Bombing Arizona

In Arizona, most people don't like graffiti taggers. But a growing number of artists choose graffiti to express themselves or tell a story. And each has a reason.

Bombing Arizona, a documentary now showing at the Arizona Film Festival.


Reel from Ricardo Bracamonte on Vimeo.

The Phoenix Community Mural

Via the Downtown Devil, the first Phoenix Festival of the Arts, which took place this past weekend at Margaret T. Hance Park, was vibrant with art vendors, live music and Mayor Greg Stanton presenting awards to local artists.

A successful event, it was the winding figure of plywood boards snaking around the fenced-in festival, however, that displayed some of Phoenix’s best art. By the end of the festival, more than 80 Phoenix artists had added their unique style to one of the longest murals painted in Arizona.


The Phoenix Mural Project from Downtown Devil on Vimeo.

WAMO - There It Is!

Seeking Artists and Arts Organizations For A New Creative Community In Tucson -

Warehouse Arts Management Organization (WAMO) will soon be opening the recently renovated Steinfeld Warehouse Community Arts Center.

Their vision is to cultivate a vibrant, interactive environment that sparks creative expression, ultimately leading to marketing opportunities through exhibits, performance and arts education.

WAMO intends to bring together artists from all disciplines with compatible retail space to establish a place for artists to thrive and for our community to engage in diverse cultural experiences.


Source: Longtime Art Collective Finds New Home Downtown

Capture My Arizona Calendar Contest

Get your cameras ready and your voting fingers warmed up - it's time to get started on a Capture My Arizona publication! AZPBS is thrilled to announce the Capture My Arizona 2013 Wall Calendar.

Building on the outstanding photography uploaded so far by Capture My Arizona photographers, they are excited to open submissions and voting for a real-life publication featuring the best of the best in Arizona photography in a fine-art wall calendar.

The best of Arizona, as decided by local photographers and local voters, wrapped in a 15-month fine-art calendar for your wall. Top-scoring photos and editors picks will be featured in the calendar, which will span the 2013 year (plus a few bonus months in 2014). Learn how it works.

Your photos, your votes; it's the best of Arizona as decided by you!

September 30, 2012 is the last day for new photo submissions and for your voting to be considered for Capture My Arizona 2013 Wall Calendar.

100 Years, 100 Ranchers

Scott Baxter traveled across Arizona photographing ranching families that have been around since the state's birth. This mythos of the American West serves as inspiration for a new centennial exhibit at the Tucson Museum of Art entitled "100 Years 100 Ranchers: Photographs by Scott Baxter."


Source: Arizona Illustrated: Photographer Strives to Capture Vanishing Culture

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

It's predicted to be close to 100 degrees in the Valley for Cinco de Mayo. Why not enjoy the holiday at Tlaquepaque in the cool mountains of Sedona this weekend?

The Cinco de Mayo Fiesta is back at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village, on Saturday, May 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy the pulsating sounds of traditional music, savory flavors, and colorful dance of Mexico in a fun-filled South of the Border celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Admission is free.

Melrose on 7th Avenue Street Fair and Classic Car Show

Classic cars will mix with vintage furnishings and clothing, as well as plenty of food and fun linked to modern times, on Saturday, March 3, at the 11th annual Melrose on 7th Avenue Street Fair and Classic Car Show. Be there or be square.

Get Up Arizona | Graffiti

Every Arizonan has differing opinions about writers, bombers, or taggers, and you may view them as criminals and vandals instead of artists. But, no matter what you think of them, just like most other states in America, Arizona has it's share of so-called, graffiti "artists".

Also, like everywhere else in the United States, the larger the size of the city, the larger the volume of graffiti. As such, if you live in Phoenix, Arizona's most-populated metropolitan area, you can't travel anywhere without something being covered in graffiti.

So, I thought I would link to the following documentary film about graffiti in Arizona in order to possibly get a better understanding of why writers, bombers, taggers, or "graffiti artists" do what they do. I'll leave it to you to decide whether it should be considered crime, or be considered art.

According to the filmakers -

In the Valley of the Sun, two hip-hop heads set out on a mission to document some of the illest graffiti and street art in their state. Along with photo and film contributions from other artists, they put together a kaleidoscope of graffiti art footage and photos, live legal and illegal painting, interviews, hilarious run-ins with street-folk, a graffiti animation featuring real graff art from local writers, Arizona issues and culture, old PSA's and local news reports on the AZ graffiti scene, live local B-Boys, Poppers n Lockers, MCs and DJs, scraps, and all other types of insanity! Scouring all over the valley, the two captured some of the best images of graffiti art from pieces, throw-ups, and characters, to stickers and tags and even some stencil and wheat-paste art.

All of the graffiti art featured in GET UP ARIZONA is strictly from the Valley, Tucson, Yuma, San Luis and Northern Arizona. All of the incredible music featured in the film is from local MCs, DJs and bands as well... Phadeone and Sage are tremendous proponents of graffiti culture. They felt the need to make a film to represent that culture, not just for Arizona, but for graffiti artists and graffheads everywhere!

Here's a trailer for the film. The full version can be found on GraffMonger's Youtube playlist channel.

Celebrating The Centennial

Some of us Arizonans are often considered weird and insane, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It goes without saying that we've got our share of unsavory characters living here, but this state is also blessed with preponderance of very creative artists.

Here's one of Phoenix's local artists, Michael Levine, improving the Phoenix warehouse district while also celebrating our state's centennial. According to Michael -

In 1999 I purchased "a few" signs from the Arizona State surplus yard. 12 years later I put them to work.

- Over 500 AZDOT Highway signs
- Over 3,000 Self drilling screws
- 6 Days installation
- 27' High X 140' long