52 MEGALOPOLITAN LIFE “Wrought by Fire: Metalwork of the South- west,” a look at women artists working in a traditionally male-dominated medium. ASU’s great promise to this state is its almost radical inclusivity, which means, for many of its incoming students from the rural corners of Arizona, ASU Art Museum may be a true introduction to art’s power to challenge stereotypes and social constructs. You, too, should take advantage of the unbeatable, highly democratic price point. i i i BEST ART GALLERY LISA SETTE GALLERY 210 E. CATALINA DRIVE 480-990-7342 LISASETTEGALLERY.COM Not much in this town lasts for 40 years, so for an art gallery to cross the four-decade mark, it’s pretty damn impressive. Lisa Sette Gallery turned 40 last year, and to celebrate, its namesake, well, just kept on going — showing impressive, challenging works by artists local, national and international. This year’s exhibitions include the lighthearted “Summer Groove” group show, works in which echoed the rhythm and warmth of the season; and the upcoming “The World Is Too Much With Us,” in which artists contem- plate the unbreakable (if not unshakeable) bonds between humans and nature. Housed in a stunning midcentury Beadle building that’s worth the visit just on its own, Lisa Sette Gallery is a perennial must-visit desti- nation of the local art scene. i i i BEST NEW ART GALLERY EARTH MAKER GALLERY 365 N. FOURTH AVE. EARTHMAKERGALLERY.COM Any time a historic building turns into some- thing cool, we’re stoked. The H.M. Coe House is one of the oldest surviving struc- tures in town, a Colonial Revival home that dates back to 1895. Since this summer, it’s been home to Earth Maker Gallery. Earth Maker, owned by O’odham artist Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, plans to show six exhibi- tions per year. So far, it has presented work by Dwayne Manuel and Douglas Miles and a solo show by Gloria Martinez-Granados, whose art examines her life as a DACA recip- ient. The gallery’s debut on First Friday in June filled the historic space with color, meaning, music and renewed energy. i i i BEST OUTDOOR ART GALLERY OAK STREET ALLEY OAK STREET BETWEEN 14TH AND 15TH STREETS Drive slowly on Oak Street between 14th and 15th streets — not just because it’s an intensely residential path with barely enough room for one car, but because if you drive too quickly, you’ll miss something. The so-called Oak Street Alley is home to dozens of murals by local artists. Some depict desert scenes or urban life. Others celebrate pop culture, like Maggie Keane’s tribute to the iconic “Take on Me” music video by A-ha. Some are political, like an image of Ruth Bader Ginsburg imploring people to vote. You can creep down the alley in your car or park at one end and walk the length of the street, the better to check out the murals that have begun to spread down the side paths. Want more? Mark your calendar for March, when the Oak Street Alley Mural Festival draws thousands of people to mingle, listen to live music and watch artists put up new work. BEST ART FAIR SCOTTSDALE ART WEEK SCOTTSDALEARTWEEK.COM We can say it now: We were a little skeptical in 2025, before the debut of Scottsdale Art Week. The Valley is already crawling with art events; what would set this one apart from the pack? We love to be right, but in the case of Scottsdale Art Week, we were thrilled to be wrong. The event is a fair, not a festival — meaning galleries, not individual artists, pay for booth space. And what a lineup of galleries: over 100 in 2026, hailing from 18 countries, bringing paintings, photography and sculpture from the likes of Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali, local talents and hundreds of artists in between. And what a party. The four-day event also gives attendees music, fashion, food and drink and truly top-quality schmoozing with peers from around the world. The 2027 dates (March 18 to 21 at WestWorld) are already on our calendar. i i i BEST ARTS FESTIVAL CANAL CONVERGENCE CANALCONVERGENCE.COM The annual Canal Convergence event put on by Scottsdale Arts has everything we want in an arts festival. It runs for 10 days, giving us plenty of time to check it out. It’s free to attend, as are many of its workshops, lectures and other programming. The art centers an annual theme (2026’s is Western Nature) and the curated offerings deliver maximum light, color and interactivity: Think lotus flowers shooting up fire in the Scottsdale Waterfront canal set to music, oversized kaleidoscopes, swings powering light-up rainbows and massive color-changing neon sculptures. It all takes place in November at the Scottsdale Waterfront, which for our money is the ideal time of year for a night- time arts festival: mild enough to finally bust out the sweaters and scarves, but not so cold that a glass of wine can’t chase the chill. i i i BEST STREET FAIR GRAND AVENUE FESTIVAL HISTORICGRANDAVE.COM/ GRAND-AVE-FESTIVAL Historic Grand Avenue, the stretch of the road that runs from Seventh to approxi- mately 15th Avenue, is already one of the coolest parts of town. Then, for one day a year in November, it becomes a bustling, vibrant, joyous testament to just how wonderful Phoenix can be. The street closes to car traffic and the roadway fills with vendors, performers, artists, food trucks and thousands of attendees. Community organizations chat with passers-by. Folks sell T-shirts or ceramic planters or stickers. We’ve seen shibari enthusiasts doing rope demonstrations and relaxation tents where people lounge on piles of pillows and blankets. It feels outgoing, open-hearted and diverse. You can see for yourself in 2026 on Nov. 7. i i i BEST STREET ARTIST FANCY DRESS INSTAGRAM.COM/FANCYDRESSSSS Time was, this local artist could focus liter- ally on the street. In a few select crannies around Phoenix — for instance, a swatch of McKinley Street sidewalk between Chick-fil- A and Gracie’s Tax Bar — you can find Fancy Dress’s work: multicolored mosaic tiles packed into a gap in the pavement, perhaps depicting a paunchy blue cat whose face is mostly bare skull, and whose exposed claws and fangs stir an air of menace to balance its cuteness. The more recent Fancy Dress works incorporate a distinctly defiant theme around this character, named Cat Sup. If you spot the skull-forward cat on walls and in corners, you might also notice the words “fuck ICE” or “fuck Nazis.” Why the shift? In a word, Fancy Dress is pissed. “I am confirming to the people that they’re not fucking crazy, and none of this is normal, noble or correct, and that their kindness and empathy are recognized, righteous and unconquerable,” Fancy Dress told New Times in the spring. “Every Cat Sup you see wheat-pasted or painted on a wall is confir- mation that you ARE one of the cool kids. Do you hate Nazis? Fantastic, join us in our raucous celebration of love, life, beauty, diversity and humanity! We welcome you! This party is THE party!” Turns out, all the damn attacks on the rule of law and basic constitutional order radicalized your neigh- borhood cat-art guy into a firebrand anti- fascist agitator. So he’s fighting back, and with legit lovely works. This is where the party’s at. You’re one of the cool kids.