Arizona arts community members — including administrators, educators, artists, and supporters — come together every year for a day dedicated to promoting the impact of arts in the state. This year, the Arizona Arts Congress is slated to take over the Arizona State Capitol Building on Monday February 4 with…
When it comes to Valentine’s Day, there are generally two types of people: Those who are totally twitterpated with a celebration devoted to hearts, flowers, and romance, and those jilted or cynical folks who either are refugees from multiple bad relationships or simply don’t give an eff about the occasion…
The 1920s made a whole lot of noise. On the precipice of the Great Depression, the decade made its mark on American history with glamorous living and social evolution. World War I had ended. The stock market boomed. Prohibition banned booze. Formality lost. Optimism won. Women got the vote. And…
Time to bust out the paper mâché and wicked sense of humor — Beatrice Moore of Bragg’s Pie Factory in Phoenix just announced the deadline and viewing dates for her 2013 Mutant Pinata show. The pinata show is an annual event and home to outrageous, political, corny, sentimental, and fun…
It’s about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we’re losing track of the times we’ve said, “Whoa, when did that go up?”, we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town — their…
Tommy Edison has been blind since birth and is currently on a mission to describe his experiences through narrative and video. He’s explained how he uses an ATM, how he describes colors, and how the blind can organize and keep track of their money. He’s also reviewed a number of…
Every January, we’re big fans of cleaning out our closets, dusting out the studio, and buckling down with some serious inspiration for the New Year. And lucky enough for all of us, so are a few Phoenix-based artists. Come one, come all to the first Jackalope Flea. We’ve invited a…
“The Boneyard Project” at Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson: In January, Eric Firestone and Carlo McCormick (with the help of a few heavy-machine-driving professionals) dragged three Super DC-3 planes, a C45, a Lockheed VC140, a C97 cockpit, and dozens of nose cones of the boneyard, a collection of…
A rather unique art event is coming to downtown Phoenix in time for February’s First Friday, and its likely to be of interest to gamers or anyone who’s ever killed an afternoon playing Ms. Pac-Man or Dragon’s Lair at a local arcade. The Artcade Show, an exhibition that will feature…
Andrew Pielage grew up exploring the Southwest with his parents and for the last 15 years, he’s been capturing it through a variety of lenses. You’ve probably spotted Pielage and his camera at arts and community events in downtown Phoenix for the past few years, and starting in January, you’ll…
Daniel Funkhouser’s latest pair of exhibitions at Eye Lounge is the best sensory overload we’ve had since the neon comeback of 2012. The local artist’s Family Photos is a series of metallic digital prints that question the absurdity of social norms and play with tropes of childhood and adolescence, and…
From the beginning, the forecast for 2012 was bleak– the economy was sluggish, the nation was divided by a bitter presidential campaign, and, of course, the world was going to end on December 21. (Cheers, it did not.) But for 12 Valley women, the gloom of 2012 was a call…
As 2012 comes to a close, it’s time to look back on some of the most interesting, exciting, and breathtaking art I had the pleasure of seeing throughout Arizona. From paintings and murals to exhibitions and installations, here are my top picks of 2012. See also: – Jason Woodbury’s “10…
In 2001, AZ DES reported that 40 percent of the Greater Metro Phoenix population changes every 5 years. This jarring statistic was the springboard for a series of projects undertaken by Matthew and Maria Salenger of colab studio culminating in their most recent endeavor, Individualocracy, which is up for funding…
Be it a First Friday or a Third Friday — we’re just excited about having an excuse (not that we need one) to see some great art exhibitions. Some are opening tonight Downtown, others have opened this month throughout metro Phoenix. But you better believe that we’re making the loop…
Downtown Phoenix could be getting a very unique and spectacular-looking addition to its skyline sometime in the near future, if a local real estate developer’s plans become a reality. News broke online this morning that Phoenix-based developer NovaWest has announced its intention to construct a gigantic 420-foot observation tower that…
After the first anonymous buyer for the David and Gladys Wright house in Phoenix dropped his/her/its bid a few weeks ago, things seemed uncertain for the historic Phoenix property. But good news came in today through a press release from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, which says a new…
This third Friday, you can add another spot to your Third Friday art tour. 1Spot Gallery, which takes over the former Regular Gallery spot on 6th Street behind TH!nk Printing and Five15, will host a grand opening celebration with work by Damian Jim. Jim and local creative Michelle Ponce are…
Last November, Joseph “Sentrock” Perez gave the now-defunct Downtown Phoenix Public Market a pretty sweet paint job, that you better check out in the next few days — according to Aaron Chamberlin, who will open a farm-focused cafe in the space in 2013, the mural will be replaced by windows…
School will resume for Sandy Hook Elementary next month in a new building and to make students comfortable and help relieve some of the anxiety after last week’s shooting, parent volunteers will be decorating around the clock. The goal of the Connecticut PTSA is to create a “winter wonderland with…
If you’re looking to fund your organization’s latest creative idea or to participate in a variety of grant opportunities in Arizona, take notes: The Arizona Commission on the Arts will be hosting a series of workshops in January and February. The Arts Commission gives a number of community grants each…
You might notice something a little bit different in the surroundings if you’re traveling on College Avenue this month. Funded by the Tempe Neighborhood Grant Program, local architect and academic Jason Griffiths worked with the community in the neighborhood just south of Southern to design street furniture that could express…
