We dig you, Phoenix. That’s why every spring we hunt for emerging creatives doing exceptional things in metro Phoenix and award the best and brightest with Big Brain Awards and cash prizes. They’re gems, these up-and-coming sculptors, dancers, musicians, and chefs. It’s what makes them Big Brains. For the 2015…
At 5 years old, David Zyla told his mother, who was getting dressed for a night out with his father, to wear a different necklace than the one she had on. He then told his dad to switch ties. “You can mix patterns?” his dad asked. “Of course,” Zyla said…
It’s never fun when the number of good choices we’re faced with outpaces the amount of time we have to enjoy them. But that’s often the case during First and Third Friday in metro Phoenix, when there’s never enough time to explore every exhibit and arts-related event taking place in…
What happens in the studio shouldn’t always stay in the studio. Studio Visit is a weekly series that profiles artists in their studios. We ask them questions, they provide answers, and then we have a nice discussion about their work. This week: Mimi Jardine, current president of Eye Lounge and…
When Jackalope Ranch issued a 10-question survey asking Phoenicians (and anyone with an opinion of Phoenix) to sound of on the state of the arts in the Valley of the Sun, dozens provided insights on what’s happening in the city’s creative realm. We’ll present a selection of survey responses here…
Even at its most depraved, the comedy of Kyle Kinane exudes a sort of busted up Zen quality. The Midwesterner is uproarious and crass, but also curiously positive. “Yeah, well sometimes it seems like a comedians make a conscious choice make to fun everything and act superior to [their] surroundings…
Have you finished season three of House of Cards yet? Great. Now you can rejoin the rest of society. Don’t give us any excuses, because this week there are just too many good things going on and, wouldn’t you know, a lot of them are free. From talks about the…
Recently we spotted Phoenix artist Tato Caraveo in mural-painting mode at Paz Cantina on Roosevelt Row, where interior walls sport paintings by artists including Lalo Cota and a pair of sculptures now erupt from planters painted by Sabrino Peros and other local artists. You’ll spot a new Lalo Cota mural…
Truth be told, the coolest part about Canal Convergence 2015 was seeing people of all walks of life converge along the canal and surrounding parts to explore works of art and other cultural gems. For four days, from February 26 to March 1, the streets of downtown Scottsdale came alive…
“Loloma: Expressions in Metal, Ink and Clay” Charles Loloma was pretty much a badass in the jewelry world. While most expect Native jewelry to feature silver and turquoise, Loloma incorporated materials like pearls, ivory, and wood into award-winning designs and drew inspiration both from his own Hopi background and other…
Leonard Nimoy has died, according to a report from The New York Times. The actor, musician, photographer, and pop culture icon was 83…
Eye Lounge has been kicking off 2015 with exhibitions that highlight where they’ve been, where they are, and where they may be going. The most expansive of these is “Self Made: 15 Years of Eye Lounge,” currently on view at Vision Gallery in Chandler until March 8, 2015. Bringing together…
We headed to the Scottsdale Waterfront at Marshall Way Bridge a couple of days ago, eager to catch Saskia Jordá in the act of art-making. We’d heard installation was well underway for her large-scale piece called Migration, which is one of several temporary art works featured in the four-day Canal…
Dreamgirls If you don’t know anything else about the Tony-winning musical Dreamgirls, you’ve probably heard that song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” When you contemplate Desert Foothills Theatre’s production, however, which closes Sunday, March 1, you might want to change the soundtrack in your head to “Maybe…
UPDATE: Native Now has been rescheduled due to rain. The event has been moved to Saturday, April 11. Indigenous culture gets the multi-media treatment as Native Now, a celebration of Native American traditions and artistic trailblazers, returns for its second year to the Deer Valley Rock Art Center. The all-day…
Maysoon Zayid is becoming a master a getting the last laugh. As a woman of Palestinian descent with cerebral palsy who lives in New Jersey and works in show business, Zayid has managed to spin day-to-day challenges into comedic material on her own terms. Since earning a BFA in acting…
It doesn’t matter if you’re headed for a weekend road trip an hour away or backpacking through Europe for a month, going on a vacation can be an awesome time. Sometimes, if you play your cards right, that vacation can be made even better by finding romance while you’re away…
If Grace Kelly had been raised by coyotes, she might have stalked the screen like Focus’ Margot Robbie, a va-va-voom blonde with bite. Robbie is too beautiful to play normal, too sly to play nice. Miscast as a shy saint in Craig Zobel’s upcoming Sundance hit Z for Zachariah, she…
TV shows aren’t too different from people in at least one respect: The longer they’ve been around, the less interest they tend to garner. But the sixth season of FX’s beloved spy spoof Archer is like few others. It’s an “unrebooting” of the previous year, in which creator Adam Reed,…
Somehow people still imagine Arizona as a place where cowboys spend their days riding horses, wrangling cattle, and strutting around in chaps. Well, starting Thursday, February 26, they may be right as the 62nd Annual Parada del Sol Rodeo takes over WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Road. Cowboys, gals,…
Plays on grammatical errors, paranormal activity, or Bruce Willis and M. Night Shyamalan aside, this comedy troupe with a very punny name hits the stage for a new night of sketch comedy.A local comedy circuit staple for over five years, The [SIC] Sense Comedy Troupe returns to the stage with…
Sport is a natural metaphor for war. Two sides in two colors face each other on a field, each with their pride and their physical safety at risk. Their leaders scheme plans of attack, drawing arrows toward the enemy’s flank. And backing the teams in the stands — or, more…
