Sisao Gallery Now Open in Downtown Phoenix

Sisao Gallery recently opened inside Oasis on Grand in downtown Phoenix.

The official opening celebration takes place on November 3 during the First Friday art walk. It features new work by Phoenix artist Jeff Slim.

The gallery is managed and curated by Robert Gentile, who co-founded Grand ArtHaus with Laura Dragon and Michael Viglietta in 2016.

Grand ArtHaus sits adjacent to Oasis on Grand. Both buildings are owned by Laurie and Tom Carmody.

The name for the new gallery is a play on words, Gentile says. It’s “Oasis” spelled backwards.

The space is the lobby for Oasis on Grand, an artist live/work space that opened in 2011.

Previously, exhibitions happened there periodically, rather than on a regular basis.

Going forward, shows will change on a monthly basis, Gentile says. Look for opening receptions on First Fridays from 6 to 10 p.m. Closing receptions, also from 6 to 10 p.m., will happen on Third Fridays.

The gallery will also have regular weekday hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

So far, Gentile has eight solo exhibitions lined up for the space.

In addition to Slim, artists coming to Sisao Gallery include Cherie Buck-Hutchison, Anthony Banayat, Jay Smiley, Benjamin Goens, Aztec Smurf, James B. Hunt, and Damian Amoros.

Gentile also manages Grand ArtHaus  which is shared by several resident artists who create and exhibit work there on First and Third Fridays.

Moving forward, Grand ArtHaus will focus on presenting three to four large group shows each year, in addition to special events.

ASU Sculpture is showing work at Grand ArtHaus in December. In January, Texas-based Angel Cabrales will have a solo show in that space.

Both spaces will be open during the Grand Avenue Festival, which takes place along the diagonal stretch between Roosevelt and Van Buren streets on Saturday, November 11.