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…
Artist Randy Slack, best known around these parts for presenting the annual “Chaos Theory” exhibition at Legend City Studios in Phoenix, recalls childhood days spent “toodling around” with his dad, an elevator mechanic whose beat included the Luhrs Building originally developed by German immigrants. Today it is part of the…
Throughout the past year, The Paper Knife has never ceased to bring something special to the creative scene in Tempe. Up until September of 2014, there were one or two Paper Knife events each month, if not more. This multimedia collective, encompassing visual art, music, and publishing, accomplished a lot…
It’s dark. The walls are black, the carpeting is black, and even the beanbags offered as seating are black. This dark environment pulls you in as you pass by. It’s hard to ignore the images on the screens and the sounds of revving engines and children screaming. This is the…
Upon entering Richard T. Walker’s exhibition “the predicament of always (as we are)” at ASU Art Museum, the viewer is immersed in sound. Sound sculptures utilizing neon, keyboards, guitars, and rocks surround the space, and a two-channel video, from which the exhibition gets its name, is projected on the back…
Amada Cruz will be Phoenix Art Museum’s new director, the museum’s board of trustees announced in a press release on Monday, November 17. Cruz will take on the role on February 1, 2015, replacing longtime director James Ballinger, who announced in April 2014 his intention to retire after nearly 40…
Before seeing the solo Fortoul Brothers exhibition inside a pop-up gallery in Phoenix, we never wondered what a cosmic stew of Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, and Steve Jobs might look like. But now we think we know, thanks to Friday, November 14’s opening reception for a seamless mix of art…
Man versus machine. To many, it’s a theoretical battle best enjoyed via books or big screen. For artists, it cuts to the very nature of their craft. How do the tools artists use shape their ideas, process, and finished product? It’s an intriguing question posed with full force in the…
We’re fortunate in metro Phoenix to feel the rich influence of Latin arts and culture not only during Dia de los Muertos celebrations, but year-round as well. Local artists including Lalo Cota infuse their work with skulls and other familiar symbols for death. In a world divided by geography and…
It’s been seven years since the Fortoul brothers had an art show in Phoenix. That’s because artist Isaac Fortoul and his manager, curator, and older brother Gabriel run what they call “a nomadic gallery.” Together, under their signature art brand, 40 Owls (a phonetic play on their last name, “for-t-ouls”)…
The Lab in Phoenix is a new space with a simple mission: to bring together creatives in a co-working environment. Located at 818 North Central Avenue, the space is a simple-yet sophisticated environment dedicated to building local culture through art, design, and outreach…
Put away the blowup mattress and clear that couch, because your out-of-town guests have a new place to stay in Tempe. Graduate Hotel opened its doors two weeks ago, and while the complete remodel of what was once the Twin Palms is still in progress (management expects the finishing touches…
Sure, you’ve heard of Marlen Grove and Al Beadle. You know the best spot to pick up a mint-condition Eames chair and the coolest Melrose District stores to stalk on Instagram. You also oughta know that the Midcentury Modern craze extends beyond the bounds of Phoenix. Southern Scottsdale happens to…
First Friday heats up tonight with creative works going up all over the city. Here are our picks for shows you will not want to miss on Friday, November 7. “The Higher Plane” November’s First Friday is filled with dreams and imagination. Ashley Macias’s “The Higher Plane” takes this to…
He’s best known around these parts as the man who made the colorful geometric designs that infuse the SMoCA Lounge gallery and performance space at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. But James “Dalek” Marshall was making brownies with his 8- and 10-year-old sons the day we chatted, and looking ahead…
With this year’s dizzying array of activities, we figured you could use a little help making your game plan for this year’s Grand Avenue Festival, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 8. The festival folks have partnered with the 9th annual Phoenix Annual Parade…
In the years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, visual and performing artists have explored the delicate dance between privacy and protection. Some hunt for undisclosed information. Others highlight things revealed but never appropriated by our cultural consciousness. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art contributes to the ongoing dialogue with “Covert Operations:…
