Jan, 21, 2026

Media AlertsSpecial Events and Programs

Phoenix Art Museum hosts free-access Family Funday and special Valentine’s Day event; major solo photography exhibition to open this February

PHOENIX (January 20, 2026) – This February, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) will host the biannual Family Funday on Saturday, February 1, a free-access day with programming including artmaking activities, performances, and more. The Museum will also host a special Valentine’s Day event on Saturday, February 14 from 5 – 8 pm, where guests can enjoy wine tasting, tattoos, live music, photobooths, and a film. The next edition of monthly music series SOUNDCHECK will feature Sunflower King. 

Opening February 28, Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light), organized by the Hood Museum of Art, explores the narrative artistic practice of Chemehuevi photographer Cara Romero in her first major solo exhibition, featuring new and never-before-seen photographs, site-specific installations, large scale photographs, and iconic views across five thematic sections. Additional event details and ticket links are provided below.

FEATURED EVENTS 

Family Funday

Sunday, February 1 | 10 am – 5 pm 
Free for Members and the general public
Programming from 10 am – 4 pm

Two times a year, PhxArt hosts Family Funday, an all-ages, free-access day with complimentary admission. Separate tickets are required to view special exhibition Eric Fischl: Stories Told at an additional cost. The event includes arts-engagement programming suitable for visitors of all ages, interests, and abilities. 

This February, guests will enjoy:

Live animal sketching + opportunity to learn about our local wildlife with the Phoenix Zoo.

Write a love letter to the desert using cochineal-inspired paint, where prickly pear insects were used to create natural red dyes, with the Desert Botanical Garden.

Explore the art of fashion with The Square through Victorian style garments inspired by the work of Philip C. Curtis.

Create your own unique cactus paper craft inspired by Ed Mell’s painting, Cactus Bud, 1990.

Wander into the Lemon Library to discover new perspectives. Families will create a perspective landscape by constructing their own Tunnel Book. 

View the MAC Community Project with Maryvale High School installed in the Community Art Gallery.

The Bubble House, an immersive walk-in snow globe, will be filled with balloons that blow around inside, creating a fun experience for our youngest visitors.

Families can boot, scoot n’ boogie to some good old fashion line dancing inspired by the Southwest’s cowboy culture.

Listen to If I was a Horse by Sophie Blackall performed by Childsplay Theatre during Storytime. Afterwards, visitors can create a paper crown horse to wear and take home.

+ more!

PhxArt Family Fundays are made possible in part through the generosity of Applied Materials Foundation and Desert Diamond Casino.

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Valentine’s Day

Saturday, February 14 | 5 – 8 pm 

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Grab your friend, partner, or family member and join us for a special Valentine’s Day evening filled with creativity and connection in Florentine fashion. We’ve extended our hours so guests can enjoy themed arts programming, pop-up musical performances, hands-on activities, scavenger hunts, delicious food and drinks, and the chance to explore the Museum’s galleries. 

Here’s what the evening holds:  

• Get a flash Tattoo by Wyatt Howland. Commitment issues? Stop by The Museum Store for a complimentary temporary tattoo and chocolate treat with any purchase.
• Capture the moment with a hand-drawn portrait from the Fauxto Booth or a classic strip from the Snapz Photo Booths. 
• Love the wine you’re with during tastings with ARTenders.
• “I’ll have what she’s having.” Catch a screening of the romantic classic When Harry Met Sally at 6pm in Whiteman Hall.
• Test your artistic chemistry and draw your partner with Sissy Art.
• Immerse yourself in the Baroque era pop-up performances by Arizona Opera and Sweetwater Strings throughout the night. 
• Collage your heart out and make love notes with Cut+Paste. 
• Make your reservations at Alden for a curated prix fixe dining experience. 
• Love Themed Docent-Led Tours at 5:15 PM, 6:15 PM, and 7:15 PM
• + more! 

Tickets are available here.

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SOUNDCHECK: Sunflower King

Thursday, February 19 | Bar opens @ 5 pm | Doors open @ 5:30 pm | 
Show 6 – 7 pm
Presented in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden

Free for Members | Included with general admission for the public 

This February, SOUNDCHECK, welcomes Sunflower King to PhxArt. The Sunflower King (Ashton Vaughn Charles) is a Premier International Destination Event Saxophonist who is passionate about any and every form of expressive artistry. Whether he’s performing on stage in front of thousands, in intimate spaces for small groups, or creating and recording music in his studio, The Sunflower King is best known for expressing himself through multiple genres, ranging from Neo-Soul, R&B, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Afrobeat, Metal, and more.

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.

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OPENING SOON

Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light)

February 28 – June 28, 2026

Organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light) is the first major solo exhibition exploring the narrative artistic practice of the Chemehuevi photographer, presenting more than 50 works Romero created between 2013 and 2024. The exhibition features new and never-before-seen photographs, site-specific installations, large scale photographs, and iconic views across five thematic sections.

Born in Inglewood, California in 1977, Romero is known for dramatic fine art photography that examines Indigenous life in contemporary contexts. An enrolled citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Romero was raised between contrasting settings: the rural Chemehuevi reservation in Mojave Desert, California, and the urban sprawl of Houston, Texas. Informed by her identity, Romero’s visceral approach to representing Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural memory—both collective history and lived experiences—results in a blending of fine art and editorial styles. Her visual storytelling challenges dominant narratives of Indigenous decline and erasure and disrupts preconceived notions about what it means to be a Native American, showing the diversity within Indigenous nations and communities.

Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light) is organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, and curated by Jami Powell, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Indigenous Art at the Hood Museum of Art. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Emilia Mickevicius, PhD, the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography. Its Phoenix premiere is made possible by the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation, Every Page Foundation, and John and Lois Rogers. Additional support provided by Prime Steak Concepts. 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.

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ON VIEW NOW

Muscle Memory: Lens on the Body

Through June 28, 2026

Muscle Memory: Lens on the Body explores the ways in which photographers across history have represented and reckoned with the human body and its associated dimensionality, evolution, and politicization. Drawn primarily from the collection of the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) at the University of Arizona in Tucson, along with select works from the PhxArt Collection, and those by Arizona-based contemporary artists, the exhibition showcases more than 80 wide-ranging works that contend with the body’s form, physicality, and limitations. The exhibition’s works are presented across four thematic sections that offer varying views on embodiment and how our bodies at once empower and limit us. 

Muscle Memory: Lens on the Body 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.

For a full list of exhibitions on view now at Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org/art/exhibitions/.

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OTHER NOVEMBER EVENTS

OTHER DISCOUNTED + FREE ACCESS PROGRAMS

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays 

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. 

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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. 

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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.