"Crumpled, Dented, and Crushed"
"Crumpled, Dented, and Crushed" sounds like what happens to your car following a bad accident. This Herberger Theater Art Gallery exhibit isn't far removed from that concept, though there is limited car-related art (and what's there is perfectly wrecked). Mangled goods, so to speak, is the setting these 35 Arizona artists start from -- everything from photos of dilapidated houses to a toothpaste tube sans cap to a necklace made from a broken watch. And that just taps the surface of this mixed media showing. The lesson: just because something is "Crumpled, Dented, and Crushed" doesn't mean it lacks beauty.
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Slide into the Herberger Theater Art Gallery, 222 East Monroe Street, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 16. Admission is free. Call 602-252-8497 or visit www.herbergertheater.org/art-gallery. Glenn BurnSilver
"Page to Screen"
Whether you're a movie buff, a dedicated reader, or a passive fan, "Page to Screen" is sure to please. From art to action figures, the memorabilia display highlights the written word's adaptation to both silver and small screens. Hundreds of items -- from James Bond to Walt Disney -- are showcased, including part of a collection courtesy of local couple Dr. Lawrence and Holley Thompson. Additionally, Tempe has partnered with the exhibit for Friday Film Screenings, featuring My Darling Clementine, Sleeping Beauty, and M*A*S*H*.
Check out collector's items from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, at the Gallery at Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway. The free show runs through Saturday, June 6. Contact 480-350-2822 or www.tempe.gov. Janessa Hilliard
Yarnball
Dan Hull runs around the Valley making storytelling happen. Surely he does other things, but the mere fact that he hosts Yarnball, a weekly storyfest at Lawn Gnome Publishing (as well as the monthly Storyline at Space 55), demonstrates his commitment of time, energy, and expertise. This week, Hull will wrangle performers who've responded to the prompt "cars."
Help marinate Phoenix in the spicy brew of live literature at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, at 905 North Fifth Street. Admission is $5. The event is promoted as simultaneously all-ages and uncensored, which is so granola it feels as though the past (and current) 18 wars didn't happen. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/lawngnomepublishing or www.lawngnomepublishing.com. If you need to call the Gnome, call 602-682-5825. Julie Peterson
Spark! Mesa's Festival of Creativity
Creatives, get ready to rev your right lobes. Spark! Mesa's Festival of Creativity is offering four days of all things colorful and artsy -- from fire juggling and fireworks to interactive displays and live art performances. Featured installations have been created to embody the four elements of fire earth, wind, and water, and they include Sandboxes of Life by Casey Scalf, Water Light Graffiti by Antonin Fourneau, Migration by Saskia Jorda, Path by Hailey Featherstone, and Equinox by Vessel Project.
Spark! Mesa's Festival of Creativity runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, and noon to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, at Mesa Arts Center, One East Main Street, Mesa. Admission is free. For details, visit www.mesaartscenter.com/spark or call 480-644-6501. Katie Johnson
Hormel Festival of New Plays and Musicals
Few festivals offer more surprises than the Hormel Festival of New Plays and Musicals -- because all the plays are new! The roster for opening night, Friday, March 20, showcases Y York and Amanda Jacobs' musical The Up Side of Down, which reimagines Pollyanna, and Donna Hoke's Christmas 2.0, in which a lonely mom finds old friends on Facebook. Both showtimes are 7 p.m. (Don't fear choosing one and missing the other -- both shows repeat later in the schedule.)
Festival events, a few of which are free, continue through Sunday, March 29, at Phoenix Theatre, 100 East McDowell Road. A probable highlight: The Boob Show by local writers Sally Jo Bannow and Craig Bohmler. The fiesta concludes, as always, with the moving and hysterical 24-Hour Theatre Project. Admission ranges from $10 for individual plays to $60 for an all-access pass. For tickets and full details, visit www.phoenixtheatre.com or call 602-254-2151. Julie Peterson
