52 not for a punk concert at Yucca Tap Room, but an art show. “All In,” organized by local artist and art teacher Matt Dickson, was intended to be a one-night-only show featuring the works of 50 local creatives. Dickson wanted the lineup of talent to reflect a diversity of ages, styles and location in the Valley, and gave only one direction: “I said, ‘Show me the thing you love the most,’” he told New Times earlier this year. The result was a fascinating assembly of paintings by local artists including Lalo Cota, Rachel Bess, Luster Kaboom, Champ Styles, Such Styles, JJ Horner, Manic Tongue, Kyllan Maney, NXOEED and JB Snyder. The show drew such a crowd that it spilled out of the bare-bones storefront and into the parking lot, and Dickson decided to keep the show open over the weekend to allow more people to view it. It was exactly the kind of DIY art show Tempe needs more of, which is why we’re glad to see Dickson has another show planned for the same space in October. 22222 B E ST A RT F E ST I VA L Canal Convergence canalconvergence.com Do we love Canal Convergence because it takes place the second week of November? No, but the gorgeous weather doesn’t hurt. The blessedly crisp air is the perfect setting for Scottsdale Public Art’s annual festival dedicated to art and sustainability, which is part of the reason it draws so many people down to the Scottsdale Waterfront. But the main appeal is of course the art and the exten- sive schedule of activities. Scottsdale Public Art brings innovative, interactive works from around the world to the Valley to the delight of patrons of all ages. In recent years, pieces have included a giant octopus to climb on, floating lotuses that shoot fire in time to music and a light-up bridge. All the art is free to see, as are Canal Convergence’s many musical performances and a good number of the tours and art activities. It all adds up to an event we eagerly anticipate each fall. 22222 B E ST O U T D O O R A RT Oak Street Alley Oak Street between 14th and 15th streets The tiny stretch of central Phoenix road known as the Oak Street Alley is one of the most delightful parts of the city. The concrete walls that line the street are canvases for the city’s artists, turning the area into an open-air gallery any time of the day or night. You could drive through at a snail’s pace, but we prefer to park nearby and check out the murals on foot. Some of the pieces, like Maggie Keane’s charming ode to A-ha’s “Take on Me” music video, have been up for years. But many sections of wall get a new look each spring during the Oak Street Alley Mural Festival, a weekend in which the public crowds the alley while artists paint new creations. It’s one of our favorite events of the year. B E ST A RT AT T H E A I R P O RT ‘The Phoenix’ Phoenix Airport Rental Car Center 1805 E. Sky Harbor Circle South skyharbor.com/museum It’s likely that you’ve never noticed the walls and floors throughout Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Blame it on the frustrating push through security and the sprints across the cavernous hallways to one of the 86 gates of Terminal 4. But the airport’s two terminals, the terrazzo floors of the PHX Sky Train corridors and even the Rental Car Center might surprise you. Why? Because of the impressive number of public art installations showcasing the work of Arizona artists and curated by the Phoenix Airport Museum. It started in 1962 with Paul Coze’s “The Phoenix,” a giant, three-panel, 75-foot mural that was origi- nally located over the main hall in the Terminal 2 lobby when it opened in 1962. When the terminal was decommissioned in 2020, the mural — the first piece of city- commissioned public art chosen by a public vote — eventually made its way to the rental car center in 2021. The iconic work includes 52 different materials and 15 canvases and pays tribute to the first prehistoric inhabit- ants of the region, depicts a blazing phoenix and, with outstretched hands, honors Arizona’s agriculture, ranching and mining history. 22222 B E ST A RT A LO N G T H E L I G H T R A I L ‘On a Journey with You’ Thelda Williams Transit Center Cherry Drive and Metro Park East valleymetro.org When Valley Metro’s Thelda Williams Transit Center and the light rail’s north- west extension debuted earlier this year, it provided riders with both new destinations and a collection of dynamic, vibrant public art to enjoy. Seven pieces were added to stations along Valley Metro’s Northwest Light Rail Extension, including such stand- outs as Oregon-based sculptor Pete Gold- lust’s playful UFO-themed work “The Travelers” at Dunlap and 25th avenues and local artist Mary Shindell’s divine “Ocotillo Rise” murals inspired by desert botanicals at the Metro Parkway Station. The crown jewel is Tempe artist Oliverio Balcells’ evocative and vibrant “On a Journey with You,” a multipart tile mosaic adorning 66 risers of the stairs leading to the second level of the Thelda Williams Transit Center. The colorful work features Costa’s hummingbirds taking flight amid desert flowers, a flowing river and symbols inspired by the Wixárika, an Indigenous culture native to western Mexico. According to Balcells, the birds represent “relationships, admiration, community and love,” while the water symbolizes the light rail and the journeys it will lead people on.
