Beast in Show

Humanity’s not looking so good these days. With war overseas, terrorism pushing our borders and serial killers in our midst, maintaining much faith in my fellow human beings proves to be a constant struggle. What does it mean to be human? What separates us from beast? If you need some…

Art Scene

“The Big Lebowski Tribute Show” at Wet Paint Gallery: The thing about a cult classic is that you either love it or you hate it. The same can be said for this funky, eclectic group exhibition paying homage to the Coen brothers’ film. Devoted Lebowski fans may go gaga for…

Art Scene

Third Annual “Mail Art Show” at the Trunk Space: Exhibiting donated art sent via postal mail can be a risky proposition, but the Trunk Space has managed to solicit an interesting, eclectic selection. Highlights include decoupage matchbooks, a Medusa tee shirt and a postcard from a child inscribed with a…

Shear Magic

Hair holds a magic exalted for centuries. In the Biblical story of Samson, hair was a source of power. In Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, long, flowing locks are the epitome of beauty. Hair has also been used for functional and artistic purposes. In the Victorian era, pendants containing a lock…

Bait and Switch

Remember those commercials that promised 52 free dinners with any windshield replacement? Over time, the offer dwindled to 20 free dinners at a salad buffet, then 12 barbecue meals, and, finally, a single box of steaks. What happens when you replace an attractive offer with items that are less desirable?…

Art Scene

“David Pimentel: Legacy of an Artist and Educator” at Mesa Arts Center: The death of an artist usually brings instant notoriety and positive attention. In former ASU professor David Pimentel’s case, the accolades are warranted. Look for his renowned series of copper vessels, each unique in form and crafted from…

Color Theory

Can the rigid language of mathematics be used to explain human emotions? Those of us on the “leftright?? since the right brain would control the left side of the body brain/creative” side of the equation balk at the idea. But nonetheless, using scientific means to explain what’s often considered irrational…

Art Scene

“David Pimentel: Legacy of an Artist and Educator” at Mesa Arts Center: The death of an artist usually brings instant notoriety and positive attention. In former ASU professor David Pimentel’s case, the accolades are warranted. Look for his renowned series of copper vessels, each unique in form and crafted from…

City Scope

Berlin is so hot right now. And the Phoenix Art Museum knows it. It has organized a major survey of contemporary art made in the reunified Berlin, the art spot of the moment. With a title like “Constructing New Berlin,” I expected the art to deal with the city as…

Art Scene

“Annual Summer Juried Exhibition” at ASU Harry Wood Gallery: This year’s crop of MFA hopefuls shows a surprising awareness of domestic issues including water conservation, racial profiling and changing family values. Look for tongue-in-cheek political lampoons, like Exhibitions Class Award winner Corie J. Cole’s ceramic caricatures of cowboy Bush and…

Reality Bites

Urban art is defined by the city that it represents. In a glorified cow town like Kansas City, the boring neon art installation at the top of the Sulgrave Building hints at the town’s sheltered nature. Works like Chris Ofili’s Holy Virgin Mary, a portrait of the Madonna adorned with…

Seeing Red

In 1994, during a routine excavation at the site of Temple XIII in Palenque, Mexico, workers unearthed a pre-Columbian burial chamber containing the remains of a woman, cloaked in a heavy layer of powdered red pigment. They called her “The Red Queen.” Mexican-born artist Ricardo Mazal took more than 300…

Art Scene

“Annual Summer Juried Exhibition” at ASU Harry Wood Gallery: This year’s crop of MFA hopefuls shows a surprising awareness of domestic issues including water conservation, racial profiling and changing family values. Look for tongue-in-cheek political lampoons, like Exhibitions Class Award winner Corie J. Cole’s ceramic caricatures of cowboy Bush and…

Interiors

This guy knows how to take a photo. That was my first thought when I entered the gallery space at Mesa Arts Center. Fine-art photographer Michael Eastman’s interiors of crumbling Cuban mansions are breathtaking — and they’re enormous, about 5×4 feet on average. Each work, with its large scale and…

Art Scene

“Annual Summer Juried Exhibition” at ASU Harry Wood Gallery: This year’s crop of MFA hopefuls shows a surprising awareness of domestic issues including water conservation, racial profiling and changing family values. Look for tongue-in-cheek political lampoons, like Exhibitions Class Award winner Corie J. Cole’s ceramic caricatures of cowboy Bush and…

Magical Mystery Tour

Sean O’Donnell waves at visitors from the window of his paint-peeling brick home; his fingertips splayed in greeting, his face mashed against the glass. “The first time I saw that, I forgot he was dead,” says artist Janet de Berge Lange, pointing to the color photocopy of O’Donnell that he…

Art Scene

Reviews by Wynter Holden “Holy Land: Diaspora and the Desert” at the Heard Museum: Something is definitely missing here. Only one Israeli artist is represented, and the closest thing to Jewish art is a photographic series exploring the Dead Sea. Still, this exhibition is worth checking out, even if just…

As American As . . . Heidi Hesse

What does it mean to be an American? I have a hunch it’s a question many U.S. citizens rarely consider. Sometimes, it is not until others define us that we gain clarity about ourselves — and our nation. Heidi Hesse — born in Germany and raised in South Africa –…

Art Scene

“Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like?” at Burton Barr Central Library: From start to finish, this inspirational exhibition defies convention. The collection of 182 color and black-and-white photographs depicts sportswomen of all ages, races and walks of life — from corseted, Victorian-era tennis players, to household names…

Art Scene

James Angel at Modified Arts: Artist James Angel is living proof that you can go home again. Faded, dusty road signs against a tea-stained neutral background evoke memories of family vacations in his Cosmopolitan, and the magically delicious breakfast cereal becomes a surface for “tagging” in Lucky G. But it’s…

Death Becomes Her

There’s no question that Americans have a disturbing fascination with death. Why do we die? Is there an afterlife? These are some of the great mysteries of life. The quandary is that we cannot fully understand death until we experience it firsthand. For artist Petah Coyne, that isn’t a barrier…

Tag Team

It was Christmas in March last Friday at Retail Laboratory, the hipster boutique on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix’s art district. Shoppers were in and out of the “micro department store” all day, browsing the Penguin shirts and Jonathan Adler housewares, making some purchases. There certainly hadn’t been this much…