Scottsdale’s galleries are proof positive that in a recession, art is one of the first luxuries to go. Longtime residents Victoria Boyce and Leslie Levy closed their doors in 2009 and went online. A dozen or so smaller galleries followed. One Scottsdale gallery owner I recently spoke to admitted he…
Man, I am bummed.The West Valley Art Museum’s “temporary closure” has morphed into the sale of the museum’s building. They will have a benefit sale this weekend.In August 2009, the Museum shut its doors to restructure funds. The goal was to open again in the future and, at the time,…
So maybe Roosevelt Row isn’t L.A.’s La Cienega in the 60s and our Grand Avenue ain’t exactly Soho in the 70s and 80s. And we can definitively say that Marcel Duchamp never played chess at Phoenix Art Museum with a nude Eve Babitz (or anyone else, clothed or naked, for…
Alright folks, allow me to take you on a visual journey (actually, it’s just a crap-ton of jpegs) to illustrate what’s happening with the visual arts at First Friday Artwalk tonight. “Natural Origins” by Lara Kupcikevicius and Christina Ramirez @ MonOrchidBoth artists chose patterns and visual themes from nature as…
I’m so relieved to hear that someone else in town doesn’t hate Valentine’s Day.And that someone is Cyndi Coon of Laboratory5 Inc. (Lab5 is a joint venture with fellow artist and husband, Jeremy Briddell, where they both showcase their art). Coon will be leading a workshop at MADE Art Boutique…
Alright, you artists, gallery owners, and any other creative types who want to be featured in the Art Detour 22 brochure, you have your deadline for application.February 11, 2010And you can find the application here…
I hesitate to tell others about this but both Rowdy Boutique and frances vintage are having winter sales.I’ve been keeping my mouth shut about it all week but the guilt of denying my precious readers this information has proven too great…and I broke.(My apologies to my fellow female co-workers for…
Frida Kahlo and Pablo Picasso created art inspired by their own personal tragedies. They took a risk, because personal pieces are often so intimate that audiences can’t relate. Local artist Jen Urso successfully overcame this challenge — and the demons of her past — in creating “White Space,” a multimedia…
I usually snark it up on this blog but if I were to make wise cracks about this very serious disease, you could classify me as pure evil.Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, along with Banner Health, is hosting “Arts Engagement”, a series of workshops for individuals with early to mid-stage…
Even though I recently betrayed my feminist roots by writing this piece, I still have loyalty to the cause. Especially when it comes to Art History.It’s no secret that, historically, female artists haven’t really gotten their fair shake. Lack of education, lack of opportunity for status and all that baby-raising…
It’s really no secret that I’m a big fan of the independently owned boutique. I have a hunch that most slightly fashionable women who loved art class as kids have fantasized at least once in their lives about opening their own little spot; filled to the brim with adorable garments,…
The always whimsical, entertaining, and ridiculously meticulous Christy Puetz is showing her latest beaded artworks at Chandler Center for the Arts. The opening reception is Friday.New Times snagged this artist for a Studio Visit a couple years ago and we’re pleased to find out that she’s still at it.Puetz is…
SMoCA really knows how to stay on my radar.This is the third time I’ve blogged about their “Rewind Remix Replay: Design, Music & Everyday Experience” exhibition.But it’s with good reason. Starting with a call for historic music-making/producing/amplifying contraptions way back in June, the show opened early this month. It sounds…
Wayne Rainey is at it again.The owner of Holgas and MonOrchid can easily be credited as a major mover in the downtown arts scene.And tonight he’s debuting his latest art space, Bokeh Gallery, in the MonOrchid building…
What a drag.After eight years of business, the posh furniture and home boutique, haus modern living, on Central Ave and Highland is closing Sunday.Needless to say, we’re big-time bummed here at New Times about the news. We may even be too depressed to hit the clearance sale that is going…
I really do love to poke around little boutiques for unique treasures. It’s gotten to a point where most of my accessories come from small-time designers who craft at home. These days, I’m actually embarrassed to admit it if I’m wearing a scarf or hat that I picked up at…
I got a little misty a while ago when I received an e-mail from Kimber Lanning, owner and director of Modified Arts for the past 10 years. She announced she was handing over the reins of Modified to Phoenix newcomers Kim Larkin and Adam Murray, a husband-and-wife team who defected…
Phoenix artist Matthew Moore, who’s also a fourth-generation Arizona farmer, has just combined my two all-time favorite activities: food shopping and art viewing. His latest video installation, “Lifecycles,” which magically melds the two, is premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier exhibition. The event, curated by film festival…
So you love art. Obviously. Because you’re reading this blog.Sure, I’d love to think people read Arty Girl just for the delightful creative voice of its author but, as you all know, I’m just too dang humble to believe such things.So you’ve got the interest. Now, the next step is…
Yes, you read that headline right. This blog is going to be about an event tomorrow that includes performance art, an art installation, a fish roundup and a canal dry-up.In case you didn’t know, our canals are filled with white armur fish that munch on the aquatic vegetation. These little…
I swear, I should have been a marriage counselor. I am obsessed with relationships.And, no, it’s not because of the romantic mushy stuff.I love to know the intricacies of the particular dynamics between people. I’m constantly observing interactions, subsequent reactions and body language. Particularly when it comes to romantic relationships,…
All of the CGI special effects in movies over the years has put a bad taste in my mouth. Even on a 2D screen, you just can’t beat real space. I’d much rather see a slightly stiff and somewhat immobile Yoda than a Yoda who is so CGI’d out, he…
