Best Public Art 2013 | James Turrell's Air Apparent | People & Places | Phoenix
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Best Public Art

James Turrell's Air Apparent

James Turrell's Air Apparent is still quiet. Though the artist continues to enjoy international recognition for his work with light, his installation at ASU's Tempe campus near the light-rail stop on Rural and Terrace remains a relatively undiscovered gem in the desert. Air Apparent is one of many Skyspaces, which Turrell has been making since the '70s. Designed with the help of local architect Will Bruder to be an immersive art experience, Air Apparent is a structure that frames the sky with programmed LED lights to optimize color perception at sunrise and sunset. If it sounds a little out there, it's because it is. Turrell's biggest project, the Roden Crater, is a series of tunnels under an extinct volcanic cinder cone in northern Arizona. The man is clearly onto something. Until the crater opens to the public, you can find us in Air Apparent, thinking about the sky.

Best Temporary Public Art

Luster Kaboom's FunHouse at Scottsdale Public Library

Whenever Dave Quan comes town, we know he's up to something creative. The artist (who also goes by Luster Kaboom and is a New Times contributor) moved to New York last year, but he comes back to his hometown every once in a while to paint a new mural or collaborate with old friends. In April, the artist came back with big plans, including a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall installation inside Scottsdale's Civic Center Library.

And the result was quintessential Quan. Titled Luster Kaboom's FunHouse, the installation featured circus-inspired murals and underwater scenes, as well as interactive dioramas, fortune tellers, funhouse mirrors, and a two-story interactive display. Quan said the FunHouse was inspired, like much of his art, by his two kids, Lily, 9, and Lando, 6, who were illustrated on the exhibition flier and banner posted at the entrance of Scottsdale Civic Center Library throughout the summer. And if we're lucky, he'll find another excuse to come back to Phoenix and inject a little more fun.

Best Mural

Rebecca Green's Storybook Mural on The Lodge

When Rebecca Green's work started popping up around Phoenix, we knew the art scene was in for a treat. The illustrator and painter is from Michigan, but when she landed in Phoenix, she took the local art scene by storm, showcasing work at The Lodge on Grand Avenue as well as GROWop Boutique and Palabra on Roosevelt Row.

In March, the artist took to the outside of her resident gallery, The Lodge, with an enchanted scene of a girl holding a book surrounded by woodland creatures. The setting is awesome, the detail is incredible, and the mysterious sense of nostalgia and magic Green manages to fold into her characters is downright inspiring. This summer Green took off for, um, greener pastures — Denver, to be exact — but not before showing a lovely "farewell" exhibition. We can only hope she'll grace the city with another large-scale fairy tale when she comes back to visit.

Best Graffiti Artist

NAIM

As with most graffiti writers (at least those who choose to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble), the artist who goes by NAIM manages to keep his identity secret, his signature well known, and his NAIM — er, name — hard to forget.

You might have seen NAIM's four-letter autograph painted in thick white letters on an industrial building off Loop 202 in Tempe or dripping with decorative, painted icicles on the back of a billboard. He's collaborated with local artists and has brought up a number of emerging writers in the community. NAIM's work is often massive, eye-catching, and in spots not many graffiti writers dare to reach, and if you pay close enough attention, you'll start to see his name just about everywhere.

Best Emerging Creative Duo

Cavin Costello and Claire Aton of The Ranch Mine602-571-3016 www.theranchmine.com

Nothing's quite like a couple. There's a creative drive and energy that can't be matched, and there's often a little competition that makes everything more interesting. In the case of Cavin Costello and Claire Aton, the results are breathtaking.

The two emerging creatives come from different backgrounds. Costello graduated with a master's in architecture from Northeastern University, driving from the East Coast to Phoenix to find a job and figuring out he'd rather create his own projects. Aton graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with degrees in English and Communication. Their skills combined form The Ranch Mine, a redesign and redevelopment firm that's dedicated to the long-term improvement of the urban cores of greater Phoenix.

Since they've been together, Costello and Aton finished redesigning and redeveloping the first-ever Phoenix Green Construction Code project, The Castaway House. They've been handpicked by Seed Spot, an entrepreneurial program that supports local ideas, and they've made big plans for the future that include a modular concept called the Carriage House, published work in a publication from the University of Georgia Press, and a wedding.

Best First Friday Hangout

The patio behind Drive-Thru Gallery and 1Spot

We won't judge if you need a quick break during your First Friday route — when the art season is in full swing, it can be pretty hot out there, and we won't go into the bongo players, fire breathers, or slushy drinkers who likely are blocking the entrance of the gallery you were hoping to check out. It's best to take a breather, and there's no better spot than the patio behind Drive-Thru and 1Spot galleries on Sixth Street on Roosevelt Row.

Grab a seat under the big mesquite tree (complete with bubble lights), take in live music typically coordinated by the owners of 1Spot, and, if you're lucky, snack on a few s'mores from friends of Andrew Pielage (a New Times contributor who runs Drive-Thru). If you're not fully recovered, you can do some people-watching or pop into The Roose Parlour and Spa, which also shares the roomy patio. And once you've fully recovered, you can continue your creative outing and check out the guaranteed stellar artwork at Drive-Thru and 1Spot galleries.

  • 918 N. Sixth St., Phoenix, 85004 Map

Best Letterpress Haven

Pyracantha Press at Arizona State University

Pyracantha Press isn't easy to find, but once you wind down the staircase in the Art Building on ASU's massive Tempe campus, hang a sharp left, and find either a printmaking student or kind professor to let you into the door, you'll want to remember its location — and find a way to sign up for a few credits.

The underground classroom is a trove of letterpress resources. Established in the early 1980s, Pyracantha Press officially is the production and research imprint of the School of Art's book-arts program, according to ASU. The countless drawers of metal and wood type and presses that date back a hundred years are overseen by professor John Risseeuw as well as Dan Mayer and Gene Valentine, who have taught hundreds of students the basics of letterpress and the art of crafting a message with type, ink, and paper. Lucky us, they're continuing a tradition — and opening the studio from time to time for public demonstrations and interactive activities.

Best Place to Buy Photography

ASU Art Auction at First Studio

If you've ever wanted to get your hands on a photograph by Mark Klett, Betsy Schneider, Carol Panaro-Smith, James Hajicek, or an up-and-coming photography student, you won't want to miss ASU Photographers' Association's annual auction. It's here, at First Studio in downtown Phoenix, where hundreds outbid each other on large-scale and tiny works that feature a variety of subjects, compositions, and techniques at rock-bottom prices and for a good cause.

The auction benefits the ASU Photographers' Association, and funds raised are used to host visiting artists and speakers, support workshops, and establish scholarships for students learning and perfecting the art of photography. And even if you're not in the market for a piece of artwork (it's cool — less competition for us), the auction is always a killer exhibition you won't want to miss.

Best Stop on Art Detour

Sarah Hurwitz's "Everything I have ever wanted to own"

For her last exhibition as a member of Eye Lounge in downtown Phoenix, Sarah Hurwitz had ambitious plans. No surprise. During her time in the art collective, the local multimedia artist transformed the gallery into an interactive meat shop, a science lab, a jungle, and a gem show with her paintings and sculptures, and in March, she took to the gallery walls and floor space to create a visual representation of everything she has ever wanted to own.

The exhibition was on view through the annual Art Detour, a downtown celebration of local art, and her work was seen by hundreds of gallery-goers who oohed and aahed over her most coveted items. Lawn gnomes, parrots, shoes, skeleton keys, shorter extension cords, wishbones, cheese-flavored snacks, portraits of American presidents — nothing was off-limits for Hurwitz, which is exactly why we love her work and exactly why we can't wait to see what she does next.

Best Use of Bullshit

Safwat Saleem's "Pardon Me, but WTF?"

Safwat Saleem is trying to make sense of the bullshit. The local artist and designer is from Pakistan and known for using his own sense of humor and artwork to explore and explain politics, culture, and relationships. In response to 9/11, Saleem created a series of artwork titled "A Bunch of Crock," which visualized and interpreted quotations from politicians about race, culture, and the environment. This year, Saleem was selected as a TED Fellow by the national Technology, Entertainment, Design organization and was asked to give a talk about his latest project. So Saleem took to the stage and talked about bullshit.

"Pardon Me, but WTF?" is a collection of stories and observations submitted by the general public and transformed by Saleem into animations and posters that attempt to make sense of life's frustrations and anomalies — children who lie about pooping in the hallway, mismatched numbers of hot dogs and buns in popular packaging, absentee fathers, and more. He's still encouraging the public to submit their stories to the project website, because he knows we could all use a good venting opportunity — especially one that turns into a kickass piece of artwork.

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