5 Free Things to Do in Phoenix This Week

Need things to do but don't want to spend a lot? This week you can get a history lesson at a screening of Our Spirits Don’t Speak English, give your input of the Strong Towns meeting, or stock up on groceries at National Farmers Market Week. For more things to do, visit Phoenix New Times' calendar.

“Collections and Curiosities”
Twice each month, art lovers converge on downtown Phoenix galleries for First and Third Friday art walks. But that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the metro Phoenix arts scene. Odds are, you’ve never explored the art offerings at Arts HQ Gallery in Surprise. But now’s a great time to give it a go, because they’re showing works by several artists that might not be on your radar just yet, in an exhibition called “Collections and Curiosities.”

You can check it out the free show between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 7. Visit the West Valley Arts website. Lynn Trimble

Strong Towns
What makes a city vibrant and strong? Is it diversity, economic prosperity, green spaces, or a thriving arts scene? Hear Chuck Marohn’s take during a free Strong Towns Phoenix gathering, happening at the A.E. England Building at Civic Space Park, 424 North Central Avenue, on Wednesday, August 8. Marohn is the founder and head of Strong Towns, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that explores development and the issue of building economic resilience.

Show up at 5 p.m. for the reception, or 5:30 p.m. for the formal presentation. A discussion and Q&A session follows at 7 p.m. Visit the Strong Towns website. Lynn Trimble

National Farmers Market Week
It might be the dog days of summer, when the most appealing activity is waiting out the heat in a dark, air-conditioned room. But local farmers are still hard at work in sweltering temperatures to bring food to your table. This Saturday, August 11, show local producers your appreciation at a celebration of National Farmers Market Week at the Phoenix Public Market. From 8 a.m. to noon, the Public Market will feature a special edition of the market: Loyal shoppers can win gift certificates and prizes from local businesses in a raffle, and kids can participate in a scavenger hunt. There will also be a cooking demonstration and a pottery wheel. “It’s kind of a fun excuse to remind people that we’re still open in the summer,” says Sara Matlin, the manager of the public market. She expects approximately 70 vendors and a dozen farmers to show up.

Join other dedicated locavores at 721 North Central Avenue, and visit the Phoenix Public Market website for more information. Joe Flaherty

Our Spirits Don’t Speak English
Maybe you’re horrified that families have been torn apart through Trump’s “no tolerance” border policies. It’s an echo of an earlier period of American history, when the U.S. government sent Native American children to boarding schools meant to strip their indigenous culture and replace it with Western ways. It happened here in Arizona, plus other parts of the country. Explore Native American perspectives on the practice when the Heard Museum, 2301 North Central Avenue, presents the film Our Spirits Don’t Speak English at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 11. The free screening is part of the Heard Museum’s Boarding School Film Series, taking place as the museum prepares to open its new “Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories” exhibit in February 2019. Visit the Heard website. Lynn Trimble

“AZ Modernists”
Sometimes great art turns up in unexpected places, including the resorts we typically associate with fancy spas or swimming pools. Head to The Gallery at Mountain Shadows, 5445 East Lincoln Drive in Scottsdale, anytime on Sunday, August 12, to see what we mean. That’s where Reyes Contemporary Art is presenting the free “AZ Modernists” exhibit featuring works by Lew Davis, Frank Patania, Jr., and Raymond Phillips Sanderson. It’s a chance to explore how Arizona-based artists working in the 20th century used color, form, and line in their paintings, sculpture, and jewelry pieces. The exhibition continues through Friday, August 31. Visit the Mountain Shadows website. Lynn Trimble