PHOENIX, AZ (April 15, 2026) – This summer, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) presents Ecstatic Time: The Alchemy of Photography, an original exhibition exploring photography’s ability to influence perception. Featuring nearly 100 works from the collection of the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography (CCP) in Tucson, Ecstatic Time presents photographs spanning nearly the entire history of the medium, including still lifes to time-lapse and astronomical imagery, that demonstrate the transformative, experimental, and whimsical nature of photography. The exhibition celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the landmark partnership between Phoenix Art Museum and CCP, established through funding by Mr. and Mrs. John R. Norton to bring vibrant photography exhibitions comprising works from the Center’s unparalleled collections to new and larger audiences. Ecstatic Time: The Alchemy of Photography will be on view at PhxArt from July 29, 2026, through January 3, 2027.

“Phoenix Art Museum is proud to present Ecstatic Time: The Alchemy of Photography in partnership with the Center for Creative Photography as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Norton agreement that formalized our shared commitment to engaging our audiences with exemplary works spanning the history of photography,”said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’sSybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum and coordinating curator of the exhibition’s PhxArt presentation. “This enduring collaboration has allowed our institutions to bring extraordinary works from the CCP collection to our community while advancing a deeper understanding of photography as an evolving, experimental, and transformative medium. Ecstatic Time reflects the strength of that partnership, offering audiences the opportunity to reflect on the boundless creative possibilities of the photographic medium.”

Although often credited with capturing reality, photography also has the power to reveal, transform, and defamiliarize its subjects, augmenting reality rather than reproducing it exactly as it appears. Ecstatic Time takes its title from the film theorist Hollis Frampton, who proposed that photographs enable viewers to access what he called “ecstatic time,” an experience distinct from historical or clock time. Derived from the Ancient Greek ékstasis, meaning “to stand outside oneself,” the term reflects how photographs suspend their subjects from the continuous flow of lived experience. The photographs on view encourage viewers to attend more closely, opening access to deeper realities beneath the surface of everyday perception.

“The Center for Creative Photography’s partnership with Phoenix Art Museum is an innovative model for collection sharing, one that allows the CCP to fulfill its mission by engaging audiences beyond our location on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson,” said Todd Tubutis, the Director of the Center for Creative Photography. “We are delighted to celebrate 20 years of a wonderful institutional collaboration with the opening of Ecstatic Time, and look forward to many more engaging photography exhibitions in the Norton Gallery for years to come.”

Ecstatic Time features approximately 100 objects from the CCP’s collection, including unexpected treasures by canonical figures such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, exemplifying process experimentation and puzzling or playful subject matter and demonstrating the breadth and inventiveness of creative photography. Spanning the full history of the medium from the 19th century to the present, the exhibition places particular emphasis on early 20th-century works, examining photography’s complex relationship with time through examples of flash photography, still lifes, time-lapse imagery and astronomical photographs, including images that capture phenomena invisible to the naked eye. Collectively, the works evoke a cabinet of curiosities, underscoring photography’s capacity for visual alchemy and experimentation.

Ecstatic Time is arranged in four thematic sections.

• Awake and Dreaming brings together surreal and enigmatic 20^th-century images, orienting viewers to the transformative nature of camera vision and techniques like flash that freeze moments in time. Artists featured here include Ilse Bing, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Kozo Miyoshi, and Garry Winogrand.
• The Thing Itself presents a sprawling wall of still lifes that amplify the presence of their subjects, echoing a “cabinet of curiosities.” Visitors will spot pictures by figures from Harold Edgerton and Edward Weston to Masahisa Fukase and Abelardo Morell.
• Out of this World features astronomical imagery, including solar eclipses (including an image of an eclipse captured by Ansel Adams) and an image recorded by NASA’s Mars Pathfinder rover, highlighting how the medium has given us access to faraway or invisible subject matter.
• Incisions in History / Segments of Eternity presents works that forge reverberations between past and present, including conceptual works by artists like Hiroshi Sugimoto and Lew Thomas that examine photography’s relationship to time and a suite of 19^th-century images that look back at earlier eras.

“Ecstatic Time brings together works that remind us how endlessly surprising photography can be,” said Emilia Mickevicius, the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography at Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography, who devised the exhibition for PhxArt. “My point of departure was a database group of unusual objects I’d been maintaining since starting my position three years ago. Every time I came across a particularly striking picture in the storage vault that startled or delighted me in some way, I’d add it to the group—and eventually it dawned on me: what if this was the basis for an entire show? Rather than offering a chronological survey of the medium, the resulting exhibition invites viewers to encounter an unusual group of photographs that delight, puzzle and disrupt our sense of time and perception. These pictures encourage us to slow down, look closely and experience photography not just as a transparent record of the world, but as a medium capable of wonder, imagination, and experimentation.”

High-resolution photography for Ecstatic Time: The Alchemy of Photography can be downloaded here. Torequest interviews, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org and kaylee.weyrauch@phxart.org.  

About the Exhibition

Ecstatic Time: The Alchemy of Photography 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.

Admission is free for Museum Members and youth aged 5 and younger. Entrance into the exhibition is included in general admission for the public. Visitors may also enjoy reduced admission to the exhibition during voluntary-donation times on Wednesdays from 3 – 8 pm, made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix. For a full breakdown of general admission prices and hours, see phxart.org/visit/.

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, 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.

About the Center for Creative Photography (CCP):

Founded in 1975, the Center for Creative Photography is the largest institution in North America devoted to the research and exhibition of photography. At the heart of CCP’s holdings are more than 300 archives of photographers, scholars, galleries, and organizations, complemented by an unparalleled collection of some 120,000 fine prints. In addition, CCP focuses on preserving and stewarding its holdings through a robust conservation program and digital imaging unit. The Center owns and manages copyrights for a selection of archive artists and supports licensing and image file delivery to publishers, authors, educators, and filmmakers worldwide. As a unit of Arizona Arts at the University of Arizona, the Center maintains a robust calendar of free exhibitions and programs for the public, serves students and faculty through curricular engagements, and awards several international research fellowships annually.

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PHOENIX (March 31, 2026) – On April 15, 2026, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) will present its newest fashion exhibition Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion. The exhibition commemorates the 60th anniversary of Phoenix Art Museum’s fashion collection by presenting a chromatic celebration of colorful ensembles and whimsical accessories. Arranged across a runway of vibrant hues, this exhibition reveals how North American and European designers including Hubert de Givenchy, Olivier Lapidus, Tina Leser, and Giorgio di Sant’Angelo have used color as a source of inspiration. In addition to luscious gowns and sparkling dresses, the exhibition features some of the smallest and most extraordinary objects in the Museum’s fashion holdings, such as Judith Leiber pillboxes encased in multihued crystals, psychedelic scarves, and shoes that evoke the golden tones of an Egyptian burial or the bold explosion of graffiti paint. From couture to ready-to-wear, Colorwear immerses you in the power of color as storytelling, mood, and creative expression. Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion will be on view at PhxArt from April 15, 2026 through August 15, 2027 in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Galleries.

This riotous celebration of color continues throughout the year with rotating ensembles, the unveiling of a colorful new commission, and an upcoming catalogue that features contributions from fashion historians and Dressed: The History of Fashion podcast hosts April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary.

“Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion offers a special glimpse into the extraordinary accessories and ensembles that have shaped Phoenix Art Museum’s fashion collection for six decades,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “By bringing together objects that range from the smallest to the most extravagant, the exhibition immerses visitors in the expressive power of color as a form of storytelling. Colorwear not only celebrates the Museum’s history but also animates it through rotating installations, a new commission, dynamic public programs, and a forthcoming publication that explores fashion at PhxArt through the lens of color.”

The Museum began collecting fashion in 1966, when the Arizona Costume Institute was founded to support the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. Today, the PhxArt fashion collection houses more than 9,000 objects spanning the 18th century through the present and is home to four special archives, including Paper Dress, the Geoffrey Beene Archive, the Emphatics Archive, and the Ann Bonfoey Taylor Archive. Alongside the kaleidoscopic array of Colorwear, visitors can also discover objects that tell the history of fashion at PhxArt, from historic accessories to rare and avant-garde examples from the archival collections, and new acquisitions by contemporary designers such as The Son of Picasso, a Native American artist of Kiowa, Taos Pueblo, Diné (Navajo), and Delaware descent.

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion will be accompanied by a compelling series of public programs and lectures by nationally celebrated fashion professionals, as well as the fall release of the Museum’s first fashion-focused collection book of the same name, Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion, published by Scala Arts Publishers, Inc.

“Colorful clothing sparks emotion—both when we wear it and when we see it. It can uplift our mood and encourage boldness or inspire a more contemplative or nostalgic state. Some designers have even become known for their signature colors, such as Schiaparelli’s Shocking Pink, Dior’s Gray, and Chanel’s Black. In fact, color is one of the first elements we describe when discussing an ensemble,” said Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion. “Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion draws inspiration from this powerful aspect of design, bringing together works that show how master designers have explored color over time. Through garments and accessories, the exhibition highlights individuality, self-expression, and visual storytelling through the splendor of color.”

High-resolution photography for Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion can be downloaded here. To request interviews, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org  or kaylee.weyrauch@phxart.org.

About the Exhibition

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion and Summer Rye, Fashion Curatorial Assistant & ACI Liaison. The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance and Arizona Costume Institute.

All fashion exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by The Kelly Ellman Fashion Endowment Fund and The Thomas Carlton Rogers II Fashion Exhibition Fund.

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.

Admission is free for Museum Members and youth aged 5 and younger. Entrance into the exhibition is included in general admission for the public. Visitors may also enjoy reduced admission to the exhibition during voluntary-donation times on Wednesdays from 3 – 8 pm, made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix, with additional support by Arizona Community Foundation. For a full breakdown of general admission prices and hours, see phxart.org/visit/.

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, an art+music festival, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.

About the Phoenix Art Museum Fashion Collection

Phoenix Art Museum is one of few institutions in the United States that continually collects, preserves, and exhibits works of fashion, placing the southwestern institution in the company of other leading fashion museums. The Museum began collecting fashion in 1966, when Arizona Costume Institute was founded to support the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. Today, the PhxArt fashion collection houses more than 9,000 objects of women’s, men’s, and children’s dress spanning the 18th century through the present. It is also home to three special archives, including the Geoffrey Beene Archive of more than 300 garments by the late designer gifted by Patsy Tarr; the Emphatics Archive, featuring avant-garde fashions by Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler, and others; and the Ann Bonfoey Taylor Archive, featuring the extraordinary custom-couture wardrobe of the American-socialite and tastemaker.

About Arizona Costume Institute

Arizona Costume Institute was founded in 1966 to support the fashion-design department of Phoenix Art Museum through the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance and through events and fundraising efforts that support and deepen awareness of the Museum’s fashion exhibitions and education programs. ACI’s support of this collection area depends on the enthusiasm of dedicated volunteers. The ACI Board of Managers 2025-2027 president is Donna Johnson. To learn more about Arizona Costume Institute, visit arizonacostumeinstitute.org.

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FEATURED EVENTS 

You’re Invited to The afterpARTy!

Friday, April 10, 2026 | 9 pm – midnight

Individuals | $165 (or two for $300)

Museum Members | $125

Circles + ACI + MAC Members | $100

Step into an unforgettable evening at The afterpARTy, an exclusive, late-night “party in the Museum” experience that supports free admission and education programs for young people. This year’s afterpARTy celebrates the artistry and cultural legacy of Florence, Italy, during the opulent and dramatic Baroque era. Guests will be immersed in special exhibition Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection—the largest collection of Florentine Baroque art outside of Italy—featuring radiant paintings and stunning sculpture. Indulge in Italian flavors and sweet treats, dance under the stars in our opulently decorated garden, and explore artful experiences at the Museum like never before. This event is for guests 21 years of age and older.

Tickets are available here. Email specialevents@phxart.org for more information.

Eric Fischl Lecture Series: Marilyn Minter

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Reception and Award Ceremony @ 5 pm | Lecture @ 6:30 pm

Free for Members + Phoenix College students | $5 for the general public 

On March 19, SOUNDCHECK welcomes The Hourglass Cats to PhxArt Museum.

Sonoran outfit The Hourglass Cats are a desert rock-n-roll, reggae, and hip-hop collective based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Known for their high-energy live shows, relentless gigging schedule, and recording and performing all their music in 432 Hz, The Hourglass Cats find their true uniqueness in their ability to effortlessly blend multiple genres to create a sound smoothie that is very unique to the Sonoran desert they call home.

Tickets are available here. 

Pretty Dirty: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter + Q&A 

Tuesday, April 7, 2026 

Film Screening @ 6 pm | Q&A with Marilyn Minter @ 7:30 pm 

Free for Members | $8 for general public

Join us for an exclusive screening of Pretty Dirty: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter, followed by a special 20-minute Q&A with the artist herself, moderated by one of the film’s producers, Debi Wisch. Known for transforming forbidden subjects—sex, shame, and aging—into hypnotic, larger-than-life masterpieces, Marilyn Minter blurs the lines between glamour and grit. As she nears 80 years of age, she remains an “unapologetic provocateuse,” creating massive paintings of cultural icons like Lizzo, Jane Fonda, Pamela Anderson, and Monica Lewinsky. 

Tickets are available here.

SOUNDCHECK | Pariah Pete

Thursday, April 16 | Bar + Doors open @ 5 pm | Show @ 6 pm

Free for Members | General Admission for the public

On April 16, SOUNDCHECK, in collaboration with VIVA PHX, welcomes Pariah Pete to PhxArt. Pariah Pete is an indie hip-hop artist from Phoenix who is redefining the sound of the Southwest with his self-described ‘desert jazz rap,’ a genre-bending fusion of rap, jazz, neo-soul and pop. Backed by his band, The Mercuries, he transforms vulnerability into groove, pairing sharp lyricism with warm, melodic instrumentation that moves crowds as much as it moves hearts. Downtown Phoenix comes together for VIVA PHX 2026 from April 15-20—six days of mostly FREE concerts, art, talks, culinary experiences, and community. This is your invitation to connect with everything that makes Arizona special. 

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.

The World’s of Wes Anderson

Step into a world of pastel colors, perfect symmetry, and endearingly eccentric characters. Wes Anderson’s films aren’t just movies; they are meticulously crafted storybooks brought to life. Whether it’s a high-stakes heist in a European hotel or a summer of young love on a New England island, Anderson’s signature style turns every frame into a piece of art. Join us at the Museum to celebrate the wit, the charm, and the visual magic of one of modern cinema’s most beloved storytellers.

The Worlds of Wes Anderson: Rushmore

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 @ 6 pm

Free for Members | $8 for general public

Tickets are available here. 

The Worlds of Wes Anderson: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Sunday, April 26, 2025 @ 1 pm

Free for Members | Included with General Admission

Tickets are available here. 

The Worlds of Wes Anderson: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Saturday, April 25, 2026 @ 1 pm

Free for Members | Included with General AdmissionTickets are available here. 

The Worlds of Wes Anderson: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 @ 6 pm

Free for Members | $8 for general publicTickets are available here. 

Films at PhxArt is made possible by Fit Via Vi Films.

OPENING SOON

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion

Opening April 15, 2026

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion commemorates the 60th anniversary of Phoenix Art Museum’s fashion collection by presenting a chromatic celebration of colorful ensembles and whimsical accessories. Arranged across a runway of vibrant hues, this exhibition reveals how North American and European designers, including Hubert de Givenchy, Olivier Lapidus, Tina Leser and Giorgio di Sant’Angelo, have used color as a source of inspiration. In addition to luscious gowns and sparkling dresses, the exhibition features some of the smallest and most extraordinary objects in the Museum’s fashion holdings, such as Judith Leiber pillboxes encased in multihued crystals, psychedelic scarves, and shoes that evoke the golden tones of an Egyptian burial or the bold explosion of graffiti paint. From couture to ready-to-wear, Colorwear immerses you in the power of color as storytelling, mood, and creative expression. 

The PhxArt fashion collection is home to four special archives, including Paper Dress, the Geoffrey Beene Archive, the Emphatics Archive, and the Ann Bonfoey Taylor Archive. Alongside the kaleidoscopic array of Colorwear, visitors will discover objects that tell the history of fashion at PhxArt, from historic accessories to rare and avant-garde examples from the archival collections, and new acquisitions by contemporary designers such as The Son of Picasso, a Native American artist of Kiowa, Taos Pueblo, Diné (Navajo), and Delaware descent.

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion and Summer Rye, Fashion Curatorial Assistant & ACI Liaison. The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance and Arizona Costume Institute. All fashion exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by The Kelly Ellman Fashion Endowment Fund and The Thomas Carlton Rogers II Fashion Exhibition Fund. 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 Collection: 1960 – Now

Opening April 25, 2026

A rotation of new artwork will be on view throughout April and May, featuring select works from the museum’s collection of contemporary art, including the 2025 MAC Art Pick, a new acquisition made possible by the Men’s Arts Council. Reflections Between Flashes (2023) is a large-scale sculpture by Vietnamese American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen, recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “genius award” in 2025, inspired by Alexander Calder’s mobiles. The kinetic work was created through the “material reincarnation” of metal salvaged from an unexploded ordnance in Vietnam, which Nguyen then cast into a group of plate gongs tuned to a sequence of healing musical frequencies. It moves with the air currents surrounding it, creating a shifting matrix of tranquil beauty crafted from the detritus of war. Reflections Between Flashes will be tuned and activated periodically by staff at scheduled times.

This iteration of The Collection: 1960 – Now is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement, Olga Viso, Selig Family Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art, and Rachel Sadvary 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.

CLOSING SOON

James K. Ballinger Wing | Art of the Americas + Europe Galleries

Closing April 16, 2026

The James K. Ballinger Wing will be closed to the public beginning April 16, 2026, for reinstallations. The galleries will reopen this fall with exciting displays of renowned PhxArt Collection favorites presented in new contexts. More information will be available soon on phxart.org.

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

OTHER APRIL EVENTS

Lemon Library Book Club: White

Wednesday, April 1| 6:30 pm 

Location: The Amphitheater inside the Museum

Free event
For more information, click here.

Object of the Month
April 2, 4, 16, 23, 30 | 11:30 am
Free for Members | Included with general admission 

For more information, click here.

Object of the Month is made possible by CMI Gold & Silver.

Storytime
Thursday, April 2 | 10:30 am
Free for Members | Included with general admission

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.

Curator Tour: Artistry Across Asia
Thursday, April 2 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Registration required. Capacity is limited. | Tickets are available here.

Book Box Workshop

Friday, April 3 | 5 pm 

Location: Gene and Cathie Lemon Art Research Library

Free event | For more information, click here.

Create Playdate

Saturday, April 4, 11, 18, 25 | 11 am – 3 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission | For more information, click here.

Create Playdate is made possible by The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.

Curator Tour: Oceans of Influence in Viceregal Art
Thursday, April 9 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Registration required. Capacity is limited. | Tickets are available here.

Kids Day at PhxArt

Saturday, April 11 | 10 am – 2 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Every second Saturday of the month. | Tickets are available here.

Kids Day is made possible by Desert Financial Credit Union, 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.

Ed Mell: A Closer Look with Dr. Mark Sublette
Wednesday, April 15 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Included with Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesday

Registration required. Capacity is limited. | Tickets are available here.

OTHER DISCOUNTED + FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays
Every Wednesday | 3 – 8 pm
Voluntary-donation general admission

Free for Museum Members | $10 special exhibition

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix, with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation. 

First Friday

Friday, March 6 | 5 – 8 pm

Free general admission | $10 special exhibition

Tickets are available here.

First Friday at PhxArt is made possible through the generosity of APS with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation.

Military Discount Active-duty U.S. military personnel and veterans enjoy $5 off general admission tickets. 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.  

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PHOENIX (March 16, 2026) – Phoenix Art Museum announces the summer 2026 lineup for SOUNDCHECK, a live-music series that activates the Museum each third Thursday of the month from 6 – 7 pm. The monthly event, 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, brings popular local and regional acts to the Museum for unplugged, can’t-miss performances.

Tickets to SOUNDCHECK performances from April through June 2026 are now live on phxart.org and include all-day access to the Museum’s galleries.

Pariah Pete
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Bar opens 5 pm | Doors open 5:30 pm | Show at 6 – 7 pm
In collaboration with VIVA PHX, the April performer will be Pariah Pete. Pariah Pete, aka “Pariah Like Mariah with a P” is an indie hip-hop artist from Phoenix redefining the sound of the Southwest with what he calls “desert jazz rap”, blending rap, jazz, neo-soul, and pop. Backed by his band, The Mercuries, he transforms vulnerability into groove, pairing sharp lyricism with warm, melodic instrumentation that moves crowds as much as it moves hearts. Raised by a single Polish immigrant mother, Pete began writing music at just nine years old. One of his earliest memories is of his older sister playing 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”, a stark contrast to the jazz often played by his Mom, a duality that would later shape his own signature sound. Drawing inspiration from artists like Kendrick Lamar, MF DOOM, Erykah Badu, and Gil Scott-Heron, Pete channels both classic soul and contemporary rap into music that feels timeless yet distinctly his own.

About VIVA PHX
Downtown Phoenix comes together for VIVA PHX 2026, April 15-20. Six days of mostly FREE concerts, art, talks, culinary experiences, and community. Whether you’re local or visiting from beyond, this is your invitation to connect with everything that makes Arizona special. Culture happens when we’re together.

Tickets to Pariah Pete’s SOUNDCHECK performance are available here.

Dirt Rhodes
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Bar opens 5 pm | Doors open 5:30 pm | Show at 6 – 7 pm
Dirt Rhodes is a Diné band fronted by Ryan Alison from Fort Defiance, Arizona, located on the Navajo Nation. His first release “Navajo Country Music” was released in September of 2020. Since, he and his band have graced stages of the southwest with Rez Country sounds. With influences from Texas, Nashville, and The Navajo Nation, Dirt Rhodes aims to highlight Indigenous peoples’ long history with Country and Western music.

Tickets to Dirt Rhodes’s SOUNDCHECK performance are available here.

The Joeys
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Bar opens 5 pm | Doors open 5:30 pm | Show at 6 – 7 pm
The Joeys are a 3 piece Rock n’ Roll outfit from Phoenix, Arizona. Dean Cheney, Logan Cormany, and Hayden Lamm began performing together in 2019 and have been frequenting local music clubs and festival lineups ever since, having opened for such acts as The Black Lips, 10cc, and The Meteors. They were voted “Best Band” in Phoenix Magazines’ 2025 “Best of the Valley” issue. The Joeys also won the Proof is in the Pudding in 2019, one of the biggest music competitions in Arizona, and opened for Alice Cooper at his annual Christmas show. With inspirations ranging from The Stray Cats, The Doors, Everly Brothers, and X, The Joeys combine classic and modern songwriting with a distinctive Southwestern flavor. Their live shows are explosive and exciting, always offering a crowd good variety, whether it’s a fast paced rocker, a slow heartfelt ballad, and anything in between. During the summer of 2024, The Joeys collaborated with local legend Bob Hoag for their newest collection of songs, “Sonoran Dreams,” which was released in January of 2025.

Tickets to The Joeys’ SOUNDCHECK performance are available here.

To request interviews or high-res images, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org. For more information on the Men’s Arts Council, contact Lindsay Hansen at 480.205.6195 or lindsay@ldhconsulting.net.

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.

About Men’s Arts Council
The Men’s Arts Council (MAC) of Phoenix Art Museum, founded in 1967, is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization that supports the Museum’s programs and activities through its unique events such as the Copperstate 1000 and the Copperstate Overland, a vintage off-road rally. The Men’s Arts Council’s efforts enable the organization to make annual contributions to Phoenix Art Museum’s operating budget and financially sponsor exhibitions. For more information, visit https://mensartscouncil.com/.

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PHOENIX (March 9, 2026) –Phoenix Art Museum announces the acquisition of Reflection Between Flashes (2023) by Vietnam-based artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen. The work is the latest purchased by the Museum with funds from Men’s Arts Council and the first by Nguyen acquired into the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 objects. Nguyen, whose work was recently presented in a solo exhibition at James Cohan in New York City, is internationally renowned for his video and sculpture that examine colonial histories and supernaturalism by tapping into inherited stories and counter-memory. His work Reflection Between Flashes is inspired by the kinetic works of Alexander Calder but is cast from salvaged, unexploded munitions recovered in Central Vietnam. The mobile, which expands representation of contemporary Southeast Asian artists in the Museum’s collection, will be on view at the Museum beginning April 25.

“The kinetic work of Tuan Andrew Nguyen is an extraordinary addition to the PhxArt Collection,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “Nguyen’s work regularly unearths stories of resilience, community, and regeneration, reminding us all of memories that objects and materials can hold and how artists transform them to be seen and experienced in new ways. We are deeply grateful to Men’s Arts Council for supporting the acquisition of this work, and we look forward to sharing it with our visitors.”

Born in Saigon and now based in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen and his family emigrated in 1979 as refugees to the United States. In 1999, he graduated from the fine-arts program at University of California, Irvine, and in 2004 earned his Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts. Nguyen is a co-founder and former board member of Sàn Art and was a founding member of The Propeller Group whose work was exhibited at PhxArt in 2017.

Nguyen’s most recent sculptures are made from unexploded ordnance (UXO) recovered in the Quang Trị region of central Vietnam, the site of the largest aerial bombardment in history. Reflection Between Flashes features 12 plate bells, seven of which are cast from salvaged artillery shell brass, while the remaining five are stainless steel incorporating salvaged bomb metal. The elegant form of the monumental hanging mobile stands in stark contrast to the brutal origins of the materials used to create it. This work moves with the flow of air and vibrations of sound in the gallery space, creating a naturally shifting play of abstract spatial relationships that suggest a state of perpetual change. Nguyen worked with a sound healer to tune the work to a series of pitches centered around 432 Hz, a frequency associated with healing energies and the vibration of the cosmos.

“Much of Nguyen’s recent work focuses on creating harmony where there has been destruction and loss.” said Colin Pearson, the Museum’s curator of Asian art. “Reflections Between Flashes continues this thread and embodies his concept of ‘material reincarnation’ in a mobile that produces visual and musical harmony from the detritus of the war in Vietnam. Guests will witness the sculpture slowly shift and rotate, activated by the invisible movement of air, while contemplating the delicate balance that suspends each piece. Nguyen’s use of melted bomb and artillery shells draws our attention to the frightening origin of the metal, and to the salvage workers in northern Vietnam who still perform the dangerous work of harvesting unexploded ordnance five decades after the end of the war. My hope is that people will both appreciate the beauty of Reflections Between Flashes and reflect on the long aftereffects that warfare has on the people and places involved.”

Nguyen was recently announced as a 2025 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius Grant”, and he was chosen for a prestigious High Line Plinth commission for a monumental sculpture in New York City’s High Line park. Nguyen has had major solo presentations at the New Museum, New York; Fondació Joan Miró, Barcelona; Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC. His work is in the permanent collections of several distinguished national and international museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago; Brooklyn Museum; Carré d’Art – Musée d’art contemporain de Nîmes, France; Dallas Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Taguchi Art Collection, Japan; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and now, Phoenix Art Museum.

“We are incredibly proud to support the acquisition of Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s powerful sculpture for the Phoenix Art Museum collection,” said Sentari Minor, president, Men’s Arts Council. “This work speaks to transformation, resilience, and the enduring human capacity to create beauty from the remnants of conflict. By bringing Nguyen’s voice into the Museum’s Asian art holdings, we are expanding not only representation but also the depth and complexity of the stories told within the galleries. It’s important for our community to encounter contemporary works that challenge, reflect, and inspire—and this sculpture does exactly that.”

For more information about this latest acquisition, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at kaylee.weyrauch@phxart.org or press@phxart.org

About Phoenix Art Museum

Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art and fashion 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 art experiences. Each year, more than 250,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions, as well as 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. The Museum also presents vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson and is home to The Gene and Cathy Lemon Art Research Library, The Thorne Miniature Rooms, The Ullman Center for the Art of Philip C. Curtis, and Arizona Costume Institute (ACI). For the community, PhxArt hosts lectures, live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education workshops, family-focused programs, and more. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880. 

About Tuan Andrew Nguyen

Tuan Andrew Nguyen (b. 1976, Saigon, Vietnam) creates work that explores the power of storytelling through video and sculpture. His projects are based on extensive research and community engagement, tapping into inherited histories and counter-memory. Nguyen extracts and re-works dominant, oftentimes colonial histories and supernaturalisms into imaginative vignettes. Fact and fiction are interwoven in his poetic narratives that span time and place.

Now based in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen has had major solo presentations at the New Museum, New York, NY (2023); Fondació Joan Miró, Barcelona, Spain (2024); Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa (2024) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC (2024). His videos and films have been included in major international festivals, biennials, and exhibitions including Prospect.6, New Orleans, LA (2024); the 12th Berlin Biennale, Berlin, Germany (2022); Manifesta 14, Prishtina, Kosovo (2022); Aichi Triennale, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (2022); Biennale de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal (2022); Asian Art Biennial, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Tapei, Taiwan (2021); Manifesta 13, Marseille, France (2020); Sharjah Architecture Triennial, Sharjah, UAE (2019); SOFT POWER, SFMoMA, San Francisco, CA (2019); the 2019 Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah, UAE (2019); 2017 Whitney Biennial, New York, NY (2017); the 55th International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen, Germany (2009); 8th NHK Asian Film Festival, Tokyo, Japan (2007); 18th Singapore International Film Festival (2005) and 4th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival, Bangkok, Thailand (2005). Nguyen has received numerous awards, including the 2023 Joan Miró Prize.

His work is included in the permanent collections of institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; Carré d’Art – Musée d’art contemporain de Nîmes, France; Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP), Paris, France; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA; Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI; Kadist Art Foundation, San Francisco, CA; Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Museum MACAN, Jakarta, Indonesia; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO; Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA; Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ; Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, Australia; Singapore Art Museum, Singapore; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; Taguchi Art Collection, Japan; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, and the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA.

About Men’s Arts Council

The Men’s Arts Council (MAC) of Phoenix Art Museum, founded in 1967, is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization that supports the Museum’s programs and activities through its unique events such as the Copperstate 1000 and the Copperstate Overland, a vintage off-road rally. The Men’s Arts Council’s efforts enable the organization to make annual contributions to Phoenix Art Museum’s operating budget and financially sponsor exhibitions. For more information, visit https://mensartscouncil.com/.

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PHOENIX (March 4, 2026) – This spring, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) hosts the 2026 Eric Fischl Series in partnership with Phoenix College (PC) celebrating 21 years of the Eric Fischl Lecture Series. The 2026 lecture features Eric Fischl—the event’s namesake—in conversation with contemporary artist Marilyn Minter. Known for her distinguished hyper-realistic style, Minter explores themes of beauty and desire through compositions that offer a close-up, visceral view of the body. Join us for a dynamic conversation between the two artists as they discuss Minter’s studio practice, her evolution as an artist, and the boundaries of contemporary art. The 2026 Eric Fischl series will be hosted on Wednesday, April 8, 2025 from 5 – 7:30 pm. Tickets are $5 for the public and free for Museum Members and are available here. Tickets are free for Phoenix College students with an active ID.

“As we mark the program’s 21st anniversary, Phoenix Art Museum, in partnership with Phoenix College, is proud to spotlight this year’s featured artist, Marilyn Minter, in conversation with Eric Fischl,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “Minter has transformed the language of contemporary art through work that is fearless, visually electric and deeply attuned to how images shape power, desire and identity. We’re honored to welcome her for an evening that places her ideas at the center of the conversation and offer a rare opportunity for visitors to engage directly with an artist whose work continues to shape how we see and talk about images.”

Each year, the Eric Fischl series hosted by Phoenix College and held at Phoenix Art Museum draws students, artists, and community members for engaging conversations about art. The 2026 Eric Fischl guest artist is New-York based American visual artist Marilyn Minter. Known as one of the most provocative and influential contemporary artists of our time, Minter is recognized for her raw, hyperreal explorations of beauty, power, and desire across a variety of mediums.

Working across painting, photography and video, she challenges conventional aesthetics by fusing glamour with grit and seduction with subversion. Drawing from fashion, advertising, pornography and art history, Minter’s work examines how pleasure, femininity and consumer culture collide. Her signature style—lush, high-gloss surfaces layered with sweat, glitter and condensation—blurs the boundaries between attraction and repulsion, reality and fantasy. Since the 1970s, Minter has been a fearless disruptor, using her art to critique the idealized images promoted by mass media and the ways women’s bodies are consumed. From her early “bush paintings” to billboard interventions and video works, she continually pushes against cultural taboos surrounding sexuality, feminism and representation. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. Her 2016 retrospective, Pretty/Dirty, cemented her legacy as a pioneering artist who amplifies what others shy away from.

The event on April 8 will begin with an exhibition of artwork by Phoenix College students on view in the Museum’s Cummings Great Hall South. As part of the 2026 Eric Fischl Series, Fischl will also present the prestigious Vanguard Awards to students whose works are selected as “Best in Show” from pieces submitted to the annual exhibition. Fischl created the Vanguard Award in 2005 to recognize emerging student talent in the fine arts, establish Phoenix College as a center for the arts in downtown Phoenix, and create life-changing opportunities for students. Recipients of the award receive $2,500. To date, the Vanguard Award has been presented to 69 students, including some who have received the award more than once. The evening will close with an engaging conversation between Fischl and Minter in Whiteman Hall.

In addition to the annual Eric Fischl Series, PhxArt will be showing an exclusive film screening of PRETTY DIRTY: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter on April 7. Directed by Jennifer Ash Rudick and Amanda Benchley, this unfiltered exposé strips away the glittering facade of one of the art world’s most provocative icons. PRETTY DIRTY traces Minter’s improbable journey from a Southern childhood and New York’s raw underground to today’s billion-dollar art market. Known for transforming forbidden subjects—sex, shame, and aging—into hypnotic, larger-than-life masterpieces, Minter blurs the lines between glamour and grit. As she nears 80, she remains an “unapologetic provocateuse,” creating massive paintings of cultural icons like Lizzo, Jane Fonda, Pamela Anderson, and Monica Lewinsky. Featuring rare archival footage and powerful testimonies from art world luminaries and pop culture figures including Glenn Ligon and Padma Lakshmi, the film asks a lingering question: Will the art establishment finally embrace an artist who dares to think differently? The film will be followed by a special 20-minute Q&A with the artist herself, Marilyn Minter, moderated by one of the film’s producers, Debi Wisch, (The Art of Making It, The Price of Everything) as they discuss the making of the documentary and Minter’s lifelong pursuit of an authentic, fearless aesthetic. The screening of Pretty Dirty: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter will be hosted on Tuesday, April 7, 2025 at 6 pm with the Q&A at 7:30pm. Tickets are $8 for the public and free for Museum Members and are available here.

For more information contact the Communications Office at press@phxart.org or kaylee.weyrauch@phxart.org.

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, an art+music festival, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.

About Eric Fischl

Born in New York City in 1948, Eric Fischl grew up in the suburbs of Long Island. He began his art education in Phoenix and attended Phoenix College, later earning his B.F.A. from the California Institute for the Arts in 1972. After spending time in Chicago, where he worked as a guard at the Museum of Contemporary Art, he moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to teach painting at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Fischl had his first solo exhibition there before relocating to New York City in 1978. Fischl’s suburban upbringing provided him with a backdrop of alcoholism and a country club culture obsessed with image over content. His early work thus became focused on the rift between what was experienced and what could not be said. His first New York City solo exhibition was at Edward Thorp Gallery in 1979, during a time when suburbia was not considered a legitimate genre for art. He received critical attention for depicting the dark, disturbing undercurrents of mainstream American life. An internationally acclaimed American painter and sculptor, Fischl’s artwork is represented in many distinguished museums throughout the world and has been featured in over 1,000 publications. His extraordinary achievements throughout his career have made him one of the most influential figurative painters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He is a Fellow at both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Science. He lives and works in Sag Harbor, NY, with his wife, the painter April Gornik.

About Marilyn Minter

Marilyn Minter (b. 1948, U.S.) is one of the most influential contemporary artists of her generation, known for her unflinching, hyperreal examinations of beauty, power and desire. Working across painting, photography and video, she challenges conventional aesthetics by fusing glamour with grit and seduction with subversion. Drawing from fashion, advertising, pornography and art history, Minter’s work explores the intersections of pleasure, femininity and consumer culture. Her signature style—lush, high-gloss surfaces layered with sweat, glitter and condensation—collapses the boundaries between attraction and repulsion, reality and fantasy. Since the 1970s, Minter has consistently used her practice to interrogate the idealized images produced by mass media. From her early “bush paintings” to large-scale billboard projects and video works, she confronts cultural taboos surrounding sexuality, gender and feminism. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. Her 2016 retrospective, Pretty/Dirty, further established her as a pioneering artist whose work brings visibility to subjects often pushed to the margins.

About Phoenix College

Founded in 1920, Phoenix College is the flagship institution of the Maricopa County Community College District, one of the largest community college systems in the nation. Serving more than 17,000 students each year, the college offers over 200 degree and certificate programs, including associate degrees, university transfer pathways, workforce training, and select bachelor’s degrees aligned with Arizona’s evolving workforce needs. Committed to access, academic excellence, and student success, Phoenix College helps students build skills, advance their careers, and create better futures for themselves and their families.

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PHOENIX (March 1, 2026) – Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has opened the annual call for submissions for the institution’s Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards (Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards), a juried grant program that provides recognition and $10,000 in financial support for emerging, professional artists based in Arizona. Additionally, applicants who are not chosen for the Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards will be automatically entered into the running for the Sette/Cohn Artist Award, a $5,000 prize awarded to an emerging Arizona artist selected from the Lehmann Emerging Artist Award application pool. This year’s open call will again be hosted in partnership with Artlink, a Phoenix-based arts organization who has partnered with the Museum on the institution’s Arizona Artist Awards open call for nearly a decade. The call will be open from March 1 – April 27, 2026 to qualifying artists who wish to present their work for consideration. There is no cost to submit an application. Up to two Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards recipients and one Sette/Cohn Artist Award recipient will be announced the week of September 21, 2026.

“Investing in and supporting artists who live and work in Arizona remains at the heart of the mission of Phoenix Art Museum,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “We are immensely thankful to our donors who allow us to enact on that commitment with their support of the artists’ prizes. Not only does their generosity support the work and lives of local artists, but also creating greater awareness more broadly of the incredible work Arizona artists are creating in our state, enabling the Museum to display these remarkable, compelling works to our Arizona community and beyond.”

The Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards fosters the creation of contemporary art by encouraging emerging artists working in Arizona through grants and annual exhibitions, in addition to providing additional programming opportunities for artist talks with the community at PhxArt. Each year, two artists are selected as award recipients by a jury assembled by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement at PhxArt. The jury includes curators, artists, and other visual-arts experts from both in and outside of Arizona. In addition to each artists receiving a $10,000 prize, Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards recipients also receive a lifetime Museum Membership and an invitation to present their work in a group exhibition at PhxArt.

For those individuals who are not selected as Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards recipients, their applications will be considered for the Museum’s Sette/Cohn Artist Award. The Sette/Cohn Artist Award is a five-year initiative dedicated to strengthening community partnerships and local artists through the Museum’s annual Arizona Artist Awards program. It is named in honor of Lisa Sette, who has supported and represented Arizona-based artists, both through her gallery and personally, for more than 40 years, and Lee and Mike Cohn, longtime Museum supporters who in 2023 provided the seed funding to launch the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund and are now extending their generosity to support local artists. Artists who apply for the Lehmann Emerging Artist Awardswill be automatically entered into the running for the Sette/Cohn Artist Award and do not need to reapply.

Call for 2026 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards + Sette/Cohn Award Submissions

PhxArt will accept submissions for the 2026 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards and the Sette/Cohn Award from March 1 – April 27, 2026. Applications are accepted online only and are due by 5:00 p.m. MST on April 27, 2026. The selection committee will award up to two Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards of $10,000 each and one Sette/Cohn Artist Award of $5,000. Lehmann Award recipients will also be invited to present work in a 2026 group exhibition at the Museum and receive a lifetime Membership to PhxArt. There is no fee to submit to the open call.

Eligibility Requirements:

Artists must be considered emerging artists to apply, meeting at least one of the following criteria: 

• Artists with at least four years of professional experience and who are currently making and exhibiting new work.
• Artists whose work has been shown in Arizona but not extensively outside of the state.  
• Individuals returning to art after a hiatus. 
• Artists must have been living in Arizona for at least one year at the time of application.
• Artists working in all media, including painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, new media, performance, photography, and video, may apply.
• Submitted artwork must have been produced within the past three years.
• Artists must be registered as an Artlink Articipant. Register as an Articipant* with Artlink here.

Applicants are ineligible if they are:

• Artists who have not yet resided in Arizona for one year
• Enrolled full-time in an academic program
• Individuals who engage in art making as a hobby
• Previous winners of an Emerging Artist Award from Phoenix Art Museum
• Current Phoenix Art Museum staff, board, or volunteers.

Submission Requirements:
Applications must be submitted online USING THIS LINK and include:

• Artist name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number
• Artist website
• Resume/CV
• Artist statement (300 words or fewer)
• Six (6) images of the artwork you wish to be reviewed by jurors:
  • Artwork must be produced in the last three (3) years.
  • Video work samples will be accepted; they are not to exceed three minutes each.
• Descriptions of each submitted artwork
  • Please include title, date completed, medium, and dimension
  • Short description of the work is optional (100 words or fewer)

Submission Deadline:

All materials must be submitted online by 5:00 pm MST on April 27, 2026. Submit applications to this link.Application materials apply to both the Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards and the Sette/Cohn Artist Award. Please email curatorial@phxart.org with any questions.

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, an art+music festival, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.

About the Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards

The Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards are presented annually by Phoenix Art Museum. The artists’ grants recognition program is a continuation of a program begun by former Museum support group Contemporary Forum, which awarded more than 180 artists’ grants over more than 30 years. The Contemporary Forum Artists’ Grants concluded in 2017, at which time Phoenix Art Museum continued to subsidize an annual artists’ grants program to support the efforts and recognition of Arizona-based artists. In April 2021, the annual artists’ grants program was rebranded to acknowledge the support of local donors Sally and Richard Lehmann, who have committed to funding the Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards annually for a minimum of 10 years. Effective with the 2024 cohort of Arizona Artist Award recipients, PhxArt increased monetary support for the annual Lehmann Emerging Artists Awards from $5,000 to $10,000 per artist (two awarded), made possible through the generosity of the Cohn Fund for Arts & Culture at the Arizona Community Foundation.  

About the Sette/Cohn Artist Award

The Sette/Cohn Artist Award is a five-year initiative dedicated to supporting arts engagement and strengthening community partnerships through the annual Arizona Artist Awards program at Phoenix Art Museum. This $5,000 unrestricted prize is awarded to an emerging Arizona artist selected from the Lehmann Emerging Artist Award applicant pool by a jury panel. It is named in honor of Lisa Sette and Lee and Mike Cohn. Sette is a leading advocate for original and thought-provoking artistic expression, and for more than 40 years, Lisa Sette Gallery has been at the forefront of contemporary art, exhibiting artists from Arizona and across the country working on the edge of aesthetic, social, and conceptual investigation. The Cohns are longtime Museum supporters who in 2023 provided the seed funding to launch the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund and with the Sette/Cohn Artist Award have now extended their generosity to support Arizona-based artists.

About Artlink Inc.

Artlink keeps the arts integral to our development by connecting artists, businesses and the community. Founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by artists in 1989, the Artlink name is a guiding principle for the organization, as it supports stakeholders of the arts and culture community, amplifying its collective strength. Visit artlinkphx.org and artinerary.com.

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FEATURED EVENTS 

Women Powered: Rebecca Minkoff

Thursday, March 12, 2026 | Cocktail Reception @ 5 pm | Fireside Chat @ 6:30pm

Reception in Dorrance Sculpture Garden, Fireside Chat presented in Whiteman Hall

$45 for the general public | $25 for Members | $15 for college students with active ID. Optional upgrades are available. 

Dinner with Rebecca Minkoff | $500

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of PhxArt’s fashion program, the Museum will host a special edition of Women Powered, featuring an inspiring conversation with the nationally renowned New York-based designer Rebecca Minkoff, led by Valley entrepreneur and fashion icon Chrissy Sayare. Minkoff will share stories of her own success, building bold ideas, navigating business, and living at the intersection of entrepreneurship and creativity. This event is welcome to all ages and industries.

Minkoff’s journey began with a fearless leap—moving to New York City at just 18 to chase a dream in fashion. With no roadmap and few resources, she turned a love for design into a global brand synonymous with accessible luxury. But what truly sets her apart isn’t just her success as a designer, it’s her unwavering commitment to uplifting others as she climbs. In 2018, she launched the Female Founder Collective, a powerful network of women-led businesses committed to advancing financial equity and opportunities for women at every level. Through her Superwomen podcast and candid speaking engagements, she shares the unfiltered side of entrepreneurship and life, like navigating setbacks, battling fear, and balancing life with ambition. 

Tickets are available here.

Women Powered: Rebecca Minkoff is made possible through the generosity of Major Sponsor To Be Continued… A Consignment Boutique, with additional support from Austin Commercial and Catherine Tuton. In-kind support provided by Fresh from the Kitchen.

SOUNDCHECK | The Hourglass Cats

Thursday, March 19 | Bar opens @ 5 pm | Doors @ 5:30 pm | Show @ 6 pm

Free for Members | General admission for the public 

On March 19, SOUNDCHECK welcomes The Hourglass Cats to PhxArt Museum.

Sonoran outfit The Hourglass Cats are a desert rock-n-roll, reggae, and hip-hop collective based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Known for their high-energy live shows, relentless gigging schedule, and recording and performing all their music in 432 Hz, The Hourglass Cats find their true uniqueness in their ability to effortlessly blend multiple genres to create a sound smoothie that is very unique to the Sonoran desert they call home.

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.

Lenhardt Lecture | Caroline Kent

Wednesday, March 25 | 6:30 pm

Presented in Whiteman Hall

Free for Members | $5 for general public 

Join us for the spring 2026 Dawn and David Lenhardt Lecture featuring Chicago-based visual artist Caroline Kent. Kent is an acclaimed artist and associate professor in the Art, Theory, and Practice Department at Northwestern University. Her work pushes the boundaries of language and translation through an expansive painting practice that spans drawing, sculpture, performance, and installation. A 2025 USA Fellow and Aspen Arts Prize recipient, Kent has earned major support from the Pollock-Krasner, McKnight, and Jerome foundations. Her work has been featured at leading institutions, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Walker Art Center.

Tickets are available here.

The David and Dawn Lenhardt Lecture engages Valley audiences with some of the most acclaimed contemporary artists in the world. In 2018, the inaugural lecture presented New-York based artist Jim Hodges, and subsequent lectures have featured artists Shara Hughes, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Arcmanoro Niles, Teresita Fernández in conversation with Amalia Mesa-Bains, Derek Fordjour, Rashid Johnson, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe in conversation with Larry Ossei-Mensah, Leonardo Drew, Charles Gaines in conversation with Thelma Golden, and Adam Pendleton in conversation with Dr. Adrianne Edwards. The Lenhardt Lecture is made possible through the generosity of The Dawn and David Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative. Lenhardt Lecture Series is supported in part by Prime Steak Concepts. 

ON VIEW NOW

Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light)

Through June 28, 2026

Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light), organized by the Hood Museum of Art, is the first major solo exhibition exploring the narrative artistic practice of the Chemehuevi photographer and presents 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. 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 brilliantly 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 College, and curated by Jami Powell, PhD, 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.

CLOSING SOON

Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion

Closing March 1, 2026, Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion features more than 80 garments and accessories that offer the first major investigation into the formation of the renowned PhxArt fashion collection.

The Collection: Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion at Phoenix Art Museum, with Catherine Wise, the Hirabayashi Intern in Fashion Design, and Summer Rye, intern. It is presented through the generous support of Thomas Carlton Rogers II, Arizona Costume Institute, and Bennett and Jacquie Dorrance. Fashion exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by The Kelly Ellman Fashion Endowment Fund. 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 MARCH EVENTS

Lemon Library Book Club: Never Whistle at Night

Wednesday, March 4 | 6:30 pm 

Location: The Amphitheater inside the Museum

Free event.
For more information, click here.

Storytime
Thursday, March 5 | 10:30 am
Free for Members | Included with general admission
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.

Object of the Month: The Clown, Narcisse Virgile Diaz De La Peña 
March 5, 7, 19, 26 | 11:30 am
Free for Members | Included with general admission 

For more information, click here.

Object of the Month is made possible by CMI Gold & Silver.

Curator Talk: Ancestral Futures
Thursday, March 5 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Registration required. Capacity is limited.

Tickets are available here.

Create Playdate

Saturday, March 7, 14, 21, 28 | 11 am – 3 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission

For more information, click here.

Create Playdate is made possible by The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.

Films at PhxArt: Boogie Nights

Wednesday, March 11 | 6 pm 

Free for Members | $8 for general public
For more information, click here.

Films@PhxArt is made possible by Fit Via Vi Films.

Kids Day at PhxArt

Saturday, March 14 | 10 am – 2 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Every second Saturday of the month.

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.

National Theatre Live: The Fifth Step

Sunday, March 15 | 1 pm 

$15 for Members | $20 for general public
Tickets are available here.

National Theatre Live screenings are made possible in part by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts.

Curator Talk: Breaking the Mold
Thursday, March 26 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Registration required. Capacity is limited.

Tickets are available here.

Workshop: Radical Mugs with Pip Coffee + Clay
Saturday, March 28 | 10 am – 12:30 pm

Members $50 | Non-Members $60

Registration required. Capacity is limited.

Age 10+. Ages 18 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets are available here.

OTHER DISCOUNTED + FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays
Every Wednesday | 3 – 8 pm
Voluntary-donation general admission

Free for Museum Members | $10 special exhibition

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix, with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation. 

First Friday

Friday, March 6 | 5 – 8 pm

Free general admission | $10 special exhibition

Tickets are available here.

First Friday at PhxArt is made possible through the generosity of APS with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation.

Military Discount Active-duty U.S. military personnel and veterans enjoy $5 off general admission tickets. 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.  

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The post Phoenix Art Museum hosts Caroline Kent for spring Lenhardt Lecture; Women Powered returns with global fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

PHOENIX (January 29, 2026) –On Thursday, March 12, 2026, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) presents the return of Women Powered. The beloved program, which offers guests the opportunity to network amongst peers and hear from dynamic women leaders, brings global fashion designer, entrepreneur, and women’s empowerment advocate Rebecca Minkoff, live to the Museum. To celebrate the 60^th anniversary of PhxArt’s fashion program, the Museum will host a special edition of Women Powered, featuring an inspiring conversation with the nationally renowned New York-based designer led by Valley entrepreneur and fashion icon Chrissy Sayare. Minkoff will share stories of her own success, building bold ideas, navigating business, and living at the intersection of entrepreneurship and creativity. This event is welcome to all ages and industries.

At 5 pm, the Museum will host a cocktail reception with a cash bar in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden. Then at 6:30 pm, attendees will enjoy a fireside chat with Minkoff and Sayare in Whiteman Hall.

Make the evening even more memorable by adding a signed copy of Minkoff’s newest book Fearless: The New Rules of Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success to your reservation. The personally autographed special edition is available in limited quantities and is a meaningful takeaway from an inspiring night.

Elevate your evening with an exclusive, intimate dinner honoring the nationally renowned designer directly following the program. Enjoy a luxury dining experience with a hosted bar and receive a signed copy of Minkoff’s recent book Fearless: The New Rules of Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. This special experience offers a rare opportunity to engage more personally with our guest of honor and deepen your connection to the ideas shared on stage while making a meaningful impact. Dinner tickets are $500 each. Seating is limited. Advance purchase required for dinner by March 4.

Tickets to Women Powered are $45 for the general public, $25 for PhxArt Members, $15 for college students with an active ID. Optional ticket to include a singed copy of Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success also available at $45 for Members, $65 for non-Members. Dinner tickets are $500 each. Seating is limited. Advance purchase required for dinner by March 4. Tickets are available here.

Rebecca Minkoff’s journey began with a fearless leap—moving to New York City at just 18 to chase a dream in fashion. With no roadmap and few resources, she turned a love for design into a global brand synonymous with accessible luxury. But what truly sets Rebecca apart isn’t just her success as a designer. It’s her unwavering commitment to lifting others as she climbs. In 2018, she launched the Female Founder Collective, a powerful network of women-led businesses committed to advancing financial equity and opportunity for women at every level. Through her Superwomen podcast and candid speaking engagements, she shares the unfiltered side of entrepreneurship and life like navigating setbacks, battling fear, and balancing life with ambition. Her talks leave audiences energized and inspired, reminding them that fear is not a weakness but a compass to guide them through the impossible.

For more information about this event, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org.

About the Fashion Collection at Phoenix Art Museum

The Fashion Collection at Phoenix Art Museum strives to tell an accurate history of fashion and is actively pursuing works that represent a broader and more inclusive glossary of designers. Comprising nearly half of the Museum’s permanent holdings, the collection houses nearly 9,000 examples of fashionable dress and accessories from five centuries of style. With everything from a pair of 17th-century sueded-leather gloves to 21st-century couture runway looks, the collection explores the art of dressing and seeks out the rarest examples of these dress traditions. Celebrated for its quality and comprehensiveness, the collection boasts strengths in 19th-century womenswear as well as works by 20th-century designers, with significant examples from major representatives of European and North American fashion history. Special archives within the collection include the Ann Bonfoey Taylor wardrobe of more than 200 examples by mid-century couture designers, The Emphatics Archive of more than 400 works from avant-garde designers, and the Geoffrey Beene Archive, with more than 300 evening gowns and custom designs.

About Arizona Costume Institute

Arizona Costume Institute was founded in 1966 to support the fashion-design department of Phoenix Art Museum through the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance and through events and fundraising efforts that support and deepen awareness of the Museum’s fashion exhibitions and education programs. ACI’s support of this collection area depends on the enthusiasm of dedicated volunteers. The ACI Board of Managers 2023-2025 president is Joy Sprink. To learn more about Arizona Costume Institute, visit arizonacostumeinstitute.org.

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.

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The post Phoenix Art Museum hosts an unforgettable evening with global fashion designer, entrepreneur, and women’s empowerment advocate Rebecca Minkoff appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

“We are pleased to welcome Caroline Kent this March as part of our ongoing Lenhardt Lecture series, made possible through the generosity of the Lenhardt family,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “Through her exploration of language and abstraction, Kent helps redefine what it means to communicate in a global society. Her practice challenges us to see beyond what’s familiar to us, inspiring dialogue and transformation. The spring Lenhardt Lecture is a rare opportunity to hear firsthand how art can challenge boundaries and allows visitors to gain insight into Kent’s process and vision.”

Kent, an associate professor in the Art, Theory, and Practice department at Northwestern University, was born in Sterling, Illinois in 1975, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Illinois State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota. From 2000 to 2002, she lived in Alba Iulia, Romania, as a Peace Corps volunteer. Kent’s work explores the limits of language and the process of translation through an expanded painting practice. Developed through an open-ended archive of improvisational works on paper, her paintings built from this context take multiple forms, including drawings, sculpture, and performance. She labors to expand the discourse of modernist abstraction by questioning how language operates in unknown and ever-evolving conditions. Her work moves from surface and frame to environment and architecture through acts of translation from one medium to the next. 

Over the past few years, Kent’s practice has evolved into a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk, a total art form, articulating space, matter, and time through architecture, objects, and performance. Past exhibitions have included movement-based troupes and dancers who built choreography from the forms of specific artworks, becoming full-space installations. Wooden shapes extend beyond the paintings, cornices and walls bend to buttress portals, and the vocabulary of forms has begun to produce a choreography for bodies navigating these new worlds. The production of objects has shifted from a conflation of perception tied to a particular time and place to an unfolding universe of becoming. Bringing forms from within the painting to the outside is a simultaneous act of translation and transformation. Kent’s work suggests that an abstract language beckons a context that speaks to other material and immaterial forms in the world.

“Dawn and I are so pleased to welcome Caroline Kent as this spring’s Lenhardt Lecture speaker,” said David Lenhardt, vice chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “Kent’s work makes us consider ways to think differently and connect more deeply. We believe that her voice will inspire attendees to see the power of creativity in building bridges and broadening communication.  

In addition to her presentation at Phoenix Art Museum, Kent will visit with students, local artists and creatives to provide mentorship. This educational and community-based work is another component of the Lenhardt Lectures and enables lecture speakers to give back and engage with Arizona-based creatives in various capacities.

For more information about the Lenhardt Lecture series or for high-resolution images, contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org.

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.

About the David and Dawn Lenhardt Lecture and the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative 

The David and Dawn Lenhardt Lecture engages Valley audiences with some of the most acclaimed contemporary artists in the world. In 2018, the inaugural lecture presented New-York based artist Jim Hodges, and subsequent lectures have featured artists Shara Hughes, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Arcmanoro Niles, Teresita Fernández in conversation with Amalia Mesa-Bains, Derek Fordjour, Rashid Johnson, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe in conversation with Larry Ossei-Mensah, Leonardo Drew, Charles Gaines in conversation with Thelma Golden and Adam Pendelton in conversation with Dr. Adrienne Edwards.

The Lenhardt Lecture is a key component of the David and Dawn Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative. Made possible through the generosity of the Arizona-based Lenhardt family, the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative was established in 2017 to deepen the Museum’s commitment to contemporary art through various programs, namely the Lenhardt Lectures, which engage Valley audiences with some of the most acclaimed contemporary artists in the world; the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Acquisition Fund, which enables Phoenix Art Museum to collect works by contemporary artists; and the Dawn and David Lenhardt Gallery, designated for the presentation of contemporary art, including works acquired with funds from the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative, loans from national and local collectors, and a rotating series of artworks from the Lenhardts’ own collection. In 2021, the initiative was expanded to support the diversification of the contemporary art collection of Phoenix Art Museum through the acquisition of works by artists contributing to discourses on race, gender, and other socially relevant concerns, including those by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and women artists, among others. Since 2017, the Museum has acquired artworks by Shara Hughes, Arcmanoro Niles, Derek Fordjour, Rashid Johnson, and Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe with funds from the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative. 

About Caroline Kent

Caroline Kent, an associate professor in the Art, Theory, and Practice department at Northwestern University, was born in Sterling, Illinois in 1975, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Illinois State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota. From 2000 to 2002, she lived in Alba Iulia, Romania, as a Peace Corps volunteer. Kent’s work explores the limits of language and the process of translation through an expanded painting practice. Developed through an open-ended archive of improvisational works on paper, her paintings built from this context take multiple forms, including drawings, sculpture, and performance. She labors to expand the discourse of modernist abstraction by questioning how language operates in unknown and ever-evolving conditions. Her work moves from surface and frame to environment and architecture through acts of translation from one medium to the next. 

A 2025 USA Fellow and recipient of the Aspen Arts Prize for innovation in painting, Kent has received grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, and Jerome Foundation. Additionally, she was a 2020 Artadia Chicago Awardee and a 2021 Joyce Alexander Wein Prize recipient from the Studio Museum in Harlem. Her recent exhibitions include La Trienal at El Museo del Barrio, New York City and Ancestral at the Museum of Brazilian Art (M.A.B.), São Paulo, Brazil. Kent has showcased her work at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, MoMA, MCA Chicago, the New Orleans Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Hill Art Foundation, BAMPFA, the Queens Museum, and the Walker Art Center.

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