Oct, 29, 2025
Media AlertsSpecial Events and Programs
Phoenix Art Museum premieres major Eric Fischl exhibition and renovated Art of the Americas + Europe galleries; hosts First Friday, kid-friendly programming, live musical performances, films, and more throughout November
PHOENIX (October 29, 2025) – This November, Phoenix Art Museum premieres major exhibition Eric Fischl: Stories Told and reopens its Art of the Americas + Europe galleries in the newly dedicated James K. Ballinger Wing after a five-month renovation. The month is also packed with events that celebrate the visual and performing arts, including First Friday activations, Kids Day programming inspired by Funny Business: Photography and Humor, the next edition of monthly music series SOUNDCHECK, a NOIRvember film series + films from the Bob Dylan Center, and a curator talk on the Arizona Artist Awards exhibitions. Additional event details and ticket links are provided below.
FEATURED EVENTS
Stepping Into the Unknown: Films from the Bob Dylan Center
Wednesday, November 5 | 6 – 7 pm
$15 for Members | $20 for the general public
Spanning decades and musical styles, this far-ranging one-hour program of short films and videos from the Bob Dylan Archive features rare and previously unreleased clips of Dylan on stage and in the studio. Following the program, join Steven Jenkins, Bob Dylan Center Director, for a 30-minute post-screening discussion and audience Q&A.
The Bob Dylan Center gratefully acknowledges the support of Dr. Thomas Perry in making this program possible. Films at PhxArt is made possible by Fit Via Vi Film.
First Friday
Friday, November 7 | 5 – 8 pm
Free general admission | $10 special exhibition tickets
This First Friday, join PhxArt to celebrate the artistic legacy and new exhibition of work by Eric Fischl, the internationally renowned figurative painter with deep roots in the Phoenix arts community. In collaboration with Phoenix College, the Museum will offer various interactive artmaking activities, including:
A live-drawing activity with Michel Zajac (Adjunct Faculty, Art History/Visual and Performing Arts, Phoenix College) that explores and simplifies the figure with gestured lines and ambiguous shadows. No drawing experience required!
- A deep dive into chiaroscuro, the dramatic effect of light and dark that brings emotion and realism to an artwork, with Chris Vena (2021 Lehmann Emerging Artist Award recipient and Adjunct Faculty, Life Drawing/Figure Painting, Phoenix College). This activation is inspired by Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection and Eric Fischl: Stories Told.
- A live demonstration from Phoenix College digital artists who will be showcasing their cutting-edge techniques.
- Sketching with Aileen Martinez (@look.see.draw), inspired by Eric Fischl’s experimental techniques.
- Live DJ sets with resident DJ JME-LEE (@jmelee)
- Specialty drinks from ARTenders
- Docent-led spotlight tours @ 5:30 pm + 6:30 pm
Tickets are available here.
First Friday at PhxArt is made possible through the generosity of APS and Lexus, with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation.
Kids Day @ PhxArt
Saturday, November 8 | 10 am – 2 pm
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the public
Every second Saturday of the month, join PhxArt for Kids Day, with special family friendly programming from 10 am – 2 pm! For November’s Kids Day, programming is inspired by Funny Business: Photography and Humor and includes:
Holiday photo sessions! Gather the family for a holiday photo in our unique Museum setting. Families will receive five high-quality digital photos to share and frame. | 10 am – 2 pm
Tickets are available here.
Kids Day is made possible by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
Curator Talk: Arizona Artist Awards
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Free for Members | Included with Pay-What-You-Wish admission for the public
Registration required. Capacity is limited.
Curator Talks @ PhxArt are a great way to engage with Museum curators in the galleries. Sessions are casual and welcoming, providing space for visitors to learn exclusive information about our exhibitions and artworks on view. Each walk-and-talk also features Q & A opportunities.
This November, join Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement, for an in-gallery conversation about the AZ Artist Awards exhibitions with 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Award recipients Omar Soto and Elizabeth Z. Pineda.
The Arizona Artist Awards are made possible by the Scult Family; Sally and Richard Lehmann; and the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Safwat Saleem: The Unrequited Love Institute and 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards are organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement. The exhibitions are made possible by the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Additional support provided by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by the Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
The Arizona Artist Awards are made possible by the Scult Family; Sally and Richard Lehmann; and the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Safwat Saleem: The Unrequited Love Institute and 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards are organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement. The exhibitions are made possible by the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Additional support provided by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by the Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
SOUNDCHECK: fearofmakingout
Thursday, November 20 | Bar opens @ 5 pm | Doors open @ 5:30 pm |
Show 6 – 7 pm
Presented in Whiteman Hall
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the public
On November 20, SOUNDCHECK welcomes fearofmakingout (@fearofmakingout) its monthly live-music series that brings popular local and regional acts to PhxArt for raw, unmissable performances. A Phoenix-born band, fearofmakingout pulls from emotionally resonant indie, moody alternative, and internet-era nostalgia to create music that is vulnerable and sometimes messy on purpose. Rooted in the desert but reaching far past it, the band is proudly tied to the Mexican heritage of some of its members and the city that raised them.
Tickets are available here.
SOUNDCHECK is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council, with additional support from Desert Financial Credit Union and the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Arts.
OPENING SOON
Eric Fischl: Stories Told
November 7, 2025 – June 14, 2026
Eric Fischl: Stories Told brings together 40 large-scale works by the renowned painter, who grew up in Long Island, New York, and Phoenix, Arizona. Working with figurative painting and narrative content in the late 1970s, when it was decidedly out of favor in the art world, Fischl made his subject what he knew best: memories of suburban life and the nuclear family of his childhood. Stories Told features work from the late 1970s to today, illuminating the artist’s continued exploration of the human figure in fraught, ambiguous moments where social taboos, anxieties, family secrets, masculinity, unacknowledged privilege, the collision of the public and the private, and more bubble just below the surface.
Eric Fischl: Stories Told is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and guest-curated by Heather Sealy Lineberry, Curator Emeritus at the Arizona State University Art Museum and faculty associate in the ASU School of Art’s Museum Studies program. The exhibition is presented by the Men’s Arts Council, with leadership support from Margaret T. Morris Foundation, and Steven Martin and Anne Stringfield. Major support provided by Michael and Nancy Gifford, James and Janet Dicke, Bruce and Suzie Kovner, and DL Withers Foundation. Additional support is provided by Rafael Jablonka, Erica Samuels, and Skarstedt Gallery. In-kind support provided by Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix. Contemporary art exhibitions and projects are made possible in part by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin. Leadership support for the exhibition publication, Eric Fischl: Late America, is provided by Skarstedt Gallery.
James K. Ballinger Wing | Art of the Americas + Europe Galleries
Opening November 28, 2025
Home to 10 gallery spaces, the newly renovated and dedicated James K. Ballinger Wing reopens after a five-month renovation, featuring outstanding examples of historical American, Western American, Viceregal Latin American, and European art from the PhxArt Collection presented in conversation with contemporary works by Amalia Mesa-Bains, Virgil Ortiz, and Federico Solmi, among other new acquisitions and significant loans. The refreshed space also features special exhibitions on Ed Mell and George Elbert Burr, the renovated Thorne Miniature Rooms, and the relocated and reimagined Ullman Center for the Art of Philip C. Curtis.
The inaugural installation of the James K. Ballinger Wing, an initiative honoring the historic collections of Phoenix Art Museum and the visionary leadership of Director Emeritus James K. Ballinger, was made possible by generous gifts from the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation and the Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation, Cathie Lemon, the Men’s Arts Council, and Harry and Rose Papp. The installation in the Ullman Center for the Art of Philip C. Curtis is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. It is made possible by the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation. Installations of American Art and Art of the American West in the Tooker and Wayland galleries are organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. The installation in the Kemper & Ethel Marley Gallery for Art of the American West is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. It is made possible by the Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation. Ed Mell: In the Studio in the Woodyard Gallery is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Olga Viso, the Selig Family Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs. It is presented by the Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation. George Elbert Burr: The Desert Etchings is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Olga Viso, the Selig Family Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs. The installation of Viceregal Art of Latin America in the Astorga Gallery is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by JoAnna Reyes, PhD, Adjunct Curator for Art of the Americas. It is made possible by the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation. Installations of European Art in the Harrington, Sukhman, and Stegall galleries are curated by Rachel Zebro, Associate Curator of Collections. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
ON VIEW NOW
Splendors of East Asian Cloisonné
Through September 6, 2026
One of the most important areas of distinction in PhxArt’s Asian art department is its collection of cloisonné vessels from China and Japan. Experience spectacular and varied examples of enamel-decorated vessels from the Museum’s holdings, the majority of which were donated from the collections of Robert H. Clague and Waynor and Laurie Petrie-Rogers.
Splendors of East Asian Cloisonne is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan
Through August 9, 2026
Drawn from the Horvitz Collection, considered one of the leading collections of Japanese contemporary ceramics outside of Japan, Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan features avant-garde works by 36 women artists who have explored sculptural expression outside the traditional field of Japanese studio ceramics since the 1970s.
Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection and is curated by Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art, the Art Institute of Chicago. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. The presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and Katharine and Nicholas J. Feduska, M.D. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Flowers of the Punjab: Textiles of India and Beyond
Through August 9, 2026
Discover traditional textiles from the Punjab region of northwestern India, the birthplace of
Sikhism.
Flowers of the Punjab: Textiles of India and Beyond is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection
Through July 26, 2026
The first exhibition of its kind in Arizona, Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection presents more than 30 examples of painting and sculpture drawn from the most important Florentine Baroque art collection outside of Italy, revealing Florence’s flourishing art industry and the cultural and intellectual legacy of the Medici Grand Dukes.
Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection is organized by Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl with the generous support of the Haukohl Philanthropies. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Rachel Sadvary Zebro, Associate Curator of Collections. Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection is made possible by FOCUS on European Art. Additional support is provided by Joanna and Mick Levin. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Funny Business: Photography and Humor
Through January 4, 2026
Through 70 photographs drawn primarily from the collection of the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Funny Business: Photography and Humor offers a compelling view into the ways artists have utilized visual humor not only to provoke laughter and delight but also as a means of resistance
Funny Business: Photography and Humor is co-organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography. The exhibition is curated by Emilia Mickevicius, PhD, the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
2024 Arizona Artist Awards
Through January 25, 2026
Safwat Saleem: The Unrequited Love Institute and the 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Exhibition feature works by Arizona-based contemporary artists. The 2024 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Awardee Safwat Saleem showcases his latest works in an installation that centers on immigrant narratives and the cultural loss that results from assimilation. In the 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Exhibition, emerging artists Elizabeth Z. Pineda and Omar Soto explores issues surrounding immigration, identity, queer joy, and escapism.
The Arizona Artist Awards are made possible by the Scult Family; Sally and Richard Lehmann; and the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Safwat Saleem: The Unrequited Love Institute and 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards are organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement. The exhibitions are made possible by the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Additional support provided by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by the Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Scrollathon at Phoenix Art Museum
Ongoing
Scrollathon was founded in 2006 by artist-brothers Steven and William Ladd. In September 2025, the Ladds launched the Arizona chapter of Scrollathon at PhxArt, welcoming 171 participants from across the 48th state to create individual artworks expressing their personal stories. For more information on Scrollathon at Phoenix Art Museum, including a list of contributing community groups, click here.
Scrollathon at Phoenix Art Museum is organized by Phoenix Art Museum in partnership with Steven and William Ladd. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Jessica Jacobson, Director of Education, and Christian Ramírez, Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement. It is made possible by Alice and Jim Bazlen, with additional support from the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts. Contemporary art exhibitions and projects are made possible in part by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
For a full list of exhibitions on view now at Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org/art/exhibitions/.
OTHER NOVEMBER EVENTS
Saturday, November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | 11 am – 3 pm
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public
LEARN // Lemon Library Book Club: The Creative Act
Wednesday, November 5 | 6:30 pm
Location: The Amphitheater inside the Museum
Free event. Please reserve your ticket and check in at the Guest Services Desk.
For more information, click here.
KIDS // Storytime
Thursday, November 6 | 10:30 am
Free for Members | Included in general admission for the general public
Advance registration recommended.
For more information, click here.
Storytime is made possible by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
OTHER DISCOUNTED + FREE ACCESS PROGRAMS
Every Wednesday | 3 – 8 pm
Voluntary-donation general admission
$10 off Memberships when purchased on-site
SPECIAL-EXHIBITION TICKETS: $10 for adults | $5 for youth under 17 | FREE for Museum Members
Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix, with additional support by Arizona Community Foundation.
Military Discount
Active-duty U.S. military personnel and veterans enjoy $5 off general admission tickets to Phoenix Art Museum. A valid ID is required for on-site redemption.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art of our region and world. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, PhxArt creates spaces of exchange and belonging for all audiences through dynamic exhibitions, collections, and experiences with art. Each year, 300,000 guests on average engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern, and contemporary art and fashion design, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. PhxArt also presents live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education programs and workshops, a monthly live-music series, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.