11 Free Art Shows You Should See in Phoenix This Week

There’s some serious woman power happening in the metro Phoenix arts scene, as evidenced by several exhibitions happening on May's Third Friday.

One artist uses her own body to explore issues of control, while another offers an immersive installation that challenges patriarchal narratives. Several more are using graffiti as a powerful form of individual and collective expression.

Check out their shows, and several more, on May 20.

“Bony Processes: Intonations for the Unnoted”
This time last year, gallery goers who walked through Eye Lounge encountered Cherie-Buck Hutchison’s art installation created with intriguing materials including hanging IV bags, plants, syringes, and crystalline forms. Her newest body of work, which offers a counterpoint to patriarchal narrative, comprises “a poetic walk-through exhibition merging art installation, objects, and sound poetry.” Third Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the Eye Lounge website.

“Trinity”

Explore mood and texture in the works of three local artists – Abe Zucca, Ramon Aguirre, and Rigo Florres – who are all showing large-scale paintings at Abe Zucca Gallery, which shares space with Abloom Salon in the Grand Avenue Arts District. Third Friday hours are 7 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Abe Zucca Gallery Facebook page.

"Reverberate Her Lines”
Come Third Friday, it’ll be all about graffiti art at The Hive. More than a dozen women, all graffiti artists, will be showing graffiti-infused artwork during a night that also promises femcees, b-girls, and DJs. For those who need a translation, think music and dance – hip-hop style. Third Friday hours are 7 to 10 p.m. Find more information on The Hive Facebook page.


"PHX KIND"
Check out body art for a cause as Treeo presents an exhibition of works by youth who participate in Spot 127 programs that leverage media to foster empowerment. Ten teen students are showing photographs depicting peers who've written "positive and impactful" messages on their bodies. Third Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Treeo Facebook page. 

“You Are Somewhere Else”
Show some love for local photography students with this juried exhibition of works by students at Gilbert High School, whose photographs for this show explore childhood nostalgia, daydreams, and memory. Students chose the exhibition name after discussing the ways different images can prompt different interpretations of the same concept, and the impact a single word or phrase can have on how a viewer interprets an image. Third Friday hours at Drive-Thru Gallery are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the Drive-Thru Gallery Facebook page.


“Shauna Thibault + Danielle Hacche”
Regular gallery goers will remember seeing Shauna Thibault’s works exploring nature and humanity in an exhibition last year at Chartreuse, and now several of those pieces are being shown, along with works by Danielle Hacche, at New City Studio. Still, it’s often intriguing to see familiar works in different settings, which can resonate in new ways depending on everything from environmental factors like lighting to viewers’ shifting emotional states. Third Friday hours are 7 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the New City Studio Facebook page.

“5 Sides”
Some says there are two sides to every story. But everybody knows an artist can find an infinite number of sides for just about everything in existence. Check out five artists’ takes on the world in this exhibition at The Firehouse – featuring works by Jason McCoy, Junjie Versoza, Hector Garcia, Nicky La Sanctionne, and Nikka Brooks Cullum. Third Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on The Firehouse Facebook page.

“Molly Koehn + Crystal Gale Phelps”
Artists Molly Koehn and Crystal Gale Phelps are showing works exploring issues of control — of the body as well as the environment – at Modified Arts. Koehn’s embroidery work combines organic and inorganic elements, showcasing “the way each fights for power.” Phelps’ work, comprising mostly photographs, combines performance stills with the objects used to create them in an exploration of being and becoming. Third Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Modified Arts website.

“Commencement”
Seizing on the excitement of graduation season, Rhetorical Galleries presents works by 15 artists who’ve recently earned their undergraduate degrees in art or design at ASU. Their works of painting, drawing, photography, fibers, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, and intermedia are being featured in the shipping container galleries in Roosevelt Row. Third Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the Rhetorical Galleries website.

“5 at First”
We’re not sure what’s up with the whole number five thing this month, unless it’s just a weird coincidence considering that May is the fifth month of the year. But here’s another exhibition featuring works by five artists – including Pat Scheurich, Christine Sandifur, Kristine Kollasch, Kimberly Harris, and Bob Allen. Third Friday hours at First Studio are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the First Studio Facebook page.

“Metrofitted”
Offering more proof of the amazing work local artists are doing with students and emerging artists, monOrchid presents an exhibition of works created by four Metropolitan Art institute students under the guidance of Koryn Woodward Wasson, the Visual Arts Director at Metropolitan Institute for the Arts. Third Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the monOrchid website.