56 Best of phoenix 2023 | WWW.bestofphoenix2023.c0m | septemBer 28, 2023 Best Creative Compound ALWUN HOUSE 1204 E. Roosevelt St. 602-253-7887 alwunhouse.org Though off the beaten path, Alwun House is always one of our must-visit First Friday destinations. The big orange house has been a haven for the Phoenix art community for 50 years and shows no sign of changing. Owners Kim Moody and Dana Johnson have kept things fresh by continuing to show work by some of Phoenix’s best artists, hosting marquee events like the local Burning Man commu- nity’s IgNIGHT party and opening the Art Park in the space next door, giving them more room to entertain and delight the art- loving denizens of the city. Make sure you check the calendar before you go, though; some events, like Exotic Art Show, aren’t exactly family-friendly. Best Mural ‘WELCOME TO PHOENIX’ Kayla Newnam Adams Street between First and Second streets kaylanewnam.com Sadly (or not, depending on your point of view), Super Bowl weekend has come and gone. But the best souvenir of those crazy days is “Welcome to Phoenix,” the bright, beautiful mural that still graces Adams Street between First and Second streets. Painted by local artist Kayla Newnam, the mural is 10 feet high and a whopping 190 feet long. Desert images like gila monsters, cactuses and mountains are done in bold colors, all surrounded by a striking sunset. Newnam’s design was chosen out of almost 50 submitted, and the people of Phoenix were able to participate in bringing it to life; Newnam hosted two Community Paint Days during the creation process. Next year, “Welcome to Phoenix” will greet visitors arriving for the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Best Ticket Art LUCINDA ‘LA MORENA’ HINOJOS lamorenaart.com The 2023 Super Bowl wasn’t just an oppor- tunity to show the world our excellent nightlife and gorgeous weather; the depth of our city’s artistic talent was also on full display. One of the most prominent examples was Lucinda Hinojos’s design for the Super Bowl tickets themselves. The Vince Lombardi Trophy stands amid a boldly colored desert landscape that’s also graced by drawings of Native Americans in traditional dress, hummingbirds, cactuses and more. The NFL tapped Hinojos, who also goes by the moniker “La Morena,” to create art for a number of related pieces, including a souvenir football. In case you didn’t pick up one of those (or snag a ticket for the big game), you can see a mural featuring her designs near First and Washington streets. Best Stamp Art ‘ART OF THE SKATEBOARD’ usps.gov Skateboarding plays an important role in Indigenous communities. As a 2018 Skateism.com article explains, “Where societies built upon the principle of movement, of following the natural envi- ronment, are restricted to plots of land, skateboarding is now recapturing that connection with the world around them.” So when the U.S. Postal Service decided to make an “Art of the Skateboard” stamp series, it reached to out four Native artists for the designs, including Arizona native and skateboarder Di’Orr Greenwood, a member of the Navajo Nation. Her skate- board incorporates eagle feathers and a design reminiscent of a rising sun. The new stamps were unveiled in a dedicated Best Late- Night Drive GRAND AVENUE At rush hour, Grand Avenue is often clogged with traffic, from its eastern end in downtown Phoenix all the way out into the far stretches of the city in the West Valley. But there’s hardly anything more satis- fying than driving this unending boulevard at night, once you’re the only car on the road. A trip down Grand Avenue is a trip through all the strange worlds of Phoenix: through the city’s sprawling ware- house districts, past towers of rusting shipping containers and austere churches, strip clubs and fading murals. Whimsical art and fairy lights strung from trees mark the bustling Grand Avenue arts hub closer to downtown. On an overpass, for a moment, the Phoenix skyline is visible.
