Visual Arts

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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…

There are dozens of vacant lots scattered around Central Phoenix, each of which are eyesores strewn with dirt, broken glass, and broken dreams. And if it were up to Dorina Bustamante and her cohorts, every last one of ’em would become beautiful public spaces filled with art and greenery. They’ve…

Welcome to Jackalope Ranch’s Questionable Content, where local creatives and experts sound off on topics posed by New Times staff blogger Claire Lawton and the community. Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail Claire.Lawton@newtimes.com. See also: Mural City See also: Tag, You’re Art: Local Street Artists Are Tagging Over…

Come July, property owners in the neighborhood between 43rd to 59th avenues and McDowell and Camelback roads will be the guinea pigs of the city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department’s new “Graffiti Free Phoenix” pilot program. Department employees describe the program as “simple” — Graffiti Busters and Neighborhood Preservation inspectors…

Brian Singer’s 1000 Journals project aims to create a collaborative community piece in which people contribute to sketchbooks and pass them on to someone new while sharing their thoughts and possibly inspiring other people to create more art. Scottsdale’s 100+ Journals is a part of the 1000+ Journals Project. And…

If you’re an artist or filmmaker whose head happens to be filled funny situations or freaky visions there happen to be a few opportunities for you to channel your creativity and show it to the public. For instance, the producers of comedy showcase First Friday Night Live are getting ready…

Those late afternoon kids’ TV specials of the 80s and 90s about Really Important Stuff left their mark on comics artist Dave Kiersh. So much so, that his new book, Kiersh’s first full-length graphic novella, is titled Afterschool Special. Growing up on Long Island, Kiersh found the topic-driven shows on…

Anthony Velasquez grew up surrounded by well-worn trinkets and décor in his mom’s antique shop in Avondale.  He never did well in a school setting; he recalls spending most of his time in class doodling and sketching the pictures in his textbooks, eventually dropping out of high school because he…

From political and factual to emotional and intellectual, Tributaries highlights four local artists’s creative interpretation of the most basic and necessary resource: water. The exhibition, currently on view at Shemer Art Center in Phoenix, features the work of four local artists including Saskia Jorda, Melissa Martinez, Emily Stergar and Nic…

This morning, the official blog of the Supreme Court of the United States is reporting that Section 2(b) of Arizona’s immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court as not pre-empted by federal immigration law. From the court: “It was improper for the lower courts…

Anthony Velasquez grew up surrounded by well-worn trinkets and decor in his mom’s antique shop in Avondale. He says he never did well in a school setting; he spent most of his time in class doodling and sketching the pictures from his textbooks. He says he eventually dropped out of…

Before local artist Joseph “Sentrock” Perez packs his bags and heads for Chicago for art school, he says it’s time for some payback. “I’ve been given a lot by the communty,” says Sentrock, who won New Times’ Big Brain Award in 2011 and was nominated for a Governor’s Arts Award…

The current exhibition “Paper!” at Phoenix Art Museum includes a piece by contemporary artist Jasper Johns called The Critic Sees, a 1967 silkscreen in which the embossed word “mouth” peers through a pair of embossed paper glasses — a punny, postmodern poke at all talk and no vision. Here’s what those glasses are…

Almost a year after Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s curator Cassandra Coblentz packed her bags and headed to California, museum staff has announced that they’ll be welcoming a new curator set to start this Fall. Emily Stamey will join the SMoCA team as an associate curator in September. She was…

Not another one, I thought. I’d already been to quite a few wedding receptions, especially recently. That just comes with being 30 and unmarried. But there was the invitation: You Are Cordially Invited to the Wedding Reception of Jean-Paul “Northstar” Beaubier and Kyle Jinadu who will be married in Astonishing…

If you’re tired of shopping for items to make that project you pinned on Pinterest just to escape your house, you’re in luck. We have nine workshops you can attend this summer that’ll provide more than a few ways to get going …. 9. PAPER CRAFTS: GREETING CARD @ Mesa…

Ask any of the 10 women showing artwork at Vision Gallery this month which famous artist they’d like to paint their reality and their answer will be simple and unanimous: Frida Kahlo. Kathy Cano Murillo, Emily Costello, Anita Mabante Leach, Carmen Guerrero, Michele Delgado, Ana Lisa Rios, Gloria Martinez, Monique…

Welcome to the Morning Buzz, a catch-up on interesting happenings around the city and country and a quick guide to what (and who) to keep your eyes on. We’ll be here, first thing every weekday, to get you going. Here’s what’s buzzing this morning: Weeks after longtime arts critic Richard…