Let’s hear it for 17-5641, Emerald Green “The 2012 color of the year, PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, provided the energy boost we needed to recharge and move forward,” writes Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Emerald, a vivid verdant green, enhances our sense…
Still holiday shopping? So are we — and we’ve been taking notes. Introducing our series of gift guides for your “easy to figure out, but hard to shop for” friends. Today, Jackalope Ranch’s Gift Guide for the Bike Geek. Let’s be totally honest: the one thing every cyclist wants for…
Bucky Miller’s photographs are deceptively simple. Destroyer, Miller’s most recent exhibition, is a collection of pieces from the past year that have a quiet but powerful presence. The show is as much about the sequencing and arrangement of the works as it is about the photos individually. The associations and…
Looking for ways to fill up your weekend? Here are your five best bets for getting out and about in the Valley of the Sun. Neil Hamburger & Tim Heidecker @ Crescent Ballroom We cannot properly explain why Neil Hamburger, the comedian alter ego of Greg Turkington, and Tim Heidecker,…
If we didn’t have our own First Friday plans (stay tuned for tomorrow’s field guide, map, and new limited edition sticker), and about $1000 in our pockets, you better believe we’d be jet-setting to Miami to check out Miami Basel. The annual celebration of contemporary art is one of the…
When patrons of Old Town Scottsdale’s numerous bars and clubs spy a throng of rowdy revelers dressed as jolly old Saint Nicholas coming towards them on Saturday night during Santarchy, the foremost thought in their minds will probably be along the lines of “WTF?” When the proprietors of said drinking…
The setup: For several years, New Carpa has presented an annual holiday pastorela in the Valley. Following a centuries-old tradition, the play incorporates iconoclastic, topical political humor into the story of shepherds traveling to visit the Christ Child, culminating in a battle between Satan and the Archangel Gabriel (because most…
The annual Phoenix tradition of holiday shopping, airing of grievances, and festivities kicked off its two-day run on Wednesday night at the Phoenix Public Market. This year’s Phoestivus features dozens of local vendors, plenty of munchies, and a beer garden. From 4 to 8 p.m. the downtown community gathered to…
Sue Chenoweth is an anchor in the Phoenix arts community, who spent the summer as an arts ambassador of sorts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil through a residency program with the Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (phICA). During her 5-week residency, Chenoweth created a new series of paintings that are…
Anthropologist and self-admitted yard sale enthusiast Spencer MacCallum serendipitously helped change the life of a Mexican potter, his town, and the entire tradition of an art form after wandering into a run-down second hand store in Deming, New Mexico nearly 30 years ago. It was in Bob’s Swap Shop where…
There are some advertising campaigns that transcend time and live in our holiday-associated memories for, like, ever. They bring us back to the good old days, when Christmas shopping didn’t stress us out to the point of hair loss and Thanksgiving dinner just wasn’t our problem. For laughs (like the…
Make no mistake — you’ll need a detailed psychological road map to negotiate the twisted terrain appearing in paintings by Sue Chenoweth on display in “Sue Chenoweth: Real and Applied” at Modified Arts in downtown Phoenix. And chances are you’re going to get seriously lost even before you ever reach…
Early in Waiting for Lightning, skateboarder Greg Hunt utters a surprising truth as he marvels at the giant ramp Danny Way has put together in order to jump the Great Wall of China: “They would never let anyone build something like that here.” It’s a throwaway remark that’s also an…
A wan comedy about gambling that takes no risks, Stephen Frears’ Lay the Favorite has none of the stinging sordidness of The Grifters, his 1990 movie about chiselers and con artists. That tight, nimble adaptation of Jim Thompson’s high-pulp, strained-through, Greek-tragedy 1963 novel endures as the only other good film…
Loving things that are stupid and ugly is the hipster M.O. Between this unrepentant group’s cheeky celebration of Lisa Frank unicorn designs to bragging about undying Spice Girls love and being “outraged” at the upcoming Boy Meets World reboot, we’ve had just about enough. Well, almost. It wouldn’t be too…
The flow state is known by many other names — the runner’s high, the groove, the center, the zone. In the flow state, it’s said, time goes slower the faster you ride, and you emerge improved, happier, more confident, and more aware. Few skiers and snowboarders get to experience it,…
When we were kids and went to Catholic Mass, one of our favorite things to do was nix the phrase, “Peace be with you,” in favor of, “May the force be with you.” When we pulled this off with a straight face, and successfully had our sister snorting with laughter,…
Wearing an evening gown, top hat, or a monocle in public is tricky — unless you’re going to some sort of steampunk-themed fete or an Oscar party. Even if an event has a formal dress code, pulling off a monocle without looking like Mr. Peanut or a Bond villain is…
Forget Yogi and Teddy Ruxpin. There’s a different kind of bear coming to town: a Modern Bear. This variety of fuzzy men is known for its love of modern design, all things retro, and fellow hunks of beefcake. (That’s not to say they don’t appreciate pic-a-nics or reading.) Modern Bear…
It’s that time of year when the weather cools down, the creative-project lists get a little longer, and the team behind Frances, a boutique in uptown Phoenix, selects a group of its favorite artisans to share their goods with the community. Crafeteria is an annual gathering of local artists who…
It doesn’t have to be scorching hot to find satisfaction in a fine brew. In fact, as the weather cools it becomes the perfect time to search out something new and bold. Which way to turn? Ask the helpful brewmasters at the inaugural Phoenix Invitational Brewers Festival. The invitational suds-a-thon…
With Christmas just weeks away, we imagine that Jolly ol’ Saint Nick is feeling the pressure of his workshop pushed to its limits. Kris Kringle then has a good reason to slip away to join the festive mob of merry-makers that will gather for Santarchy on Saturday, December 8. The…
