Dear Cubicle Drone,
We are pleased with your interest in The Raethier Corp and our latest event, Corposition, at 6 p.m. Friday, June 3, at Lumbre Metal Gallery, 925 Grand Avenue. Robert Kilman, a cog in our collective art machine, has reviewed your vitals and determined your "current condition of existence as being oppressive and completely off track." Your ennui, lack of engaging personal relationships, and other social maladies are caused by the so-called "pregress" of society. You are authorized to submit yourself to a free consultation with the 11 digital theoreticians making up "The Mueriguer," who'll use 12 video channels and 27 audio streams to deconstruct historical milestones -- like the industrial revolution and the development of psychotropic drugs -- to alter the consumption practices of the collective. Consult themueriguer.reset.at or dial 602-843-0489 for additional data. That is all. -- Benjamin Leatherman
Just FYI
20 years of fervent talk
THU 6/2
Right-wingers rule on Thursday, June 2, when KFYI's 20th Birthday Blowout brings Fox News' Sean Hannity and Tony Snow, as well as blogger/one-man media outlet Matt Drudge, to the Dodge Theatre, 400 West Washington. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show are $18 to $88. Call 480-784-4444. -- Joe Watson
Dally Over Dali
PAM's keepin' it surreal
6/5-9/25
If you aren't sure how to interpret your friend's comment that the colorful organic growths in your refrigerator are "Jackson Pollock-inspired," it's time to head over to the "Surrealism USA" exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 North Central. The show examines the Surrealistic movement in America between 1930 and 1950, an art form that reveled in odd juxtapositions and visual non sequiturs. This dreamlike art often doesn't make sense . . . unlike the reason your icebox is relentlessly breeding bacteria. Admission is $9, and the exhibition runs from Sunday, June 5, through September 25. Call 602-257-1222. -- Douglas Towne
Artistic Visions
Exploring exile
6/3-6/24
Influential Cuban artist Leandro Soto says working in exile in the United States has made him more Cuban than ever. "People think you are less Cuban when you're not on the island," says Soto. "But you are more Cuban when you are exiled. When you are immersed in another culture, that is when you find out who you really are and where you come from. . . . You don't want to lose your identity. The way to keep it is through creativity." So Soto's created a multimedia exhibition titled "Environments: From Cuba to Arizona," to open Friday, June 3, at Paulina Miller Studio Gallery, 817 North First Street. "[The exhibition] is like a journey of the artist," says Soto. "Imagine coming from the bottom of the ocean to here. My intent is to show the audience my reaction to the culture and the human landscape." The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, collage, video, sound, objects, trash, and performance. Admission is free. Call 602-307-9643 or visit www.paulinamillerstudiogallery.com. -- Niki D'Andrea
Grape Expectations
What's red and white and drunk all over?
TUE 6/7
If you know to serve Chardonnay with grilled poultry and Cabernet Sauvignon with red meat (or you'd just like to learn), then House of Tricks, 114 East Seventh Street in Tempe, has a tasty treat for you. On Tuesday, June 7, the restaurant hosts its "Highlights of California" wine tasting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For $20, you can sample wines from Sonoma County, Napa Valley, and other California wine regions, plus munch a fruit and cheese appetizer (try the sparkling wine with that). Call 480-968-1114. -- Niki D'Andrea
Reich Stuff
Femmes rule Fate
FRI 6/3
Wayne Michael Reich's art spans the spectra from painting to photography, from architecture to portraits, from wholesome to kinky. "I can have two or three shows up at a time," says the ex-New Yorker. And in Phoenix's art scene, "you can have your niche and not tread on anybody else's niche. There's space for everybody." Speaking of niches, and of photos that make you want to lick your finger, touch your behind, and make that "Ssssss!" noise, check out Reich's "Sapphic" show at Fate restaurant, 905 North Fourth Street, opening Friday, June 3. "It's not victimizing or objectifying -- women are in control. But it's still soft, still sensual," Reich says. And still for grown-ups. Reich recommends you call 602-254-6424 for a dinner reservation, and expects to schmooze First Friday-ers from 8 to 10 p.m. -- Julie Peterson
