Free Game Night
Suppose some smartypants decided to conduct a study aimed at determining the hierarchy of the days of the week, best to worst. Does anyone have to wonder where Monday would fall on that list? Easily the most reviled day of the week, Monday is defined as “fun’s over, back to work.” Fortunately, Phoenix’s hippest haunt, Valley Bar, is doing its part to give Monday a makeover with some Friday-style flair. The basement hangout has turned the most mundane day of the week into Free Game Night. Free pool, Skee-Ball, darts, and shuffleboard plus dollar-off drafts equals no excuses. The event is 21-and-over. Visit the Valley Bar website for details. Rob Kroehler
See Egret and Blue Bowls (oil on linen, 2017, 38 x 50 inches) at Lisa Sette Gallery.
Photo courtesy of Lisa Sette Gallery
Delicate creatures inhabit Lisa Sette Gallery thanks to artists David Kroll and Jessica Joslin. Kroll infuses his oil paintings with birds and butterflies, while Joslin creates sculptures that blend tiny skeleton parts with antiquated fixtures.
See their works at the gallery, 210 East Catalina Drive, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20. They’re part of the free “David Kroll & Jessica Joslin” exhibition, which presents two vastly different takes on artmaking and the natural world. It continues through Saturday, August 26.
Kroll’s paintings resemble Dutch Golden Age artwork. But Joslin’s pieces, created without soldering or welding, harken back to turn-of-the-20th-century circus attractions. Both artists are meticulous, and each compels viewers to consider mysterious inner worlds and the strange workings of nature. Visit the Lisa Sette Gallery website. Lynn Trimble
Free Tour of the Farm at Agritopia
Besides cactus and creosote, a lot of folks wonder what kinds of plants can be grown in the desert. The answer might come as a surprise: What can’t you grow in the desert? Agritopia is living proof. On Wednesday, June 21, you can tour the Gilbert farming utopia for free.
The tour begins at 10 a.m. and includes a history lesson about the farm and its founders, as well as the Johnston Family Foundation for Urban Agriculture, which supports farm operations. Meet at the Farm Store on the west side of Barnone. Find your way to building five at the farm, located at 3000 East Ray Road. For more information, visit the Facebook event page. Lindsay Roberts
“Highlights of the Year”
Instant replays happen all the time in sports arenas, but not so much in art galleries. Typically, if you skip an exhibition, you can forget about seeing the artwork it included. But that’s not always the case at Tilt Gallery, 7077 East Main Street in Scottsdale, which specializes in photographs created with historical techniques and alternative processes.
The gallery is bringing back some of its recent favorite photographs and other works of art for a free exhibition titled “Highlights of the Year.” Check it out during Scottsdale ArtWalk, between 7 and 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 22. The show includes work by Casebeer, Sean Deckert, and Anna Strickland, to name a few. Several artists will be on hand that night to talk with gallerygoers. Visit the Tilt Gallery website. Lynn Trimble
Explore the intersection of sculpture, video, and insects at ASU Art Museum’s Project Space.
ASU Art Museum
We’re starting to notice a trend here. Recently, a Phoenix dance company performed a piece about insect sex. Now, insects from ASU’s natural history collection are part of a free exhibition called “Muere Vivo.” But never fear: The show also includes sculpture and video created by Mexican artist Gabriel Rico. He’s the first artist-in-residence to create work here through a new artist exchange program that will also send Arizona artists to Mexico.
See “Muere Vivo” from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday June 23, at the ASU Art Museum Project Space, 821 North Third Street. Then pop over to the ASU Art Museum in Tempe some other day, to explore more of Rico’s work in an exhibition called “Dead, Dead, Live, Dead.” Visit the ASU Art Museum website. Lynn Trimble
