exhibits or events, and still feel like you have your own creative home. The Rockin’ S Art Ranch operated by Phoenix-based artist Patricia Sannit has studios of various sizes, along with common areas for working on larger projects, and access to equipment like kilns. Events from studio tours to art markets give local art lovers a chance to meet artists and explore works in several mediums in a casual setting with a great community vibe. Best of all, it’s off the beaten path of the downtown arts scene, which helps to reinforce the fact that amazing work is being made all over the city. Best Permanent Public Art Christopher Fennell 5985 North Cattletrack Road, Scottsdale scottsdalepublicart.com Yes, it’s still a dry heat. But you can dream of bountiful waves of water when you see this giant wave form made with salvaged industrial pipe. It’s not a trip to the beach, but it’ll help you imagine being there just long enough to break your laser focus on the sweltering heat. Beyond that, this elegant organic form pays homage to the value of reusing and recycling, which is something we could all do more of in our daily plastic-filled lives. Three small pieces that appear to rise out of the desert are also part of this installation, which calls to mind the early canal system built by the Hohokam. It’s technically a temporary artwork because of the site where it’s located, but it’s permanent in our eyes and we hope it continues to surprise and delight the people who stumble on it for a long, long time. Best Creative Collaboration CONDER/DANCE AND TALIESIN WEST 12621 North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Scottsdale 480-860-2700 franklloydwright.org Traditions sometimes taken for granted took on fresh meaning this year, amid the ongoing effects of COVID-19, which shifted the ways people enjoyed creative spaces such as performing arts centers. By teaming up to bring contemporary dance to a land- scape filled with natural and built environ- ments, these two creative organizations provided a way for audiences to explore both movement and architecture in an outdoor setting where they felt safe but also experienced the serenity of seeing art created in nature. The collaboration encouraged supporters of one art form to discover another, expanding their visions of how art in metro Phoenix can and should be happening. It also brought the return of dance to Taliesin West, where it’s had a significant role in the past. And it gave dancers an opportunity to expand their thinking and feeling about connections between interior and exterior landscapes as they moved through the challenges of creative opportunities lost during the worst of the pandemic, thus creating fresh perspectives for moving forward. Best Event Space WALTER WHERE?HOUSE 702 North 21st Avenue 844-892-5837 walterwherehouse.com Pop art icon Andy Warhol is often quoted as saying he had a social disease, meaning he had to go out every single night. Once you’ve been to the Walter Where?House, you get it. The 24,000-square-foot event space comes alive with light, color, music, dance, funky fashion, and all manner of creative merriment that makes you forget about any unpleasant realities clogging up your brain cells before you stepped inside. It’s one of the places you’ll find the massive Kalliope dance party machine that can blast 70,000 watts of audio along with lasers and flame effects that transform the space into an alternative reality of beats and bliss. It’s also home to several large- scale art cars, jumbo versions of traditional games, walls of offbeat visual art by local creatives, and an outdoor area so you can enjoy the night sky while you take in all the electric, eclectic happiness of it all. Best Light Art CANAL CONVERGENCE canalconvergence.com Scottsdale Public Art transformed the banks of a portion of the Arizona Canal between Scottsdale Road and Goldwater Boulevard into a light-filled interactive experience to rival any and all of the immersive indoor exhibitions that hit the city during the past year, giving people a chance to explore creations by local to international artists in an unconventional setting without having to pay a dime for the experience. From bundles of multi- colored square lights positioned like bunches of flowers growing out of the ground to a light-shifting waterfall made with material that looked like fancy vacuum tubing, featured light-based artworks inspired playful conversations and a beautiful sense of community. At one space, people could walk under a giant arc. At another, they could open a door that revealed a changing selection of light- infused imagery. Taken together, these artworks powered the imagination of people young and old, reinforcing the ways that art can bring people together during even the most divisive of times. 55 SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 I N DU ST R IA L P IP E W A V E
