The American Planning Association announced on Thursday, October 1, that Roosevelt Row Arts District has been named one of 15 great places in America. Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation shared the news via Facebook that morning, with the message, “Thank you to all who have made this amazing community a great place…
There’s plenty to see in and around downtown Phoenix during this month’s First Friday, which promises everything from monsters to robots exhibited in venues including a former warehouse and a performing arts center. A couple of exhibitions open at 5:30 p.m., so it’s a good night to get an early…
From the outside, things look quiet over at the Icehouse, the former warehouse that’s been an on-and-off staple of the downtown Phoenix arts scene for 25 years. But behind the scenes, there’s been a flurry of activity — including efforts to sell the place. It’s currently owned by Icehouse Arts…
As Abigail Lynch and Bart Dangus pack up their belongings and ready themselves for a road trip with no set itinerary or destination, something rests heavy on their consciences: their cats. “I love the desert and am going to miss the landscape,” Lynch says, “but we talk so much about…
We all know that the West Coast is full of transplants from the Midwest and Atlantic fleeing the cold. But why settle for a shoe box in California when you can live it up like your favorite episode of Cribs in Arizona? Along with the Valley’s longstanding popularity as an…
“New Graduate Student Exhibition” Class is in session, and the graduate students at ASU’s Art School are busy as ever. How else could they present a gallery show a mere month after their first day? Working in media including paint, metal, fibers, and ceramics, 16 artists share their work in…
Arizona is filled with transplants. About half the people who live here, including plenty of artists, come from other places. Yet their work often reflects a strong sense of place and connection to the Sonoran Desert. Some draw inspiration from the desert, while others actually use desert materials as art…
Two of five galleries operated by the Arizona State University School of Art — which are used primarily to exhibit works by students, faculty and alumni — are undergoing significant changes. One has closed temporarily while ASU looks for a new gallery space, and the other just moved from the…
The lineup for this September’s Third Friday exhibitions is looking fabulously eclectic — featuring everything from walls dotted with plant art to an art installation that offers a visual dip into the deep end of a swimming pool. Check out these 10 exhibitions, which include art by an intriguing array…
Nearly six years ago, Joey Robert Parks came up with an idea: What if he paired writers and photographers to make an exhibit about Phoenix? Not just the major landmarks, but the inner city, the nooks and crannies, the regular buildings and side streets and open lots. “I had the…
What happens in the studio shouldn’t always stay in the studio. Studio Visit is a monthly series that profiles artists in their studios. We ask them questions, they provide answers, and then we have a nice discussion about their work. This month: Carolyn Lavender, whose work is currently featured in…
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art announced on Thursday, September 10, that Peter Bugg and Christina Davis will join the arts institution on September 15 as its new curator of programming and programming coordinator, respectively. Bugg is an artist and educator who has taught at Arizona State University and in the…
A glorious mix of visual and performance art infused September’s First Friday, with a cumbia dance night at Phoenix Art Museum, House of Cirque stilt-walkers activating the Shadow Play space in the heart of Roosevelt Row, and music by Native American high school students at Heard Museum. The entertainment combined with…
From the architecture inherent in a skilled fashion designer’s white shirts to the symbolism of cultural theft infusing a dozen animal zodiac heads, the fall line-up of art exhibitions in metro Phoenix has some intriguing fare. See artist-made inflatables in Chandler, videos channeling science fiction in Scottsdale, and photographs cherished…
Never fear if you sometimes feel torn during First Friday between making the art rounds and going to see a performance. Several First Friday venues are mixing it up on September 4, delivering not only intriguing art but cool dance and music offerings, too. There’s an awful lot going on,…
More than 300 people are expected to descend on metro Phoenix during early November for the 25th International Sculpture Conference, which includes an assortment of workshops, gallery visits, panels, and studio visits. The conference is held November 4 to 7 and centered on a “New Frontiers in Sculpture” theme. It…
You can’t win if you don’t play. It’s true for the lottery, and it’s true for landing places to show your art work. Metro Phoenix artists have several opportunities to up the odds of more people seeing their work in the form of seven recently issued calls for artists. One…
In the past year alone, there’s been a lot of changes within Phoenix’s art scene. There’s always been a revolving door — some artists and other art professionals leave, but there are always new people and spaces emerging. Even the spaces that anchor our scene, such as Roosevelt Row, Grand…
Contrary to what Time Inc.’s Money magazine would have you believe, Mesa is not the best big city to inhabit in the Southwest. Mesa, you should know, is not the best big city to inhabit in the state of Arizona. Nor, hate to break it to ya, is it the best “big…
David Quan, a Brookyn-based artist with Phoenix roots, has been back in the Valley since May. Chances are good you’ve seen his work under the name Luster Kaboom — including murals on Citywide Studios and the Chocolate Factory, where his Blue Ooze surrounds a mural by Los Angeles-based El Mac,…
For a cultural institution focused on visual art, Phoenix Art Museum has been all about the drama of late. On Friday, August 14, Carlotta Soares and Stephanie Lieb of the museum’s marketing department were let go, leaving the department with one remaining member: graphic designer Felicia Penza. That same day,…
Third Friday offerings are shaping up nicely this month, even as some galleries are in their final weeks of summer hiatus. A few of the new exhibitions merit excitement, but August 21 is also a chance to get a final glimpse of a cool show that’s been up for a…
