One of our pet peeves is when people bemoan the lack of community and cohesion in the Valley without bringing any new ideas to the table. We’ll grant you. It’s a pretty easy topic to rip on. Thankfully there are visionaries like Taz Loomans who shun this cliché in favor…
A pleasurable post office errand in the summer is rare; a long line and the lady who attempts to fill out the shipping form (in the queue) inevitably squash the possibility of a quick in and out. Which is why this morning’s mail run in Tempe was surprising — It…
Haunting, tragic and often traumatic is the artwork of Chris Mars, on display at Mesa Contemporary Arts until August 1. Mars’ work is heavily influenced by his experiences with mental illness. As a young child, he spent a lot of time visiting his older brother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia,…
In the mid-1960s, when artist Chris Mars was 5 years old, his 16-year-old brother, Joe, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and institutionalized because of his mental disorder. An incurable but now-treatable brain dysfunction, schizophrenia is often characterized by delusions, hallucinations (both visual and auditory), social withdrawal, and a sense of being…
Artist Spencer Hibert has done good.Not only does he run Soyal Gallery in Scottsdale with Emmett Potter III, he also won a New Times Big Brain Award for Visual Arts.When we profiled the guy, we talked all about his Miigiis. The small toys, created by Hibert, can be found in…
It’s about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we’re losing track of the times we’ve said, “Woah, when did that go up?”, we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town –…
On a recent Friday morning, blacksmith Bill Smith stands over the coals at his workshop at the Cattle Track Arts Compound in Scottsdale. It’s almost 100 degrees outside already, but it’s even hotter in Smith’s workshop, where he’s crafting an ornate fireplace poker. Smith, 75, has been a professional blacksmith…
People in other parts of the country spend the rest of the year dreaming of summer’s sunny skies, cool breezes and blooming flowers. Phoenicians, on the other hand, dread the summer season. Everything here seems to shrivel up and die, from the poor withered cactus on my patio to the art gallery scene…
Now that some time has passed since Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law, local creative types opposed to the bill are really starting to exercise their creative muscles. During the months of August and September, Calaca Cultural Center will present “FootPrints – SB1070,” a comprehensive exhibition…
Back in April, Jackalope Ranch reported on [merz] project’s nominations by Dwell. Well, the results have been counted and the Stumpf House won Dwell’s “Houses We Love: People’s Choice” online poll…
“In the Mood” has transformed the Phoenix Art Museum’s Ellman Gallery into a fashion time capsule from the 1940s, filled with authentic garments from the World War II era that range from Hollywood-inspired glamorous gowns to fashions made from salvaged materials to factory overalls and military uniforms. A soundtrack with…
The Phoenix Transect Project is at it again. Founded in 2007, the group of Arizona State University graduate students and faculty have been focusing its efforts on capturing the Phoenix metro area in the styles of field and documentary photography. Anyone that’s been around here for a little bit knows…
When you hear the word “craft,” what pops to mind? Doily dolls and scrapbooks? Clocks made from recycled computer chipboards? Holiday candleholders with creepy cherubs on them? Thankfully, you’ll find none of these travesties at the “Arizona Designer Craftsmen 50th Anniversary Juried Exhibition,” on display through August 8 at Mesa…
‘Tis the season here in the Valley. Even die-hard Phoenicians flee from summer’s suffocating heat to anywhere remotely cooler. And, as sure as the thermometer will register 100 degrees, many Valley museums and galleries, scrounging for funding and patrons in even the best of economic times, dust off and recycle…
This is the best marriage of art with venue that we’ve seen in a long time. On Thursday, Hugo Medina is debuting the second installment of his “CigarRollers” exhibit. The venue? Cubano’s Cigar Lounge, where puffers can take advantage of cigar specials all night while peeping Medina’s cigar-centric paintings. Brilliant…
Just as our fashion choices, the books we read, or the films we watch speak volumes about who we are, our homes are an expression of our own unique personal style. So beginning this week, Jackalope Ranch is celebrating local Phoenicians who’ve created amazing dwellings — clean and modern or eclectic and vintage –…
Warning: This is a real time waster. (But it’s so worth it.) Jason Hill, the Valley-based graphic designer extraordinaire (and occasional New Times contributor), announced this week that his Jason Hill Design website has undergone a serious revamping. Not only is it new, but, in our opinion, it’s improved, too…
Beautiful bodies fueled by Wild Cherry Pepsi and tall cans of Arizona Iced Tea crowd into a tiny North Central studio on a hot Sunday afternoon. The myth that dancers are celery-nibbling ethereal beings is just that. Adrian Mendle, sporting bright orange high-tops, cargo pants, and a stocking cap, leads…
Local cartoonists Brandon Huigens and Jeff Owens want you to think that their Bong Otter comics series is funny, even when you’re stone freaking sober. You may know the two from around town, especially on the comedy and comics beat. Since 2007, Owens has been sculpting a daily autobiographical comic…
Earlier this month we presented a fun quiz in conjuntion with the review of Sue Chenoweth’s Spyhopping show at Scottsdale Museum of Contempory Art. Below are the correct answers to the quiz. If you participated, please email us directly and we’ll get you the details about how to claim your mini-prize: wynter.holden@villagevoicemedia.com. …
Since February, a group of artists in central Phoenix has hosted workshops, presentations, and art-making functions. They’re called the urban artists collective and their debut exhibition is up at Willo North Gallery until the end of July…
The BMW is a status car — a symbol of wealth, success and class. That is, unless you go wild with a can of paint and cheapen it up like a twenty dollar Walmart rug. This zebra-striped beauty is painted from bumper to bumper and even sports matching fuzzy zebra seat covers. Yee-haw!…
