September is the month First Friday makes a comeback each year after its summer lull. With the monsoons mostly over, the ASU students back on campus and new places to check out, the local urge to re-emerge should draw a big crowd to the free downtown Phoenix art walk. Here are five art shows worth taking a look at this First Friday, September 4 from 6-10pm.
Featuring the work from five local photographers, this show takes a closer look at the beauty of the desert monsoon from behind the safety of a lens. The images come from all over Arizona, giving the viewer a grander perspective on the sheer mass of these storms as they sweep across the state. Drive-Thru Gallery & Studio is located at 918 N 6th Street.
Featuring the work from award-winning, Tucson based artist, Skip Bailey and seasoned, Phoenix based artist, Jack Adams. This show promises to take watercolor to the next level through depictions of the Southwest in an array of style and subject matter. Alwun House kicks this event off from 7-10pm and is located at 1204 E Roosevelt Street.
Featured in the main lounge space at Eye Lounge, Japanese native artist, Takashi Hara explores both joy and sorrow simultaneously through his personal narrative work, depicted through images of swine and reflecting on the tendencies of society to cage human ambition. Eye Lounge will also exhibit Phoenix based, national artist, Wil Munny. His show, “A Few Canvas That I Painted and Their Secret Meanings” is Munny’s one and only show for 2015. Eye Lounge is located at 419 E Roosevelt Street.
The title says it all! The Phoenix Art Museum is presenting a special event, pop-up dance party featuring DJ Lengua, La Diabla, with performances by Liliana Gomez and more. The museum will feature its Masterworks of Spanish Colonial Art from their private collection, as well as others, in the celebration of Spanish heritage and culture. Don’t forget your dancing shoes! The Phoenix Art Museum is located at 1625 N Central Avenue and is one of four Phoenix Artlink Trolley Hubs.
Shade Gallery, inside the MonOrchid is proud to present the vibrant work of Gennaro Garcia. This multi-media exhibit brings together the diverse passions and processes of Garcia, explored through a vast array of mediums and techniques that take root in the artists Catholic upbringing and reflect his duality through his Mexican and American heritage. Located just beyond the main gallery inside Bokeh Gallery, artist Noe Badillo will exhibit his, “Early work 1994-1999” which gives the viewer an intimate look at the perspective of a photographer in his early beginnings. The MonOrchid is located at 214 E Roosevelt Street.
Okay, I know we said five must-see places, but Phoenix is bursting at the seems with culture this First Friday! The Heard Museum will host an evening of events featuring Navajo jeweler Vernon Begay, free gallery admission and performances by the Catalyst Quartet and the Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP). Additional performances by Navajo composers Raven Chacon and Michael Begay will be held in the Steele Auditorium for a general admission ticket for $10. Additional information may found at www.heard.org.