You'll have a tough time seeing all the fresh First Friday art shows noted below in a single evening, so make your short list before you head out. We've got details on 20 shows to help you get started.
Must-See Shows
“Sheila Pepe: Hot Mess Formalism”
Check out nearly a dozen exhibitions and installations during First Friday at Phoenix Art Museum, where highlights include work by feminist artist Sheila Pepe and the return of Carlos Amorales’ Black Cloud. Museum admission is free, and special exhibition pricing is discounted, from 6 to 10 p.m. on First Friday. Learn more on the museum website.
“Words Matter”
Explore Chris Jagmin’s autobiographical journey through text-based works that reflects both his personal anxieties and the collective angst of America today. First Friday hours at Chartreuse gallery are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the gallery website.
"Start As You Mean To Go"
See new work by Jeff Slim inside the new Sisao Gallery located at Oasis on Grand. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Several bands are scheduled to perform. Learn more on Robert Gentile's Facebook page.
Tess Mosko Scherer and other Eye Lounge members are showing work at First Studio.
Tess Mosko Scherer
First Studio presents an exhibition of work by members of the Eye Lounge artist collective based in the Roosevelt Row arts district. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the event Facebook page.
James B. Hunt is one of many artists showing work at The Lost Leaf.
James B. Hunt/Photo by Lynn Trimble
“Clocks”
The Lost Leaf presents a group show featuring time-inspired oddities created by more than two dozen artists, including J.J. Horner, James B. Hunt, Sierra Joy, and Volar. First Friday hours are 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. Learn more on the exhibit Facebook page.
“Small Works”
Explore work in various media by members of the Five15 Arts Collective, whose two newest artists include Daniel Prendergast and Marissa Vidrio. First Friday hours at Phoenix Center for the Arts are 6 to 9 p.m. Get details on the event Facebook page.
Work by José Andrés Girón previously exhibited at Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center.
José Andrés Girón/Photo by Lynn Trimble
Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center is showing work inspired by Dia de los Muertos, created by emerging and established artists. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Check the event Facebook page for details.
Rory Alan MacLean
Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art presents works by Tempe-based Rory Alan MacLean, whose paintings reflect his inner life when prompting others to reflect on their own, inside a shipping container gallery. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the phICA website.
Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center Show
Olney Gallery at Trinity Cathedral presents the 10th annual Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center juried art show, featuring work by community members living with the disease. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Get details on the event Facebook page.
Grand Avenue
“City/Pretty”
The {9} Artist Collective presents a solo exhibition of work by member Aileen Frick, whose mixed media pieces explore the visual complexities of urban life. First Friday hours at {9} The Gallery are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the event Facebook page.
“Goddess”
See work by Hector Fernando, designed to rewrite the narrative of creation and paradise while exploring the aesthetics of beauty within nature. First Friday hours at Abe Zucca Gallery are 7 to 10 p.m. Get details on the event Facebook page.
“Sacred and Profane”
Eleventh Monk3y presents an exhibition of work by a social art group called Ladies Who Paint, with pieces by Amanda Adkins, Tara Sharpe, and Lucretia Torva, to name a few. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the event Facebook page.
Awa Tsireh (Alfonso Roybal), San Ildefonso Pueblo, Mystical Bird, c. 1940.
Photograph courtesy of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Gift of Malcolm Whyte, class of 1955 and Karen Whyte., 2011.058.005
"Awa Tsireh: Pueblo Painter and Metalsmith"
Head to the Heard Museum to explore a new exhibition of Awa Tsireh works, and make your own stamped-metal jewelry while you're there. Third Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Phoenix Public Library will have a pop-up library at the museum from 6 to 9 p.m. Get details on the museum website.
“Street Lights”
Explore paintings by Cam DeCaussin and Spencer Simmons, whose work depicts still, dark moments that prompt reflection on things suppressed in the light of day. First Friday hours at New City Studio are 7 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the event Facebook page.
Work by Jennifer Gross featured in a previous exhibition at Practical Art.
Jennifer Gross/Photo by Lynn Trimble
Check out a series of masks by Jennifer Gross, who infuses her colorful, whimsical characters with playfulness and joy, at Practical Art. First Friday hours are 7 to 9 p.m. Get details on the Practical Art website.
Check out this Ronna Nemitz work after you explore her installation inside The Studio at Found:RE.
Lynn Trimble
Explore a site-specific installation by Ronna Nemitz in The Studio at Found:RE Phoenix, which includes sculpture and photographic manipulations that address life cycles of loss. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the event Facebook page.
Warehouse district
“Sculpting Science II”
See sculptures and mixed-media drawings inspired by microscopic views of nature, created by artists Laura Korch Bailey, Brandi Lee Cooper, Tamaki Matsumoto, Hans Miles, Amanda Ohnmacht, Jessica Palomo, Ross Quesnell, and Emily Ritter. First Friday hours at Step Gallery are 6 to 9 p.m. Get details on the ASU Events website.
“The Inside of Light”
Explore work by Udo Nöger, whose paper art and light-based paintings celebrate simplicity, malleability, and impermanence. First Friday hours at Bentley Gallery are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the gallery website.
Other shows
Jun Kaneko Sculptures
Jun Kaneko’s exhibition of large-scale, hand-built sculptures continues through May 13, 2018. If you want to check it out on First Friday, the garden is open until 8 p.m. The exhibition is free with Desert Botanical Garden admission, which is $24.95 for adults. Get details on the garden website.
LoveBomb Go-Go
Alwun House opens a new exhibition of work by Baron Dixon on First Friday, when it’s also presenting an entertainment lineup that includes burlesque performance and music by the LoveBomb Go-Go marching band. First Friday’s festivities kick-off at 7 p.m. Tickets are $14 at the door. Learn more on the event Facebook page.
