As big as the Star Wars expanded universe is, few people can say that they have actually had the opportunity to work on a project related to the beloved sci-fi franchise. Even fewer still can say that they got to work on bringing George Lucas’ original vision to life. Comics…
Normally, when we hear that an artist makes pictures of dogs, we have to stop ourselves from scoffing. But painter Ally Glowacki, who recently graduated from ASU’s MFA program, has us re-thinking our canine imagery prejudice. In her latest solo exhibition, “Dog Days of Summer”, currently on view at Tempe’s…
After a successful debut last fall, Halt Gallery is back with a pair of summer exhibitions that will make you happy to have braved the higher temps of June’s Third Friday. The curating duo behind Halt Gallery, Julia Bruck and recent Big Brain Award Winner Becky Nahom, is bringing two…
As a long-time associate professor at the Art Institute of Phoenix, Alison King is used to schooling groups on the history of Arizona design. So to hear King lecture on typography in a public space seemed like no sweat. Acting as the first major event inside the confines of the…
UPDATE: ASU Art Museum has named Garth Johnson as Peter Held’s successor. ASU Art Museum announced on Wednesday, June 18, that longtime ceramics curator Peter Held will retire. Held has been with the museum for 11 years and has curated more than 100 exhibitions through the Ceramics Research Center, which…
Marvel Studios, Fox, and Sony are all delivering to fans more blockbuster movies based on comic books this summer, not to mention the numerous TV shows that are either running or in development. Mainstream audiences love these movies and shows, with Marvel’s films consistently dominating at the box office and…
Make a note next to your drawing board: Phoenix Design Week returns Friday, October 17, through Saturday, October 24. This grassroots gathering of local and out-of-state creatives will feature everything from practical discussion to hands-on training to networking opportunities with fellow industry members…
The entrance to the new Lisa Sette Gallery requires a small descent. It’s exciting approaching the semi-subterranean Al Beadle building on Catalina Drive just west of Third Street. Excuse the rather obvious metaphor, but coming into the space really does feel a bit like discovering a treasure buried just below…
This week the Valley arts community is mourning the loss of Janis Leonard. The accomplished designer, former board member of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and Phoenix arts scene pioneer passed away on Sunday, June 8. She was 55. An environmental design graduate of the Parsons School of Design,…
Earlier this year, we got the news that Lisa Sette Gallery would leave Scottsdale and relocate to a beautiful space in midtown Phoenix. This month, we will finally have the chance to take a look at the new digs, while enjoying the gallery’s inaugural group exhibition “Hello Midtown!”…
A photo-based app deserves some photography-specific love. We’ve already featured 10 Phoenix artists to follow on Instagram, and we’ve also talked to local experts about the intersection of photography and technology. Today, we’re continuing down this path to bring you some of our favorite Phoenix area photographers to follow on…
First Friday heats up tonight with creative works going up all over the city. Here are our picks for shows not to miss this evening. Bassim Al-Shaker Bassim Al-Shaker garnered international recognition last summer when the New York Times ran a profile on the Iraqi artist, who came to Arizona…
Bushwick Open Studios represents the next wave of the New York art scene, shining a light for one weekend on the studios, galleries, and art spaces which make up its up-and-coming Bushwick neighborhood. In visiting New York for the first time, I found myself working through the heart of this…
To the uninitiated, they’re murals — at first glance, a pair of giant rainbows of latex paint on the walls of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. But James Marshall’s Shift and Radiate, the new installations at SMoCA that commence at the museum’s entrance and pull us both into and…
Pop art fanatics, prepare yourselves. ASU Art Museum announced that it has been gifted six rare prints by famed artist Andy Warhol. The original screenprints will be on display in the lobby of the ASU Art Museum through September and will remain in the museum’s permanent collection thereafter. Since Warhol’s…
Things can get a little sluggish during Phoenix summers, but Palabra Collective isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The art gallery/hair salon just moved to a new (bigger) location off of Seventh Street, and owner Jorge Torres is opening a satellite Palabra pop-up gallery at UNION at the Biltmore…
Beginning on Thursday of last week, my social media accounts started exploding with pictures of Daniel Funkhouser’s hypnotizing installation piece “Familiar Glass with Theatrical Spectacle with Transparent Illusion and Artselfie.” (With a title like that, who could resist?) The work was one of many included in this year’s ARTELPHX, a…
Roy Wasson Valle and Koryn Woodward Wasson have been busying creating an alternate universe inside the Scottsdale Public Library this month. Thursday, May 15, marks the official opening of “Camp Dreamtree,” an interactive art piece, which the duo describes as “an art installation in the shape of a camp.”…
Allow us some creative liberty here. How well do you know your neighbors? Beyond a slight nod or subtle wave? We’re guessing a “not well” or resounding “who?” about covers the gamut. Because, hey, we’re right there with you. One photography project has set out to change that expectation –…
Phoenix Art Museum director Jim Ballinger announced the 2014 Contemporary Forum grant winners at the museum on Wednesday, May 14, with French Thompson, Contemporary Forum’s president…
Downtown living opportunities are definitely on the rise — what with last year’s opening of Roosevelt Point, the newly available CityScape Residences, and, beginning this fall, the construction of Portland Place’s adjacent sister property, Portland on the Park…
The Twin Palms Hotel in Tempe will close its doors on Friday, May 16. The hotel is located across the street from ASU on Apache Boulevard, and has been a staple in Tempe since the 1970s, when it opened as a Howard Johnson’s…
