Arts & Culture

Vroom, vroom. Fri., Feb. 6, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 7, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 8, 7 a.m.-5 p.m., 2009…

Performance meets art in this “choreographed stage show featuring painted performers illustrating the transformation of the human body into a canvas.” Sun., Feb. 8, 9:15 p.m., 2009…

BlackPoet Ventures, in conjunction with Arizona Theatre Company’s production of A Raisin in the Sun, salutes late poet Langston Hughes (pictured) with an original slam work based on the Hughes poem. The public is invited to read original works afterward. Sun., Feb. 8, 2 p.m., 2009…

BlackPoet Ventures, in conjunction with Arizona Theatre Company’s production of A Raisin in the Sun, salutes late poet Langston Hughes (pictured) with an original slam work based on the Hughes poem. The public is invited to read original works afterward. Sat., Feb. 7, 1 p.m., 2009…

BlackPoet Ventures, in conjunction with Arizona Theatre Company’s production of A Raisin in the Sun, salutes late poet Langston Hughes (pictured) with an original slam work based on the Hughes poem. The public is invited to read original works afterward. Fri., Feb. 6, 7 p.m., 2009…

BlackPoet Ventures, in conjunction with Arizona Theatre Company’s production of A Raisin in the Sun, salutes late poet Langston Hughes (pictured) with an original slam work based on the Hughes poem. The public is invited to read original works afterward. Thu., Feb. 5, 4 p.m., 2009…

Just when you thought there was no possible new approach to life, some guy — an architect like Bernard Khoury, for example — creates a concept about healing through architecture. Khoury, a Modernist who’s come to be known as the bad boy of building design, believes that creating a beautiful…

It’s that time of year again when Phoenicians suspend reality for the bustling world of the Arizona Renaissance Festival & Artisan Marketplace. However, if you’re seeking out an authentic post-medieval experience, we suggest having unprotected sex with at least four Ren-locals in a bed full of rotting rats and ticks…

Anytime you talk about ass-grabbing, hooking up, or just straight-up boning, you’re going to attract an audience. How do you think the writers at Night & Day keep this gig? The folks at Space 55 Theatre totally get it, too. To celebrate the month of romance, they’re putting on our…

We apologize for being haters, but we’ll probably never forget when, years ago, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced that they were increasing ticket prices. Yeah, so what’s the big deal? Well, friends, they did so during fan-appreciation weekend. Golly, did we feel, uh, appreciated. As the years have passed, we’ve softened…

As people’s papers dwindle, up jumps the swindles. You see, Wu-Tang affiliate Killah Priest was supposed to stop in Tempe this week while on tour. Thing is, the tour didn’t actually exist. It was just a scam propagated by some random schemers hoping to game on the promoters’ up-front money…

The 19th annual fest features continuous live entertainment, tasty eats, martial arts demos, lion and dragon dances, a Taipei Dragon Boat Display, a Children’s Pavilion, a Chinese Cultural Village, and more. Fri., Feb. 6, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 2009…

The event, which also kicks off the Phoenix Chinese Week Culture and Cuisine Festival, features live entertainment and lion and dragon dances. Fri., Feb. 6, 11 a.m., 2009…

Sous chef Bruce Patterson whips up a three-course “aphrodisiac” menu chock-full of stimulating delights for “an intimate group of three couples.” Reservations are (obviously) recommended. Fridays, Saturdays, noon. Starts: Feb. 6. Continues through Feb. 28, 2009…

I haven’t been overly enamored of local alt-country bands. The New Westerns had a nice sound, but spotty vocals, and suffer from occasional self-indulgence. Instant Hobo won points for being hobo-themed, but didn’t take the motif far enough, and their record seemed a little sloppy. As a long-time alt-country fan,…

The DVD (companion to the book of the same name by Meredith Dreiss and Sharon Edgar Underhill) looks at the 3,000-year-old history of the sweet stuff. Specialty chocolates will be available for nibbling. Sat., Feb. 7, 2 p.m., 2009…

The editor of the Spring Training Online and Ballpark Digest Web sites signs his new book, The Complete Guide to Spring Training, which covers both the Cactus League and Florida’s Grapefruit League. Sat., Feb. 7, 1-4 p.m., 2009…

The acclaimed documentary traces the rise of the Funk Brothers, the studio musicians who powered the Motown Sound. Fri., Feb. 6, 6 p.m., 2009…

The author of A Left-Hand Turn Around the World signs his latest, Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, in which the Wired contributor “untangles the twisted story of the English spelling.” Thu., Feb. 5, 7 p.m., 2009…

The 2008 mockumentary by marine biologist turned Hollywood filmmaker Randy Olson takes it to the environmentalists, as his 2006 entry Flock of Dodos shellacked evolutionary dunderheads. Olson will be present for the screening and discussion. Location: Murdock Hall 201. RSVP required. Thu., Feb. 5, 5-8 p.m., 2009…

The mockumentarist speaks about his own evolution from marine biologist to Hollywood filmmaker (Flock of Dodos, Sizzle). Thu., Feb. 5, 2:30-3:30 p.m., 2009…

Chances are, if you’re the type of person who might go see Sword of the Stranger, you’ve not only already decided to go, but you’ve downloaded a fansub of this modern-day anime masterpiece and know every line . . . in Japanese. For those who could care less that the…