Sex Sells at Alwun House’s “Exotic Art Show”

Brightly colored undraped bosoms. Long, dangly scrotums. Swollen clitorises. If it’s February and you’re staring at a giant painting of some guy’s ass, then you must be at Alwun House. And this must be the venerable institution’s annual Exotic Art Show. “People always call this the Erotic Show,” says Alwun…

Benjamin Phillips’ Reflection Pool at eye lounge

Benjamin Phillips’ sculptures are not to scale, but they still possess a striking accuracy of the human form.Phillips says his figures, made from Forton plaster, resin, acrylic, fiberglass, silicone, and lead, are meant to demonstrate the sense of vulnerability that comes with age.    The ASU graduate student’s latest exhibition,…

“Our Own Devices” Opens at ASU’s Gallery 100 Tonight

Tonight, a group of Arizona State University seniors are saying sayonara in style. From 6 to 8 p.m., twelve candidates for a bachelor of fine arts degree from ASU’s art school unveil “Our Own Devices”, a group thesis exhibit at Gallery 100, located at the Tempe Center (817-951 South Mill…

Ernie Adams’ Dwarf Car Cruisers: Class and Color in the Maricopa Desert

“Dwarf cars” sound like something Snow White’s vertically-challenged friends might drive, but they’re really miniature versions of full-size automobiles that are surprisingly roomy inside. They may be only waist-high, but they hold their own on both race tracks and roads — just ask the man who invented them, Maricopa resident…

Tiny Army Fights To Unite Independent Artists

When local artist Daniel Davis created Tiny Army, he says he was really just in the market for a few friends. “I didn’t want to start a group with memberships and membership dues and be like ‘this is a secret society’ and all that stuff,” says Davis. “I just wanted…

El Pedregal To Soon Include Cooper’s Art Gallery

Cooper’s Art Gallery and Brokerage, which represents both heavy-hitting artists as well as some up and comers, will soon have a presence at el Pedregal. The 5,300-square-foot venue, which will showcase the work of more than 60 artists, will be a “visual surprise,” according to owner Patricia Cooper Wesley. The…

SMoCA’s “Dance with Camera” Is Dancing Around the Truth

Natalie Portman’s portrayal of a psychotic prima ballerina in the thriller Black Swan shone a glaring light on the world of professional dance. It’s not all frilly tutus and magical nutcrackers — that’s just the fantasy the dancer creates on the stage. Similarly, deception is at the core of “Dance…

Artist Jen Urso Seeks Funding for “The Things in Between”

Local artist Jen Urso has one month to raise $10,000 to fund her latest project. “The Things In Between” is born from Urso’s fascination with vacant lots in Phoenix and reading body language. While the two may seem unrelated, Urso hopes to bring them together to examine the moments between conversation…

Cade Gallery Brings Art and Arcade Games to Downtown Phoenix

On March 4, a new gallery will open in the old anti_space location on Fourth Street and McKinley in downtown Phoenix. Like other galleries in the area, Cade Gallery will exhibit a variety of artwork, but (nerd alert) it’s also an old school, mini-arcade, so customers can kill space bugs…

Phoenix PechaKucha Announces Friday’s Lineup

Don’t get us wrong, we love Ignite — if we can manage to get in the door without trading regrettable sexual favors for the “free” tickets. But there’s something about the newer PechaKucha events we can really get behind. The event includes plenty of beer, wine, and snacks to go around,…

What Happened to Paulina Miller Gallery?

R.I.P. Paulina Miller Gallery. The upscale art space inside the historic Charles E. Palen House at Roosevelt and First streets in downtown Phoenix quietly stopped hosting monthly exhibits in mid-2010, after more than 10 years of showcasing local and national art. No one seemed to notice, in part because the…

Six Must-Sees For Third Friday (Feb. 18)

If it were up to us, every day would be Third Friday with tons of new work from local artists who are just debuting and have been around for a while. Here are six shows you won’t want to miss: 1. What Goes On and What Takes Place @ Modified…

JB Snyder’s Wet Paint Valentine

It’s about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we’re losing track of the times we’ve said, “Woah, when did that go up?”, we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town — their…

Fusion Architecture Nominated For Global Honor by Holland’s Afrika Museum

The Netherlands’ Afrika Museum and African Architecture Matters recently announced that Valley-based Fusion Architecture’s Garden City Park is one of three finalists for the 2010 “Blueprints of Paradise” competition. Kobina Banning, founder of Fusion Architecture (FA), and his team “were asked to visualize their vision on ‘future built Africa,'” says…