In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck wrote, “Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments.” In that chapter Steinbeck pits the technology that has driven farmers from their land against…
Now that Americans are in the clear for an across-the-pond holiday – thanks to Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano cooling its jets for the time being – we’ve got an overseas destination for you: the 176 art gallery in London. There, two of Phoenix’s best artists, David Quan and Colin Chillag, are…
Out of 2,500 national entries, local painter Suzanne Falk was chosen by the Oil Painters of America (OPA) as one of the top 200 artists for their 19th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils.Falk is largely self-taught and paints whimsical still life works in a photo-realist style. You may…
If you haven’t been over to the Mesa Arts Center to see Chris Rush’s retrospective, STARE, go. The show will be up through mid-May. These images are even better in person, and for some context, here’s Kathleen Vanesian’s smart review. Hungry? Michele Laudig has you fed…
Self-described “Quack Artist” Kenn Coplan is like a futuristic carnival sideshow barker from a parallel universe, driven into the Arizona desert on an endless quest for trash. The 39-year-old transplant from L.A. (not quite a parallel universe) treasures our ravaged beer cans, discarded car batteries, and sun-bleached bicycle seats. Because…
In the latest installment of Surreal Estate, Robrt Pela introduced us to the Statue of Liberty that lives down the street from his house. Impressive, but not quite as impressive as this yard we found on the westside…
The director of Denver’s contemporary art museum was in Scottsdale tonight to share his sometimes hilarious secrets to engaging community.Museums here in the Valley have increased attendance with events that bring together cocktails, DJ music and fashion shows. This guy mixes show tunes and aquatic plants or hot sauce and…
Sometimes, horrible controversy begats great art. Such is the case with spray paint artist Ernesto Yerena Montejano, aka Hecho Con Ganas, who cited Phoenix as his “third home” after stopping by in January for a Sheriff Joe protest. His work is killer: clean, bright and graphic, with powerful messages and iconic images like this…
Dwell, the ten-month-a-year bible for modern design, has nominated central Phoenix-based architectural firm [merz] project for a pretty big-deal award. In the mag’s annual “Houses We Love” contest, three of [merz]’s properties were selected out of thousands of nominations. Among the 20 worldwide finalists are the After Hours building on…
Long ago, Emily Post, that maven of manners for the would-be civilized, decreed that, ideally, you should behave around a disabled person the same way you would behave toward anyone else with no visible handicap. Important caveat: Never stare. If that’s the case, then artist Chris Rush has broken Ms…
Don’t panic. Take a deep breath, count to ten, and relax.Yes, it’s true. Arty Girl will be no longer.At least, not in this format on this blog. She will live on in spirit, however, at our new blog, Jackalope Ranch. It’s a blog completely devoted to Phoenix arts and culture…think…
“Life’s full of tough choices, isn’t it?”-Ursula, the Sea Witch from Disney’s The Little MermaidUrsula was so right on with that line. Especially when it comes to tonight, when there are two art lectures happening at ASU, at the same time…
The Downtown Tempe Urban Garden wants you…to paint a mural…
Fridays are glorious.Especially when art by Andy Warhol and Fritz Scholder (one of my all-time faves…check out the review I wrote about him a while back) can be found in the same place.Such is the case tonight at NU (Native + You) at the Heard Museum with the opening of…
A few years ago, craving a more forgiving climate, Steve and Andi Rosenstein decided to move family, business, and employees from Chicago to the eternal sunshine of North Scottsdale. They later sold their very profitable business and rejoiced in retiring. For the moment. Steve reveled in the clear blue sky…
You gotta love it when an art event gets some star power. It just has a way of giving things a little more razzle-dazzle.And thanks to world-renowned artist, Eric Fischl (a former student at Phoenix College and Arizona State University and a star in his own right), tennis legend John…
Local artists listen up: you have a chance to design public art for the Pueblo Grande Museum entrance.And, assuming you make the cut, your budget would be $1,800,000.$1,800,000Let that sink in…..
Pete Petrisko is moving to Tucson. The downtown artist and “jack-of-all-arts in the downtown community” says he wants to live somewhere a little more art-centric — and who can blame him? He’s just one part of the brain-drain that’s leaving Downtown Phoenix ovah. Great, fine, cool.However, a press release reporting…
Let’s party.ASU is throwing a street party this Saturday. If you go, not only will you enjoy a heck of a line-up of music, art, and activities, but you get to walk away feeling like a champ. You see, any dough you spend at the party benefits the ASU Art…
If you’re in the mood to mull over your relationship (or lack thereof) with Christianity, head to Perihelion Arts. Scott Holloway’s “A Solo Exhibition of New Work” includes beautifully crafted works that he cleverly pares down, often including only a single image in each piece. The 40-year-old Massachusetts-based artist has…
If you happen to have a free schedule tonight, you’re going to want to book it down to Tempe for the opening reception of “Bigger Than You” by Nathaniel Lewis.On second thought, if you happen to have a packed schedule tonight, you might want to cancel. This show is only…
Man, local artist, Carrie Marill, is everywhere these days.Not only did she cleverly tap into the world wide web by featuring affordable art on www.20×200.com earlier this year, now she’s showing in New York City and Dallas, TX at the same time…
