BEST Things To Do In Phoenix Today
Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Event Oracle knows ALL the fun things to do in the land of the Phoenix sun. Select your date above then scroll down for all the Arts, Entertainment, and Events in my crystal ball...

• Carnival of Illusion

  Arizona Biltmore Resort
  2400 E Missouri Ave
  Phoenix, AZ 85016
  

  Carnival of Illusion is an evening of Old-World Magic in the style of classic entertainers such as Buster Keaton, Mae West, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Harry Houdini. The hosts have performed as house entertainers at the world's top resorts, Fortune 100 CEOs, to the 200 Most Powerful Women in America and operate the longest-running Arizona theater show. Carnival of Illusion is "Magic, Mystery, and OOOH La La."

• Intimate and Expansive Ceramic art by Tiffany C. Bailey

  3800 E Sky Harbor Blvd
  Phoenix, AZ 85034
  

  Steep bluffs, fields of corn and herds of cows are some of the picturesque features ceramic artist Tiffany C. Bailey remembers about her hometown. Growing up in Southwestern Wisconsin, Bailey was raised in a rural community with an abundance of pastures, farmland and a population of only 300 people.

  After moving to Arizona to continue her ceramic studies, she revisited her memories of the architecture and topography near her childhood home. Now, in her artistic practice, she distills those elements into small-scale artworks to interpret a landscape that is both intimate and expansive.

  Bailey uses a slip-cast method to make her ceramic artwork. The process begins with a model that is either hand-sculpted or is a found object. From the model, a plaster mold is produced. Porcelain slip (liquefied clay) is poured into the mold, dried and then fired in a kiln. The plaster mold can be used repeatedly to replicate the form creating artworks in series. She embellishes the art object with ceramic stains, underglazes or graphite drawings, resulting in one-of-a-kind pieces. 

• Shaping Sound The Art of Guitar Making

  3800 E Sky Harbor Blvd
  Phoenix, AZ 85034
  

  In our fast-paced, technological world of seemingly endless mass production, there are still some who desire to create with their hands. This is especially true for guitar players who design, build and repair their own instruments. The art of guitar-making, or Luthiery,allows skilled craftsman to turn raw materials into unique instruments.

  The Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, based in the heart of Phoenix, has supported aspiring guitar builders for over four decades. Students from around the globe come to attend North America’s oldest and only accredited guitar-making school. At Roberto-Venn, people that are passionate about music can learn the old-world craft of creating a guitar by hand.

  From selecting wood to finishing techniques, students learn every aspect of guitar construction. They discover how the design and assembly of each element affects how the guitar will play as well as the instruments visual aesthetic and artistry. By merging tradition with innovation and creativity, students at Roberto-Venn are shaping sound.

• 100 Years, 100 Ranchers, Photographs by Scott Baxter

  3800 E Sky Harbor Blvd
  Phoenix, AZ 85034
  

  Wide open landscapes dotted with grazing cattle and sheep herded by the rancher on horseback have become an iconic symbol of our western culture. For more than 100 years the ranching tradition has been an integral part of Arizona’s history and growth. In celebration of Arizona’s Centennial in 2012, Scott Baxter photographed 100 Arizona ranchers whose families have been ranching for a century or more.

  For more than 10 years Baxter has been traveling to ranches across the state, getting to know the individual ranchers and their operations. He chose to use large-format cameras, a traditional process which takes time and allowed him to engage his subjects in a personal manner. Using black and white film Baxter captures a sense of timelessness and directs the viewer’s full attention to the subject in the frame.

  The strength and independent nature of this unique group of Arizonans is apparent in their portraits. Baxter’s collection of photographs is a tribute to Arizona’s ranching legacy by preserving an important piece of Arizona character and history.

• Legacy of Landscapes: The Art and Archaeology of Perry Mesa

  3711 W Deer Valley Rd
  Phoenix, AZ 85308
  

  Featuring the artistry of ASU alumnus photographer Pat Gorraiz, this exhibit explores the landscapes of Perry Mesa and the legacies left behind by the Ancestral People who lived there over a period of several hundred years.

  Archaeologists from Arizona State University and federal agencies began researching the mesa in the early 2000s, and that work continues today with School of Human Evolution and Social Change archaeologist David Abbott, retired National Forest Services archaeologist Scott Wood, and many others. Learn more about past research and publications.

• Billy Moore Days

  Western Avenue & 3rd Street
  Avondale, AZ
  

  Billy Moore Days will take place in Historic Avondale October 17-20, with favorite elements including the Billy Moore Days Parade and Carnival. Headlining acts include Str8up, The Backroads, and Gustavo Angeles.

• Still Life No. 3: Raven Chacon

  Heard Museum
  2301 North Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  In the summer of 2019 the Heard Museum will produce a solo exhibition of contemporary artist Raven Chacon.  Still Life No. 3: Raven Chacon presents a singular work of the same title comprised of sound installation, timed light, and text. Installed in the Museum’s Jacobson Gallery, the exhibition will open July 5th, 2019 and run through November 3rd, 2019.

  Still Life No. 3 retells the Diné Bahaneʼ, the Navajo story of creation and emergence into the current world. The piece is comprised of sound, speakers, text and timed colored light which scrolls through several hues over a 24-hour cycle – relating to colors referenced in the Diné origin story. By doing this, the artist creates ambiguity in the gallery space and narrative of the Diné emergence story. The voice of a Diné woman is amplified through speakers that are set on a delay causing parts of the story to overlap, creating a non-linear situation to the narrative while illuminating past, present, and future all in one singular moment. The exhibition will allow for an immersive and metaphysical space within the confines of the gallery to create room for pensive reflection, sense of place, and situationality.

• A Land North: Works from the Heard Museum Collection

  Heard Museum
  2301 North Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  This exhibition is a presentation of pieces from the Heard Museum’s permanent holdings of Indigenous Alaskan and Canadian First Nations art. A Land North celebrates the complexities of these cultures and highlights the diverse representation of artworks in the Heard Collection. Featuring more than 100 years of objects, starting at 1900, the exhibition spotlights pieces in mediums including works on paper, textiles, basketry, scrimshaw engraving, jewelry, and sculpture. Many of the works, such as the ivory engravings created by Angokwazhuk (Happy Jack) and baleen basketry by Robert James and Carl Taalak, were produced specifically for tourist consumption, whereas the textiles of Victoria Mamnguqsualuk and the prints of Simon Tookoome were produced as narrative devices.

  Themes explored by the artists include notions of shamanism and the interconnectedness of the metaphysical and the land, illuminating transformation, and spiritual practices. Other works depict daily life and the flora and fauna of Alaska and Canada. Each of these works elucidates the cultural continuum of Indigenous peoples in these territories.

• Around the World: The Heard Museum Collection

  Heard Museum
  2301 North Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  Dwight and Maie Bartlett Heard were world travelers, and they collected art made in the countries they visited. In 1892, Maie Bartlett’s family and her fiancé Dwight Heard traveled to Egypt voyaging up the Nile as far as Aswan with one of Thomas Cook’s tours. The Heards moved to Phoenix from Chicago in 1895 and, while they collected from the Southwest, they continued to collect art from around the world.

  A trip to Hawai’i in 1924 was followed in the winter of 1925 with a second trip to Egypt and the Sudan. In the 1920s as the collections filled their home, named Casa Blanca, they decided to place the collection in a museum to be built on their property. Their vision of a public collection was realized with the opening of the Heard Museum on December 26, 1929. The museum’s upstairs galleries presented cultural arts from Around the World.

  In 2006, more than 75 years after its grand opening, the Heard Museum opened a new exhibition to honor that first exhibition and to share with the public how the collections have grown through the generosity of donors and individual artists who have given work to the museum.

  Around the World: The Heard Museum Collection includes items from the Heards’ world travels as well as important works from later donors like Byron Harvey III. Many of the pieces in this exhibition reveal the global-reach of the Heard as an important nexus for preserving indigenous art and culture. Visitors can view rarely displayed works by indigenous peoples of Canada and Mexico, as well as Guatemala, the Philippine Islands, New Zealand, Zaire and Sudan—From exquisite cradleboards from Plains Indian cultures to Guatemalan paintings and masks from Africa.

• The Third Dimension: Sculptural Stories in Stone and Bronze

  Heard Museum
  2301 North Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  Some of the most exciting and moving American Indian fine art of the 20th and 21st centuries has been created by sculptors. The Heard Museum is fortunate recently to have been given works by leading American Indian sculptors such as Allan Houser and John Hoover Gifts also include sculpture by the next generation of accomplished sculptors inspired by these pioneers, such as Doug Hyde and Bob Haozous, Houser’s son. These will be shown in The Third Dimension: Sculptural Stories in Stone and Bronze.

  The majority of the sculptures come from the estate of Ann B. Ritt, who collected sculpture by Houser (Chiricahua Apache) and Hoover, an Unangan (Aleut) artist. Both artists valued stories, honoring their telling and the inspiration that stories gave to their art.

  Doug Hyde (Nez Perce/Assiniboine/Chippewa) was a student of Houser’s at IAIA, and a major work by Hyde was donated to the Heard by Phoenix Gateway Center. “The Vigil: Mountains, Valleys, Mesas” is a three-part limestone sculpture created in 1988. Commenting on the work, the artist said that it “celebrates Southwest Native people, their hard work and culture that has survived many challenges.”

  Although some of the sculpture was donated in 2011, the Heard was not able to show some of the Hoover and Houser pieces because they needed conservation. The gift of funds from Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project has made it possible to perform this essential conservation work and now to display these three-dimensional stories in all their beauty.

• Color in Play

  5005 E Camelback Rd
  Phoenix, AZ 85018
  

  A juried exhibition that features outdoor sculptures combining color and whimsy with a touch of sophistication!

• The Timeless Landscape: Recent Gifts from the Papp Family

  Phoenix Art Museum
  1625 N. Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685
  

  Classical Chinese ink paintings traditionally focused on the beauty of the natural world, depicting insects, birds, flowers, and fruit, or trees, clouds, and mountains on paper or silk. Featuring gifts from The Papp Family Foundation, this exhibition showcases large hanging scrolls, horizontal scrolls, and album leaves distinguished by their structured ink brushstrokes and soft touches of color. Complementing these paintings are examples of classical Chinese ceramics donated by Gail and Stephen Rineberg.
   
  The Timeless Landscape: Recent Gifts from the Papp Family is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of The Papp Family Foundation, Gail and Stephen Rineberg, and donors to the Museum’s annual fund.
   

• The W.O.N.D.E.R. Center

  Arizona Science Center
  600 E. Washington St.
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  An exploration of the original supercomputer – the human brain – The W.O.N.D.E.R. Center is one of our permanent galleries. If you've ever wondered about the brain, here's your chance to examine its anatomy, neuroscience, development, and thought.

  • Examine our touchable brain model. It simulates the size, weight and texture of a real brain!
  • Compare different types of animal brains and see a human brain in the Brain Museum.

• Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party

  24810 S. Rittenhouse Road
  Queen Creek, AZ 85142
  

  Throughout October, Schnepf Farms offers fun fall activities like hay rides, a 4-acre corn maze, a pumpkin patch, pig races and, of course, chili. Grab party food like a burger, chili dinner or succotash, and take a spin on exciting rides or the farm's train. Fireworks light up the sky Friday and Saturday nights. Don't forget to grab your Halloween pumpkin during your visit.

• Evans Family SkyCycle Page

  Arizona Science Center
  600 E. Washington St.
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  Suspended nearly 15 feet in the air, the Evans Family SkyCycle teaches riders about the principles of counterbalance and center of gravity, while taking a ride on the 90-foot cable.

• Philip Curtis and the Landscapes of Arizona

  Phoenix Art Museum
  1625 N. Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685
  

  Landscape remains one of the most popular subjects for artists visiting and residing in Arizona. Philip C. Curtis, while not known as a landscape painter, draws extensively on that subject. Curtis came to the state in 1937 to establish the Phoenix Federal Art Center under the Federal Art Project, a New Deal program. He left two years later to head a similar facility in Des Moines, Iowa, but returned to Arizona in 1947. Settling in Scottsdale, he painted surreal compositions, with figures in Victorian costumes set in the desert. Arizona’s landscapes were a rich source of inspiration for him, and while his canvases do not portray any recognizable geological features, his work may be contextualized within the work of a broad spectrum of artists who came to the state. Curtis saw the desert through a lens of magic realism. This differed from Maxfield Parrish, Eugene Berman, and other artists who preferred more representational modes.

• All About Me

  Arizona Science Center
  600 E. Washington St.
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  Get ready to:

  • Walk through an enormous "working" stomach, complete with the sights, sounds and smells of the digestive process
  • Watch surgeries being performed, featuring the techniques of Dr. Edward B. Diethrich, in the Heart Surgery Theater
  • Test your heart muscles in our Wheelchair Racers
  • Explore the systems of the human body–from defense and immunity to cardio and pulmonary, digestive and skeletal
  • Hear your actual heartbeat as it is translated into sound on a bass drum

  Plus, plan to attend exciting, live science demonstrations in the Daniel Cracchiolo Theater. This stage comes to life daily with scientific demonstrations. From eyeballs to explosions, each demonstration incorporates audience volunteers to roll up their sleeves as they question everything.

• Crickets, Tea, and Snuff: Chinese Intellectual Pursuits

  Phoenix Art Museum
  1625 N. Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685
  

  In traditional China, the literati, or educated class, set the standards for aesthetic taste and leisurely pursuits, many of which are still practiced today. Through a diverse selection of objects, this exhibition introduces viewers to a number of these preferences and interests.

  Crickets were the ideal pet for members of the Chinese upper classes and imperial court because of their soothing sound and their ability to be transported in elegant, portable cages. Viewers will have the opportunity to examine various gourd cricket cages donated to the Museum by Amy S. Clague.

  The beverage of connoisseurs in China and still widely consumed today, tea is considered beneficial, stimulating the mind, cleansing the blood, and aiding in digestion. As a result, tea vessels hold a special significance. For centuries, the town of Yixing was known as the central producer of unglazed teawares, and a collection of Yixing teawares, donated to the Museum by James T. Bialac, is showcased in the exhibition.

  The practice of inhaling snuff, or aromatic tobacco ground into a fine powder, for a jolt of nicotine originated in the Americas but took hold in China during the 17th century. Made of stone, porcelain, lacquer, and other materials, snuff bottles were symbols of status, wealth, and taste in China. The exhibition features a selection of Chinese snuff bottles, donated to the Museum by Deborah G. Carstens.

• Sublime Landscapes

  Phoenix Art Museum
  1625 N. Central Avenue
  Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685
  

  Spurred by the artists from the North East who comprised the Hudson River School, landscape painting was one of the most popular subjects in nineteenth-century America. Pushed ever westward by expansionist notions of Manifest Destiny, a belief that such territorial expansion was inevitable and pre-ordained. Painters were also part of government initiatives to survey the vast region, particularly in regards to potential railroad routes and to learn about the indigenous populations they encountered. 
   
  Adventurous artists sought landscape subjects beyond the continental United States, some traveling to the Arctic, where they found immense icebergs and the Aurora Borealis (these were dangerous journeys). Artists visited equatorial South America where they thrilled to the sublime vistas and smoldering volcanos they discovered. The Amazon and the Andes were rich sources for exotic paintings. Many regarded South America as “a land of scientific wonders, golden riches, and edenic innocence.” J.P. Reichardt’s Latin American Scene of 1866 captures the attraction of humid locales very different from North America.
   

• Flight Zone

  Arizona Science Center
  600 E. Washington St.
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  An extension of The Kemper and Ethel Marley Gallery, guests experience where the science of flight comes together with Arizona's flight history, providing a unique and engaging experience.

   

  Become an engineer as you imagine, plan, create and improve helicopter and airplane designs. Climb into the fuselage of an actual airplane and venture into the field of aeronautics as you explore the forces and principles of flight through several exciting hands-on exhibits.

   

  • Paper Airplane Launcher
  • Paper Helicopter Lift Activity
  • Pitch-Roll-Yaw Interactives
  • Apache Helicopter Model from Boeing and an Interactive Touch Screen
  • Arizona Flight Caps and Patches
  • Historic Flight Jacket and Flight Images

• Making Sense of your Dollar and Cents

  Arizona Science Center
  600 E. Washington St.
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  Presented by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Making Sense of Your Dollars and Cents is designed to introduce children and adults to important components of financial literacy – including budgeting, the importance of savings, managing accounts as well as math – in a fun, playful and engaging manner.

• Ales on Rails

  300 N. Broadway
  Clarkdale, AZ 86324
  

  What better season offers the perfect reason to savor the Arizona outdoors than autumn? The cooling temperatures inspire the riparian foliage to mellow, filling the Verde Canyon with gold, amber and scarlet, echoed by rich Arizona craft beers served during Verde Canyon Railroad’s ever-popular Ales on Rails event.
  
  This popular seasonal party begins prior to the train's 1:00 p.m. departure, starting each day at 11:00 a.m. on the depot patio with a great selection of Arizona craft beers and an Oktoberfest-style lunch of grilled sausages, special-recipe potato salad and hot pretzels served with gourmet cheeses perfect for dipping. All pair well with Arizona beers making it easy to find a winning combination.

• Change Agent: June Wayne and the Tamarind Workshop

  ASU Art Museum
  51 E. 10th St.
  Tempe, AZ 85281
  

  “Change Agent” highlights June Wayne’s legacy as an artist, printmaker, educator and activist. Wayne refused to follow a signature style, taking on a variety of themes such as personal history, modern science and social issues. In the Dorothy Series, she narrates the life of her mother, a Russian Jewish immigrant and traveling saleswoman for a garter company. In the Stellar Winds and Solar Flares Series, she mines natural phenomena as metaphors for the human condition.

  Wayne was a catalyst for the revival of fine art lithography in the United States, a medium which had all but vanished by the 1950s. She championed lithography as an art form as vital as painting after studying the technique in Paris with the printer Marcel Durassier.  With a grant from the Ford Foundation, Wayne founded the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles in 1960. The experimental workshop created a pool of printers and apprentices, as artists from across the country were invited to master the process of lithography. Now known as the Tamarind Institute of the University of New Mexico, it continues Wayne’s visionary plan as a major training center for fine art printers. 

• Rooftop Bar Live Music at Keeler's Neighborhood Steakhouse

  7212 East Ho Hum Road
  Carefree, AZ 85377
  

  Thursday nights at Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse are getting lively with the unveiling of the live music line-up through October. Performers take the stage on the rooftop bar every Thursday.

• MIDLAND

  Comerica Theatre
  400 West Washington St.
  Phoenix, AZ 85003
  

  Featuring: Midland

• A Haunting We Will Go, A Tribute to Frances Smith Cohen

  Herberger Theater Center
  222 East Monroe Street
  Phoenix, AZ 85004
  

  Center Dance Ensemble honors the artistry of its late artistic director through a retrospective of her past works.