Thoughtful programming supplemented the exhibition, giving community members opportunities for learning, conversation, and action, proving that art exhibits can be powerful catalysts for change. Best Art Festival FURRY FRIENDS FINE ART FESTIVAL Shemer Art Center 5005 East Camelback Road 602-262-4727 shemerartcenter.org Even with art festivals, people tend to assume that bigger is always better. But a small festival at this off-the-beaten-path arts center proves that good things still come in small packages. Especially during the age of COVID-19, as some have felt more comfortable avoiding crowds, Shemer Art Center struck just the right note with its family-friendly, pet-themed festival that gave community members a chance to stroll around the center’s grounds taking in sunshine amid a casual, creative vibe. Visitors got to meet local artists and talk with them about their work, try pet-themed art projects led by metro Phoenix creatives, enjoy a pet parade complete with costumes and fun takes on pet transports, and explore the center’s sculpture garden. While there, visitors got to check out the inside gallery spaces as well, getting a glimpse of the charming house transformed into an intimate arts venue. And the dogs who joined them discovered that beyond the expanding universe of cat videos, there’s a big wide world of canvases covered in playful pups. Best Mural Jake Early and Quinn Murphy Majerle’s Sports Grill 24 North Second Street A giant sun anchors this bright mural that exudes optimism, even as it references the history of the region with its colorful depic- tions of waterways, corn fields, cactuses, and rock formations. Artists Jake Early and Quinn Murphy collaborated on the mural, which pays tribute to not only the city, but also a downtown Phoenix ambassador who was killed in a bicycling accident. The mural holds special meaning because its title references the late Hans Hughes’ enthusiasm for Phoenix. Aesthetically, it stands out for its clean lines and abstracted landscape incorporating bold colors. The fact that it’s painted on the side of a historic building adds more layers of meaning. And its location near Symphony Hall affirms the fact that murals are no less important to the cultural ecosystem in metro Phoenix than more traditional art forms. It’s a visually stunning nod to history, community, civic engagement, and the essential place of artists in the urban landscape. Best Outdoor Art ‘CHIHULY IN THE DESERT’ Desert Botanical Garden 1201 North Galvin Parkway 480-941-1225 dbg.org Taliesin West 12621 North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Scottsdale 480-860-2700 franklloydwright.org The best art has a way of changing our perspective, helping us to notice things we haven’t really seen before or think in new ways about the world around us. Dale Chihuly’s orbs, spires, baskets, and other glass forms exhibited at Taliesin West and the Desert Botanical Garden did just that, drawing attention to both the built and natural environments in metro Phoenix, where the pace of daily life can keep us from seeing the rich complexities of color, pattern, and texture in the urban desert. Chihuly’s installations amid desert plants, renowned architecture, and water features were a powerful reminder of the role art plays in creating and sustaining vibrant communities and healthy ecosystems, and provided a window into new ways of seeing the desert environment too often taken for granted. Through these outdoor artworks, people who might never have explored these cultural gems discovered their rich tapestries of design, and those who already frequented these sites experienced a renewed sense of curiosity and wonder. Best Art at the Airport Paul Coze Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Rental Car Center 1805 East Sky Harbor Circle South skyharbor.com 48 Renting a car at the airport is pretty high BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 I T’ D S A NONHO AY I P HEOWNI T D E R NX BET AOW U TIN F UL T HE P H OE N IX
