, spare time, and family gathered for the holidays. So we’ve picked five exhibitions that’ll help you explore the diversity of Arizona artists in some delightfully different settings. “Snoop” Halt Gallery, one…
Take note if you’re keen on assuring the metro Phoenix art scene survives and thrives: Kids aren’t getting equal or adequate access to arts education. So says the analysis and recent report prepared by Quadrant Arts Education Research on behalf of the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Commission…
Claire A. Warden spits on her own art. Maybe that’s a little overly dramatic. More accurately, she used her own saliva in the processing for the constructed photographs in her upcoming exhibition, “Mimesis: A Presentation of the Self”. A current Art Intersection artist-in-residence, Warden will be showing about 10 to…
There’s no shortage of Western art in Old Town Scottsdale, where folks encounter the city’s official nickname: “The West’s Most Western Town.” Best known is Ed Mell’s Jack Knife sculpture anchoring the intersection of Main Street and Marshall Way. But soon you’ll find works by Mell and more than 150…
December’s First Friday was filled with opportunities to shop art for the holidays and openings for new exhibitions — but also included one- and two-day events offering a fun assortment of creative works. Here’s a roundup of our favorite finds. The Fates by Lauren Lee Most folks know Lauren Lee’s…
You’ve got plenty of great options for First Friday this month. You can up your localist I.Q., explore darkness illuminated by art, rock the multimedia vibe, and support an emerging artist with our must-see lineup. “Lighthouse” Working with the theme of illumination, guest curator Landy Headley has gathered works by…
The Heard Museum long has been a staple for entertaining swarms of holiday visitors intrigued by katsina dolls and turquoise jewelry. But that’s a cop-out. There’s far more to the landscape of American Indian artwork, as evidenced by the Heard’s newest exhibition, “Modern Spirit: The Art of George Morrison.” The…
