In the immediate term, GSACPC will continue to occupy the Coronado Avenue properties during a transition period, as it shifts administrative functions to The Bob & Renee Parsons Leadership Center for Girls and Women at Camp South Mountain. Following that transition, PhxArt anticipates making the properties available for lease to other nonprofit organizations, allowing the buildings to continue serving community-based organizations. Over the next five to 10 years, the Museum envisions adapting the Coronado Avenue properties for administrative use. This would enable PhxArt to reimagine and repurpose its existing administrative building on the Museum’s main campus to become a dedicated, integrated arts-education and community programming space.

“The acquisition of these properties represents an important expansion of Phoenix Art Museum’s campus and our long-term vision for the institution” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “For more than six decades, the Museum has grown alongside this community, and this expansion gives us an opportunity to thoughtfully extend our presence in Central Phoenix while continuing to advance the arts and cultural footprint of the downtown area. We are grateful to Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council for their stewardship of these properties and look forward to carrying that stewardship forward as we consider how these spaces can best serve the Museum and our community for generations to come.”

In addition to the transition of the Coronado properties, the partnership between PhxArt and GSACPC will extend to community programming and initiatives. Over the coming year, the organizations plan to explore and develop collaborative arts-engagement opportunities for youth of all backgrounds, interests, and abilities. Additional information about these programs will be announced in the coming months.

“Phoenix Art Museum is an incredible partner to ensure the legacy of the buildings continues to uplift our community,” said GSACPC co-CEOs Mary Mitchell and Christina Spicer. “The sale of the buildings is a strategic step forward for our mission. Net revenue from the sale will create more opportunities to place council staff directly in communities alongside girls and volunteers by improving access to meeting space, strengthening connections, and enhancing customer service.” 

The history of Phoenix Art Museum extends back to 1915, when the Phoenix Women’s Club pledged to purchase one work of art each year, the genesis of the Phoenix Municipal Collection, which would eventually become the foundation of the Phoenix Art Museum Collection. Over the following decades, community leaders established the Phoenix Fine Arts Association and organized exhibitions throughout the burgeoning metropolis.

The Museum’s modern history began in 1936, when artist Philip C. Curtis was appointed director of the Phoenix Federal Art Center through President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration program. Following World War II, community leaders organized a fundraising campaign to acquire property along Central Avenue and Coronado Road, and in January 1959, construction began on the site to erect a new museum building designed by Michigan architect Alden B. Dow, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Phoenix Art Museum officially opened to the public on November 18, 1959, and over the decades has continued to evolve alongside the community it serves. Expansions in 1965, 1996, 2006, and 2010 provided additional gallery spaces to present special exhibitions and modern and contemporary artworks from the PhxArt Collection, along with multipurpose spaces now used for public engagement and educational offerings. The partnership with Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council represents the next chapter in the Museum’s evolution, with a focus on building greater opportunity for the Valley’s diverse community to experience, learn about, and engage with the arts.

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About Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council 

In partnership with 6,500 adult volunteers, GSACPC serves over 12,000 girls grades K-12 in more than 90 communities across central and northern Arizona. Since 1936, GSACPC has helped girls develop leadership skills and tools for success in a rapidly changing environment. We know that given the opportunity, every girl can become a leader, act confidently on her values, and connect with her community. For more information, visit www.girlscoutsaz.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. 

The post Phoenix Art Museum and Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council Partner to Transition Ownership of Coronado Avenue Properties in Central Phoenix Partnership reflects a shared commitment to thoughtful stewardship, community service, and expanded opportunities for arts education  appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

FEATURED EVENTS

Family Funday 

Sunday, November 15 | 10 am–5 pm 

Free event

Twice a year, Phoenix Art Museum hosts PhxArt Family Fundays, offering complimentary admission to every gallery. This all-ages, free-access day features arts-engagement programming suitable for visitors of all interests and abilities. This Family Funday celebrates the exhibition, Kim Chong Hak, Painter of Seoraksan. Known for his vivid, abstract expressions of monumental landscapes and the changing seasons, Kim’s work inspires a day of nature-themed art-making activities and cultural performances throughout the Museum.

* All materials provided; first come, first served while supplies last. 

Make it! | 10 am–4 pm

• Create a mixed-media collage inspired by the work of artist Pala Pothupitiya
• Traditional embroidery connected to Korean folk art with Sunshine Craft Co.
• Nature-themed mandala crafting with Rosa Phoenix
• Puzzle purse activity with PhxArt Archivist, Aspen Reynolds
• Korean Hanji paper craft inspired by the abstract style of Kim Chong Hak
• Create a paper sculpture garden and collaborative mural with Desert Doodle Art

Participate! | 10 am–4 pm

• Explore the Art of Asia through a scavenger hunt 
• Learn about butterflies and insects with Jon Douglas, Professor of Biology at Phoenix College
• Learn about Ikebana, the traditional art of Japanese flower arranging, from Museum Docents
• Young visitors can enjoy soft play and hands-on art making with Playhouse AZ
• Young visitors can experience sensory play and watercolor painting with Leo and Luca
• View traditional Korean garments and enjoy a fashion-inspired art making activity
• Pick up a mini bouquet provided by Arizona State Flower Association as you exit the Museum

Performances! 

• K-Pop performances by UnderSkore at 11 am | 1 pm | 2 pm | 3 pm | 4 pm  
• Traditional Korean folk dance performances sponsored by Phoenix Sister Cities from 10:30 am and 12 pm 
• A Storytime reading of Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert, presented with Desert Botanical Garden at 11:30

Tickets are available here.

Family Fundays are made possible in part by The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs, and Carolyn Dunkin Schulte Educational Endowment Fund.

The Color of Noir

Free for Members | $10 for Non-Members

Last year, we celebrated “Noirvember” at the Museum with screenings of black-and-white classics like Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard. This year, we’re adding a vibrant new palette to the shadows with our “Color of Noir” series. Explore the seedy underbelly and mean streets of the neo-noir landscape—now in color. Featuring both undisputed masterworks and breakthrough debuts from some of cinema’s best directors, the lineup kicks off with the quintessential color noir, Chinatown. The series continues with the Coen Brothers’ stunning debut, Blood Simple, and Christopher Nolan’s early, mind-bending hit, Memento, before concluding with the pulse-pounding neon-noir, Drive, starring Ryan Gosling.

In Conversation: Pala Pothupitiye and Dr. Tushara Bindu Gude

Saturday, November 14 | 12 pm

Free for Members | Included in General Admission

Join us for midday conversation to celebrate the inaugural installation of the Nagendran Gallery for the Art of Sri Lanka and South Asia, featuring a solo exhibition by celebrated Sri Lankan contemporary artist Pala Pothupitiye. Hear from Pothupitiye and guest curator Dr. Tushara Bindu Gude, as they discuss the artist’s practice and exhibition.

Tickets are available here.

OPENING SOON

Art of Asia

Opening November 6, 2026

Discover three new installations that showcase historical and contemporary works from the Museum’s collections of Chinese and Japanese art.

Craft/Art Continuum

A showcase of intricate bamboo baskets from Japan illustrating the continuum between craft objects and fine art and the evolution from vessels for ikebana flower arrangements to contemporary abstract sculpture.

Scrolls of Nature and Imagination: Literati Art from China and Japan

This installation explores the world of gentleman scholars from China and Japan, including elegant scrolls, installations of a Chinese scholar’s desk and groupings of Japanese assorted media that provide a view into the refined elegance of the literati lifestyle.

Phoenix and Dragon: Blessings in Bronze from China

Discover how mythical creatures and timeless designs convey blessings of longevity and good fortune through Chinese bronze artworks from the 12th through the 21st century.

These installations in the Nagendran Wing for the Art of Asia are organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Colin Pearson, Curator for Art of Asia. 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.

Sarkar-i-Khalsa: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire

Opening November 6, 2026

Ranjit Singh’s (1780-1839) reign as Maharaja of the Sikh Empire began in 1801, when much of the Punjab was occupied by foreign invaders. Singh founded a secular empire and surrounded himself with advisors of varied faiths and backgrounds to secure the Punjab and promote a just society. This exhibition in the Khanuja Family Sikh Art Gallery takes viewers into the Maharaja’s court in Lahore, showcasing exquisite armor, swords, and jewelry alongside historical and contemporary paintings that depict Singh’s life and influence.

Sarkar-i-Khalsa: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. It is made possible through the generosity of 5 Rivers Sikh Museum. 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.

Pala Pothupitiye: Mapping a Sri Lankan Consciousness

Opening November 13, 2026

Pala Pothupitiye: Mapping a Sri Lankan Consciousness features works by acclaimed contemporary artist Pala Pothupitiye, whose practice draws from diverse visual, cultural, and mythological sources to interrogate the whole of Sri Lankan history. The exhibition highlights Pothupitiye’s most well-known body of work—cartographic paintings in which the artist deploys various maps of the island as fields for his imaginative portrayals of imperial and national ambitions, colonial desires, religious and ethnic identities, and modern-day conflict.

Pala Pothupitiye: Mapping a Sri Lankan Consciousness is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Tushara Bindu Gude, PhD, Curator, Foundation for Spirituality and the Arts. It is underwritten in part by Dr. Sukumar Nagendran and the Excellence Fund for Sri Lankan and South Asian Art at Phoenix Art Museum. 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.

NEW ON VIEW

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion

Through August 8, 2027

The unveiling of a newly commissioned gown by Christian Siriano for the PhxArt Fashion Collection will hold prominence in the Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion exhibition. This installation will coincide with the launch of Colorwear, an original PhxArt publication that explores the history and highlights of the institution’s fashion collection and features Siriano’s PhxArt commission on its cover.

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion at Phoenix Art Museum 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. Additional support provided by Fan Association of North America (FANA). 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.

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

OTHER NOVEMBER EVENTS

PhxArt Book Club: L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
Wednesday, November 4 | 6:30 pm
Free event

Location: The Lemon Art Research Library, located inside the Museum Administration Building

For more information, click here.

Storytime
Thursday, November 5 | 10:30 am
Free for Members | Included with General Admission

For more information, click here.

Storytime is made possible by First Things First, 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.

First Friday

Friday, November 6 | 5–8 pm

Voluntary Donations | Special Exhibition Tickets Sold Separately

For more information, click here.

First Fridays are made possible through the generosity of APS, with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation.

Object of the Month Presented in Memory of Cheryl Fine: Hiding in the City #69 by Liu Bolin

November 5, 7, 19 | 11:30 am
Free for Members | Included with General Admission

For more information, click here.

Object of the Month is Presented in Memory of Cheryl Fine.

Create Playdate

Saturday, November 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.

Curator Tour: Veteran Artists in Focus

Wednesday, November 18 | 6:30–7:30 pm

Free during Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesday

Tickets are available here.

OTHER DISCOUNTED + FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays
Every Wednesday | 3–8 pm
Voluntary Donations

Free for Museum Members | $10 special exhibition

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and the City of Phoenix – Office of Arts and Culture, with additional support provided by Arizona Community Foundation and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. 

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. 

Image Credits: Courtesy of Phoenix Art Museum. Photo: Airi Katsuta; Pala Pothupitiye portrait, courtesy of the artist; Dr. Tushara Bindu Gude, Courtesy of Dr. Bindu; Pala Pothupitiye, Taprobone, 2024. Acrylic on canvas. Collection of Dr. Sukumar Nagendran. Photo: Katie Jones-Weinert; Censer in the form of a seated qilin, Ming dynasty, first half of 17th century, China (detail). Bronze. Museum purchase, Robert H. Clague collection. Photo: Ken Howie; Punjab School, Maharaja Ranjit Singh seated with Dhian Singh and Kharak Singh, North India, Punjab Plains, Lahore, c. 1830 (detail). Khanuja Family Collection; Pala Pothupitiye, Taprobone, 2024. Acrylic on canvas. Collection of Dr. Sukumar Nagendran. Photo: Katie Jones-Weinert; Christian Siriano, Gown, 2025. Cotton and silk tulle. Museum commission with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute. Installation view of Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion, 2026. Phoenix Art Museum. Photo: Airi Katsuta.

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_{^{Image credit: 3D grown shoe from the experimental series »The Nature of Motion«, Nikita Troufanov, 2016 © Nike, Inc.}} 

(Oct. 19, 2026 – PHOENIX) Next spring, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) presents the Southwest premiere of Nike: Form Follows Motion, becoming only the second institution in the U.S. to present the comprehensive exhibition that traces the 50-year evolution of Nike from a small Oregon running company into a global cultural force.  

Organized by the Vitra Design Museum and drawn primarily from the Department of Nike Archives (DNA)—a collection of more than 200,000 objects never before accessible to the public in this depth—the exhibition brings audiences behind the scenes into Nike’s unparalleled design lab, where sports research, scientific study, design innovation, and aesthetic sensibility converge.  

Featured objects and artifacts include experimental prototypes, original design studies, rarities, and one-offs showcased alongside iconic Nike designs such as the Waffle Trainer, the Air Force 1, the Air Jordan, the Air Max, Flyknit, and the Vaporfly.  

Nike: Form Follows Motion will be on view in Steele Gallery from April 14 – September 26, 2027. 

“As one of few art museums in the U.S. to regularly exhibit, collect, and preserve fashion as part of our core collecting priorities, Phoenix Art Museum is thrilled to bring Nike: Form Follows Motion to the Valley of the Sun so that Arizona audiences can engage with the story of how the revered sports brand has united athletics, design, and contemporary culture to influence style and self-expression across generations,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition provides a first-time view into Nike’s long history, highlighting how the brand simultaneously responded to the needs of athletes while driving cutting-edge design and trends for the masses. This is much more than a striking display of sneakers and sportswear; it’s a story about an idea that started on the track and grew to shape everything from street to mainstream culture.” 

Presented by PNC Bank, Nike: Form Follows Motion at Phoenix Art Museum unfolds across four chronological sections in the institution’s premier Steele Gallery:   

• Track sheds light on Nike’s origins in the 1960s, when the company was founded by Phil Knight, a former college runner, and his coach, Bill Bowerman. Visitors discover how Bowerman’s early experiments in his kitchen led to the first Waffle Sole, while also encountering founding-era artifacts and the story of the Tennessee State University Tigerbelles, a track team of Black women who dominated the sport during the civil rights era in the U.S.  

• Air highlights the 1980s, when Nike vaulted from running specialist to cultural force. The section centers on the invention of the visible Air Sole, introduced in the 1987 Air Max, and includes engineer Frank Rudy’s original testing machine alongside air-bag prototypes that inspired the iconic design of a sealed capsule of pressurized gas that you can view through a window in the side of a shoe. The section also traces Nike’s foray into basketball, tennis, global football, and skateboarding, while highlighting partnerships with athletes such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and LeBron James that turned product into mythology.  

• Sensation opens the doors of the Nike Sport Research Lab, one of the world’s most advanced facilities for studying the body in motion. Visitors discover the science behind Nike Free, the Vaporfly and the sub-two-hour marathon, and the material breakthroughs—including Flyknit—that have reshaped both performance and the conversation about sustainability in footwear. The section closes on Nike’s ongoing work in circular manufacturing, ethical sourcing, and recycled materials.  

• Relation ends the exhibition by charting how a sports brand became a global cultural phenomenon. Visitors navigate a maze-like display of 50 examples of groundbreaking footwear born from high-profile artistic partnerships and community-driven projects. By explicitly focusing on Nike’s impact on popular culture and counterculture, this section sheds light on the public’s almost mythical devotion to sneaker culture and is supplemented by music videos and social media artifacts that demonstrate how Nike drew inspiration from global subcultures to become a prime mover of street style.  

“At PNC, we understand the critical role the arts play in the continued success, stability and growth of our community,” said Kyle Steinbuch, PNC regional president and head of Corporate Banking for Arizona. “At its core, the Nike: Form Follows Motion exhibition is about people, creativity and the evolution of ideas. We’re excited to support this opportunity for museum visitors to see the intersection of sports, design and culture in a new way.” 

Nike: Form Follows Motion is accompanied by a major 356-page publication featuring essays by scholars Sam Grawe, Adam Bradley, William Myers, Jared Dalcourt, and Ligaya Salazar. Illustrated with nearly 300 historic and contemporary images, the book will be available for purchase at The Museum Store, inside Phoenix Art Museum, along with a selection of exclusive exhibition-related merchandise. 

About the Exhibition 

Nike: Form Follows Motion is organized by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany and is curated by Glenn Adamson and assistant curator Marcella Hanika with exhibition design by JA Projects and graphic design by Daniel Streat, Visual Fields. 

The presentation of Nike: Form Follows Motion at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Summer Rye, Fashion Curatorial Assistant, and Rebekah Monahan, Fashion Collection Manager, and presented by PNC Bank. It is also made possible through the generosity of Men’s Arts Council.  

In-kind support is provided by Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix. 

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. 

About PNC Bank 

PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com. 

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, AZ (October 5, 2026) – Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) announces a historic gift from Arizona-based philanthropist, physician, and biotechnology executive Sukumar Nagendran that establishes PhxArt as a leading U.S. art museum with a dedicated Sri Lankan art initiative. The gift creates the Nagendran Gallery for the Art of Sri Lanka and South Asia, dedicates the Dr. Sukumar Nagendran Wing for the Art of Asia, and provides ongoing support for acquisitions and exhibitions, scholarly research, and public programs designed to elevate South Asian artistic voices. The significant $5M gift also expands the institution’s dedicated Art of Asia galleries to more than 9,500 sq. ft. and deepens its commitment to the presentation and preservation of Asian art, one of the Museum’s foundational collections. Opening November 13, 2026, the inaugural exhibition in the Nagendran Gallery highlights works by contemporary Sri Lankan artist Pala Pothupitiye, alongside a presentation of historical Sri Lankan art from the collection of the Fernando family.

“Since the founding of Phoenix Art Museum in 1959, Asian art has been a pillar of the institution, among its earliest acquisitions,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “Over the decades, the Museum’s Asian arts holdings have grown to include a significant and unique collection of historical Sri Lankan works that distinguishes the Museum nationally and provides a critical foundation for scholarship, interpretation, and public engagement. Dr. Nagendran’s visionary generosity enables us to build on this strength and pair our exceptional historical holdings with robust programming focused on contemporary Sri Lankan and South Asian artists, which feels especially timely as Phoenix continues to grow as a global city with considerable Asian and Asian American populations. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Nagendran for this historic gift that not only expands our Asian art galleries and collections program but also advances our mission to foster connection, belonging, and dialogue as a civic and cultural resource for our community.”

Nearly one fifth of the PhxArt Collection features works by artists who live, work, or originate from Asia, spanning more than 1,000 years of history. Among these holdings, the Museum’s collection of Sri Lankan art stands apart for its exceptional depth, historical breadth, and rare concentration of masterworks drawn from the widely regarded Fernando Family Collection. Developed through a decades-long partnership with Phoenix-based collectors and philanthropists, Drs. Coleene and Barry Fernando and the late Quintus Fernando, PhD, the collection includes Buddhist sculptures, paintings on cloth and on panels, illustrated palm leaf manuscripts, and a newly uncovered body of original black-and-white photographs by Quintus Fernando. The manuscripts are especially notable for their craftsmanship, preservation, and art historical importance, representing a rarely exhibited aspect of Sri Lanka’s literary and devotional traditions, while the Buddhist works reflect centuries of artistic innovation and spiritual practice. Equally remarkable are Fernando’s photographs, discovered only within the past decade and believed to have been taken shortly before the family emigrated from Sri Lanka. Through transformative loans, gifts, and scholarly collaboration with the Fernando family, the Museum has emerged as a leading and internationally recognized steward of Sri Lankan art, with a significant collection of historical artworks highlighted in past exhibitions, including The Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka (2003) and Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka (2021).

Nagendran’s transformational gift builds upon and dramatically expands the Fernando family’s legacy, positioning PhxArt as one of the world’s foremost institutions dedicated to the study, presentation, and advancement of both historical and contemporary Sri Lankan artistic practice. Through Nagendran’s gift, which provides vital endowment support, the Museum will pursue exhibitions, acquisitions, research, artist residencies, and international partnerships to increase visibility for contemporary Sri Lankan artists working within the region and throughout the global diaspora.

“Throughout my career, I have experienced the tremendous and transformational difference collaboration, curiosity, creativity, and intellectual rigor can make in the lives of people from all walks of life,” said Nagendran. “Through this gift, I have the opportunity to build a partnership that explores and celebrates historical and contemporary Sri Lankan art on a global scale. Together, we can share not only the extraordinary artistic traditions of Asia, but also the stories, histories, and lived experiences of the Sri Lankan people, with the Museum’s audiences and the world more broadly. It is my hope that this initiative will deepen cultural understanding, inspire future generations, and help preserve and elevate some of the most important artistic voices and works from my home region for decades—and centuries—to come.”

The Museum inaugurates the Nagendran Gallery in November 2026 with Pala Pothupitiye: Mapping a Sri Lankan Consciousness, curated by Tushara Bindu Gude, PhD, Curator at the Foundation for Spirituality and the Arts. Pothupitiye draws from diverse visual, cultural, and mythological sources to interrogate Sri Lankan history, and the exhibition highlights his most well-known body of work—cartographic paintings that use maps of the island as backdrops for his imaginative portrayals of imperial and national ambitions, colonial desires, religious and ethnic identities, and modern-day conflict. A second body of featured work explores the artistry and aesthetics of the ritual dance community into which Pothupitiye was born and how the legacies of colonialism have influenced Sri Lankan artistic practice. To provide a foundational understanding for the vision of Sri Lankan history that guides Pothupitiye’s artmaking, his work is placed in conversation with historical manuscripts and sculptures donated to the PhxArt Collection by the Fernando family, loans from the Fernando Family Collection, and photographs by Dr. Quintus Fernando that portray the island’s post-independence heritage.

In addition to presenting exhibitions such as Pala Pothupitiye: Mapping a Sri Lankan Consciousness, the broader initiative at PhxArt will include future international convenings, collaborations, and public programs that bring together artists, scholars, collectors, and cultural leaders from Sri Lanka and around the world, further positioning the institution as a global center for cross-cultural dialogue, research, and the presentation of South Asian art and culture.

For more information, contact the Museum’s Press Office at press@phxart.org.

About Sukumar Nagendran, MD
Dr. Sukumar Nagendran is a philanthropist, physician, and biotechnology executive with more than three decades of experience in clinical development, gene therapy, and translational medicine. He currently serves as President and Head of Research and Development at Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc., where he has also been a member of the Board of Directors since 2020. Previously, he served as Chief Medical Officer and President of Research and Development at Jaguar Gene Therapy, and as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at AveXis Inc. prior to the company’s acquisition by Novartis. Over the course of his career, Dr. Nagendran has held senior leadership positions at Pfizer Inc., Novartis, Daiichi Sankyo, Reata Pharmaceuticals, and Quest Diagnostics, and his work has contributed to the advancement and commercialization of innovative therapies, including gene and cell therapies now reaching patients globally. His philanthropic commitments include sponsoring the Fonseca-Nagendran Scholar Award at the American Diabetes Association to advance research in minority populations, as well as the Jerry Mendell Translational Science Scholarship at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. He also supports the construction of medical facilities, schools, essential infrastructure, and food and humanitarian initiatives in Sri Lanka. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Taysha Gene Therapies, SalioGen Therapeutics, COVE Therapeutics, Medocity, Inc, Solid Bio, and Amlogenyx. Nagendran has also been involved in many philanthropic efforts in Sri Lanka, including constructing medical facilities, schools, and drinking water and sanitation facilities, among others.

About the Art of Asia Collection at Phoenix Art Museum and The Dr. Sukumar Nagendran Wing for the Art of Asia
The Art of Asia Collection at Phoenix Art Museum is the institution’s most expansive and historically rich collecting area, home to more than 4,000 objects drawn from across Asia and spanning thousands of years. The collection includes art from India, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, and Java, and contains some of the Museum’s oldest objects. Among its strongest holdings is the Chinese collection, which traces artistic development from early archaeological materials, such as tomb sculpture, pottery, and bronze, through the evolution of ceramics and the emergence of porcelain, as well as jade carving from the Neolithic period through the 19th century and paintings from the 14th to the 20th centuries. Japanese art is represented through prints, screens, paintings, samurai armor, and contemporary ceramics, reflecting both historical traditions and living practices. Religious art forms a central component of the Wing, with significant Hindu and Buddhist works from across Asia, including gilded bronze sculpture, complete shrines, and an exceptional group of Sino-Tibetan Buddhist bronzes representing nearly every Esoteric Buddhist deity. Internationally significant holdings of Sri Lankan Buddhist art further distinguish the Museum’s collection.

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 (October 2, 2026) –In honor of the 60^th anniversary of the Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) fashion collection and Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), PhxArt will host a special one-night-only evening with CFDA Fashion Designer Christian Siriano, featuring a curated runway show of his Spring/Summer 2027 collection and the unveiling of a newly commissioned work by Siriano for the PhxArt fashion collection. The event will also celebrate the launch of the Museum’s newest original fashion publication—Colorwear—which explores the history of the institution’s renowned fashion holdings and features Siriano’s commissioned design on its cover.

Hosted at the Museum on October 20, 2026, from 6 – 9 pm, the historic event will also feature a cocktail reception and Q & A with Siriano, as well as the opportunity to purchase a copy of Colorwear pre-signed by the designer. The following tiered tickets to the event are now available to the public:

Runway Show + Reception

$250 for the public

$175 for Arizona Costume Institute members

Oct. 20 | 6 – 9 pm | Phoenix Art Museum

Tickets at this level include access to:

•    Christian Siriano Runway Show

•    Reception + Q & A with Christian Siriano

•    Commission Unveiling in the Ellman Fashion Galleries

Tickets to the runway show + full celebration can be purchased here.

Reception Only

$100 for the public

Oct. 20 | 7 – 9 pm | Phoenix Art Museum

Tickets at this level include access to:

•    Reception + Q & A with Christian Siriano

•    Commission Unveiling in the Ellman Fashion Galleries

Tickets to the reception only can be purchased here.

A copy of Colorwear pre-signed by Siriano can be purchased with either ticket option for an additional $50.

“We are thrilled to welcome Christian Siriano back to Phoenix for what will be a truly historic moment for Phoenix Art Museum and Arizona Costume Institute,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “As ACI celebrates its 60th anniversary, we are also marking the official release of Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion and the unveiling of the extraordinary gown commissioned from Christian for the Museum’s collection, which fittingly graces the cover of the publication. Bringing these milestones together with a runway show featuring Christian’s Spring/Summer collection, fresh from New York Fashion Week, creates an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate both ACI’s remarkable legacy and the vitality of fashion today. Since 1966, generations of ACI members and leaders have championed fashion as an art form and helped build a collection of national significance. We are deeply grateful for their vision, dedication, and enduring support, and to Christian for helping us commemorate this milestone with an unforgettable celebration of fashion, creativity, and the next chapter of ACI at Phoenix Art Museum.”

Christian Siriano is a CFDA award-winning designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America who launched his eponymous collection in 2008 following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Known for whimsical and showstopping designs, his collection is shown each season at New York Fashion Week and sold in retailers across the globe. Siriano’s designs have been worn by former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, Oprah, Zendaya, Angelina Jolie, Billy Porter, and Cardi B, among many others. 

The October 20 evening with Siriano is part of a full season of 60^th-anniversary events for Arizona Costume Institute and fashion at PhxArt. The runway show portion of the evening will feature approximately 15 looks from the designer’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, which debuted at New York Fashion Week in September. Siriano drew inspiration for the collection from the 18th-century French tale The Story of the Queen of the Flowery Isles, creating garments that exist at the intersection of the story’s darker themes and its dreamlike ending. In Siriano’s designs, graphic black tailoring, structured corsets, and laser-cut shapes and silhouettes meet romantic florals, chiffon, and tulle, offering a compelling visual interpretation of the dark fairytale.

As part of the evening’s festivities, attendees will also hear from Siriano during a Q&A at an exclusive reception following the runway show. Additionally, they will be the first to view in person an extraordinary ombré gown created by Siriano designed exclusively for the Museum’s renowned fashion collection. The commissioned work features a vibrant fuchsia bodice that gives way to a cascading skirt of 16 ruffled tiers in varying shades of purple. The colors of the gown are inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli’s “Shocking Pink” of the 1930s and the powerful statement colors of 1980s fashion. The vibrant look will be unveiled in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Galleries as part of the Colorwear exhibition.

The October event additionally marks the launch ofan original PhxArt publication, Colorwear. The book features more than 150 ensembles from the institution’s fashion collection, arranged across 13 vivid chapters organized by color. The publication, which showcases Siriano’s commissioned gown on the cover, reveals how designers through time and across continents create wearable art that continues to inspire. It also includes contributions from celebrated fashion historians and DRESSED podcast hosts April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary.

“Over the past 60 years, ACI has grown into a community united by a love of fashion and a belief in its enduring place in the arts,” said Donna Johnson, President of Arizona Costume Institute. “What makes this anniversary especially meaningful is knowing that the passion and support of ACI members have helped build a collection and a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. Celebrating that legacy alongside a designer as imaginative and influential as Christian Siriano, and welcoming him back to Phoenix, feels like a wonderful bridge between where we have been and where fashion will take us next.”

ACI was founded in 1966 to support the Museum’s fashion department through the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. Today, the PhxArt fashion collection numbers more than 9,000 objects, and ACI has created a vibrant community of fashion and design enthusiasts who support the museum through various fashion-forward fundraisers, including the organization’s signature event—the ACI Holiday Luncheon. In 2024, Siriano appeared in conversation with Chrissy Sayare, co-founder and CEO of To Be Continued…, at the ACI Holiday Luncheon. Considered the Valley’s premier fashion fundraiser, the Holiday Luncheon brings in more than $800,000 in support of the PhxArt fashion collection in each year.

For more information about the Christian Siriano event, the PhxArt fashion collection, or Arizona Costume Institute, please contact the Communications Office of Phoenix Art Museum at press@phxart.org.

About Christian Siriano

Award-winning CFDA designer Christian Siriano has established himself as a tour de force in the fashion world since launching his eponymous collection in 2008 following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Siriano’s designs have been worn by today’s biggest names including former FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden, former FLOTUS Michelle Obama, VPOTUS Kamala Harris, Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Julianne Moore, Lady Gaga, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Porter, Cardi B, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Roberts, and Jennifer Coolidge, to name but a few. Having just celebrated the brand’s 18-year anniversary, the Siriano design studio continues to celebrate beauty and diversity in this ever-changing fashion industry. As a result, Christian’s work has been featured in a multitude of prestigious museum exhibits including his first ever solo work retrospective titled Christian Siriano: People Are People at SCAD in Savannah and Atlanta, respectively, as well as The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. He’s also contributed pieces to Kensington Palace’s largest exhibition to date titled Crown to Couture, the Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear exhibition at the V&A, Grit to Glamour at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and The MET Costume Institute where he broke a Met Gala record for having three separate looks featured in the 2021 exhibit In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. Christian himself was also named among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018 for his leading contributions to body diversity on the runway and red carpet, was a member of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 class of 2015, and was the youngest person to ever appear on Crain’s “40 Under 40” list at age 24.

Apart from his thriving fashion empire, Christian has been the host and mentor for Disney’s hit series “Project Runway” and recently added best-selling author (Dresses to Dream About and Dresses to Dream About: Deluxe Edition) and interior designer (Siriano Interiors) to his impressive list of credits. In 2024, he launched the second collection of his furniture line and a new coffee table book titled CHRISTIAN SIRIANO: THE NEW RED CARPET. Most recently, Christian launched RUNWAY by Christian Siriano, a seven-piece “masstige” skincare line, backstage at his Fall 2026 runway show. 

About Arizona Costume Institute

Arizona Costume Institute was founded in 1966 to support the fashion 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 current ACI Board of Managers president is Donna Johnson. To learn more about Arizona Costume Institute, visit arizonacostumeinstitute.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 more than 9,000 examples of fashionable dress and accessories from the 17th century to the present. Celebrated for its quality and comprehensiveness, the collection explores the art of dressing and seeks out the rarest examples of these dress traditions, with particular strengths in 19th-century womenswear, works by 20th-century designers, and 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; the Geoffrey Beene Archive, with more than 300 evening gowns and custom designs; and the Paper Dresses Archive.

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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FEATURED EVENTS

Lenhardt Lecture | Jeffrey Gibson in Conversation with Candice Hopkins

Wednesday, October 14 | 6:30 pm

Free for Members | $5 for the General Public

PhxArt is pleased to welcome artist Jeffrey Gibson (a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent) who will appear in conversation with the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Forge Project, Candice Hopkins (citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation), for the fall Lenhardt Lecture. Widely recognized as one of the leading contemporary American artists working today, Gibson has earned international recognition for his multidisciplinary practice, which synthesizes Indigenous traditions and aesthetics with layered references to contemporary culture and global histories. He will appear in dialogue with Hopkins, whose writing and curatorial practice explore the intersections of history, contemporary art and Indigeneity.

Tickets are available here.

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.

In Conversation: Modern Treads with Susan Driver and Rachel Zebro

Wednesday, October 28 | 6:30 pm

Free for Members | $5 for the General Public

Join Rachel Zebro, Curator of Modern Art and Manager of Collections and Archives, and Susan Driver, Curator of the Collection of Discount Tire for a conversation about the current exhibition, Modern Treads: The Discount Tire Poster Collection. Together, they will explore the Discount Tire poster collection, a graphically rich display of modern advertisements started in 1982 by the company’s founder, Bruce T. Halle. At the turn of the 20th century, industry giants such as Michelin, Dunlop, Continental, Pirelli and Goodyear recognized the poster as an effective form of communication and turned to talented lithographers for eye-catching designs. Drawn exclusively from the Collection of Discount Tire, these vibrant posters reveal the intersection of artistic innovation and industrial advancement.

Tickets are available here.

SOUNDCHECK | MRCH

Friday, October 30 | 7 pm

$10 for Members | $28 for the General Public* 

*Tickets include all-day access to the Museum

One Friday per month from 7–8 pm, PhxArt transforms into a live-music venue, hosting raw, can’t-miss performances from the Southwest’s top acts. Indie electronic duo MRCH makes moody music you can dance to. With songs featured in TV shows like The Twilight Zone, Search Party, The Vampire Diaries, The Sex Lives of College Girls, etc. As well as upcoming film Capsized (premiering at EIFF Aug 2026) ~ the duo has carved out a niche cinematic presence. They’ve toured independently, supporting bands including Cannons, CHVRCHES, Foster the People, Bad Suns and more.

Tickets are available here.

SOUNDCHECK is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council, with additional support from the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Art.

First Friday

Friday, October 2 | 5–8 pm

Voluntary Donations | Special Exhibition Tickets Sold Separately

Hit the road and step into a nostalgic dream of vintage travel, roadside adventures and the memories we make along the journey. Inspired by the connections between graphic design, printmaking and exploration, October’s First Friday invites you to create, wander, remember and leave your own mark through hands-on art-making.

• The Tread We Leave Behind with Olivia Yuen | Get crafty with local artist and printmaker Olivia Yuen and design your own tire tread postcard.
• You Can Go Your Own Way with Jen Urso | Create a personal map with local artist and cartographer Jen Urso, turning your travels, memories and imagined destinations into a unique illustrated journey.
• PhxArt Archives | Speed over to the Administration building to tour through our special exhibition On the Record, to see treasures from the PhxArt archival collections. Afterward, create a souvenir magnet to travel home with you.
• C10 Girls Cultura | Get to know C10 Girls Cultura, who celebrate women who share a passion for classic C10 trucks and the community that brings them together.
• Films at PhxArt: Little Miss Sunshine at 6 pm | Film tickets are sold separately. Reserve your spot here.
• The Arizona Office of Tourism | The Arizona Office of Tourism strives to create an Arizona experience that captures the hearts and minds of both residents and travelers worldwide in search of extraordinary adventure and natural wonders.
• Cycle AZ 66 | Learn more about Cycle AZ 66 and the ultimate biking adventure along Route 66.
• Food Truck by Rosie’s Inspired Kitchen
• Photobooth with PARC PHX
• Live Music with DJ Joseph Torres

Tickets are available here.

First Fridays are made possible by APS with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation.

OPENING SOON

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion

Through August 8, 2027

The unveiling of a newly commissioned gown by Christian Siriano for the PhxArt Fashion Collection will hold prominence in the Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion exhibition. This installation will coincide with the launch of Colorwear, an original PhxArt publication that explores the history and highlights of the institution’s fashion collection and features Siriano’s PhxArt commission on its cover.

Colorwear: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion at Phoenix Art Museum 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. Additional support provided by Fan Association of North America (FANA). 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.

NEW ON VIEW

Kim Chong Hak, Painter of Seoraksan

Through February 21, 2027

Kim Chong Hak, Painter of Seoraksan is the first exhibition of works by the South Korean master painter Kim Chong Hak in Arizona. It features more than 80 paintings, drawings and sketches that span the arc of Kim’s long career, highlighting an aspect of Korean art from the late 20th century that is little known outside of South Korea. Born in Sinuji, Korea, in 1937, Kim Chong Hak first worked as an abstract painter in the 1960s and ultimately rejected the adoption of Western-style abstraction. In the late 1970s, he settled in Gangwon Province in eastern South Korea and home of Mount Seorak—the highest peak in the country’s Taebaek mountain range. There, he sought out an alternative artistic discourse, moving away from the monochromatic painting popular in Korea of the time and toward his own unabashedly expressive style.

Kim Chong-Hak, Painter of Seoraksan is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and curated by Michael Rooks, Wieland Family Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. Lead sponsorship of the publication is provided by Johyun Gallery and the Korea Foundation. Generous support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Su and Al Longman, Gallery Hyundai and the Yang Won Sun Foundation. The presentation of Kim Chong-Hak, Painter of Seoraksan at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art, and made possible by the generous support of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Exhibition Endowment Fund, Hyunsook Jeanne Sours, and E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. In-kind support provided by Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix. Contemporary art exhibitions and projects are made possible in part by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.

A New Renaissance: Revisiting Old Masters

Through October 2027

A New Renaissance: Revisiting Old Masters pairs historical European artworks from the PhxArt Collection with new contemporary acquisitions, demonstrating the evolution of artistic traditions across time and place. The exhibition brings together works by Maria Kreyn, William Hamilton, Henri Rousseau, Marie Laurencin and Flora Yukhnovich, reimagining landscapes, portraits, still lifes and themes of objects and luxury.

A New Renaissance: Revising Old Masters is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Rachel Zebro, Curator of Collections. A New Renaissance: Revising Old Masters is made possible by Joanna and Mick Levin. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.

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

OTHER OCTOBER EVENTS

Storytime
Thursday, October 1| 10:30 am
Free for Members | Included with General Admission

For more information, click here.

Storytime is made possible by First Things First, 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: Pere Lembrí, The Coronation of the Virgin

October 1, 3, 15, 22, 29 | 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.

Create Playdate

Saturday, October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 | 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.

29th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival

Sunday, October 4 | 2 pm

$10 for Members | $15 for General Public
Tickets are available here.

Films at PhxArt: Marie Antoinette

Wednesday, October 7 | 6 pm

Free for Members | $10 for General Public
Tickets are available here.

PhxArt Book Club: Abecedario de Juárez: An Illustrated Lexicon
Wednesday, October 7 | 6:30 pm
Free event

Location: The Lemon Art Research Library, located inside the Museum Administration Building

For more information, click here.

Kids Day

Sunday, October 11 | 12–5 pm

Free for Members | Included with General Admission

Tickets are available here.

Kids Day is made possible by Desert Financial Credit Union, with additional support from 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

Films at PhxArt: Amadeus

Wednesday, October 28 | 6 pm

Free for Members | $10 for General Public
Tickets are available here.

National Theatre Live: Frankenstein

Saturday, October 31 | 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.

OTHER DISCOUNTED + FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays
Every Wednesday | 3–8 pm
Voluntary Donations

Free for Museum Members | $10 special exhibition

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and the City of Phoenix – Office of Arts and Culture, with additional support provided by Arizona Community Foundation and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. 

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 (September 15, 2026) – Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) announces the recipients of the 2026 Arizona Artist Awards. Alanna Airitam was named recipient of the 2026 Scult Family Artist Award and Memo Gutierrez and Nika Kaiser were named recipients of the 2026 Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards (Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards.) Liza Stout is the winner of the Sette/Cohn Artist Award, established in 2024 to expand the Arizona Artist Awards program and deepen PhxArt’s support of local artists. As part of the awards, each artist receives a lifetime Membership to Phoenix Art Museum as well as funds to support their artistic practice. Airitam, Gutierrez, and Kaiser will also have the opportunity to exhibit their work in solo and group exhibitions at the Museum. Airitam will premiere work in January 2027, with Guitierrez and Kaiser exhibiting jointly in summer 2027.  

“We are thrilled to announce this year’s recipients of the Scult, Lehmann, and Sette/Cohn Artist Awards in recognition of their meaningful contributions to Arizona’s vibrant arts and culture landscape,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “Each of these artists has developed a dynamic and thoughtful practice shaped by their lived experiences, communities and unique perspectives on identity, connection and the broader human condition. We are honored to support their work as part of our ongoing commitment to elevating the voices of Arizona-based artists and are deeply grateful to the Scult, Lehmann and Cohn families, Lisa Sette, and Artlink for their generosity and partnership in making these efforts possible.”

Scult Family Artist Award

Each year, Phoenix Art Museum recognizes a mid-career Arizona-based artist with the Scult Family Artist Award. Eligible candidates must have lived in Arizona for a minimum of four consecutive years and are nominated by a group of curators, museum directors and other arts professionals from across the state. Candidacy is evaluated based on their demonstration of artistic excellence, active creation and exhibition of new work and career-spanning evolution. Following a robust review process, a jury of curators, art scholars, artists and other experts and professionals in the field from across the country selects the recipient. The Scult Family Artist Award includes monetary support of $20,000 and an invitation to present a solo exhibition of new and past work at the Museum. The 2026 Scult Artist Award jury included Catharina Manchanda, Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum; Patricia Sannit, 2016 Scult Family Artist Award recipient; Keshia Turley, Assistant Curator at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; Christian Ramírez, Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement, Phoenix Art Museum; and Jeff Scult.

The 2026 Scult Family Artist Award recipient, Alanna Airitam, is a photographic artist based in Tucson, Arizona, whose work explores Black lived experience as a site of memory, imagination and possibility. Working across photography, installation, archival research and material experimentation, she considers how histories are constructed, how ideas of beauty, value and belonging take form, and how the ways we live, create and care for one another might reveal about the conditions necessary for human flourishing. Drawing from traditions of Black studio photography and Western portraiture, Airitam engages the archive as both a site of historical reckoning and a repository of knowledge, beauty, love, creativity and self-determination. Moving between history, lived experience and speculative possibility, her work asks how people create meaningful lives within and beyond the structures that seek to define them, and what other ways of being might become imaginable when flourishing is understood as fundamental to being fully alive. A self-taught artist, Airitam has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work is held in numerous public and institutional collections, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Phoenix Art Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, Center for Creative Photography, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Tucson Museum of Art. Her commitment to creating spaces for artistic exchange and community extends beyond her studio practice as co-founder of the Southwest Black Artists Collective and co-founder and co-director of The Projects/SPACE, an artist-run space in Tucson, Arizona.

Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards

The Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards help foster the creative practices and careers of emerging Arizona-based artists. Candidates must have lived in Arizona for a minimum of one year and are invited to apply through an annual open call hosted by Artlink, a non-profit organization that has supported and amplified Arizona artists and community-based art events and initiatives for more than 30 years. Recipients receive $10,000 in monetary support and the opportunity to present a joint exhibition at the Museum with fellow Lehmann awardees. The 2026 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards jury was assembled by Ramírez and included Ramírez; Catharina Manchanda, Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum; Patricia Sannit, 2016 Scult Family Artist Award recipient; Keshia Turley, Assistant Curator at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; and ​Sally Lehmann.

The Museum has named Memo Gutierrez and Nika Kaiser recipients of the 2026 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards. Based in Phoenix, Gutierrez is a multimedia artist who works with sound, electronics, and sculpture. His practice examines the possibilities within discovering the intrinsic agency of found and raw materials through sonic and sculptural expression. Gutierrez was born in El Paso, Texas, where he lived until moving to Tempe to pursue his MFA at Arizona State University. His work has been shown both nationally and internationally. He has received various awards including the International Sculpture Center’s “Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture.” His work has been shown at Museo de Arte de Ciudad Juárez, Axis Gallery, Belger Crane Yard Studios, Mesa Arts Center, Eric Fischl Gallery, Modified Arts Gallery, and the Tucson Museum of Art. His work is a part of the permanent collections of both the El Paso Museum of Art and the Rubin Center for Visual Arts.

Kaiser is a multi-disciplinary artist working with video, sound, photography, and installation. Her practice deploys a meeting of the imaginary and the real to explore ideas of deep time, interspecies connection, anti-capitalism, and future ecologies, and is informed by her upbringing in the Sonoran borderlands. Kaiser holds an MFA in Visual Art from the University of Oregon. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards, including two Arts Foundation New Works Grants, two Night Bloom Grants, and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship. Among many of her collaborative projects, she performs as one half of the experimental sound and video project Alluvium and she co-runs Precious Cargo, an experimental gallery space and book shop that focuses on DIY publishing projects. Kaiser teaches Experimental Practices in the Department of Film and Television at the University of Arizona.

Sette/Cohn Artist Award

Established in 2024, the Sette/Cohn Artist Award is a $5,000 prize awarded to an emerging Arizona artist selected from the Lehmann Emerging Artist Award application pool as part of a five-year initiative dedicated to supporting arts engagement and strengthening community partnerships. 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 have extended their generosity to support Arizona-based artists. The award’s recipient is selected by Olga Viso, Selig Family Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, Phoenix Art Museum; Lee and Mike Cohn; and Lisa Sette.

The 2026 Sette/Cohn Artist Award recipient is Liza Stout. Stout’s artwork explores the connection between the body and caregiving tools, highlighting the unseen repetition of labor. Raised in a Colorado resort town sustained by hospitality and service, she grew up working in restaurants, where tending to the experiences of guests trained her in particular detailed attention: the folding of a napkin or the mopping of a floor. These were precise tasks that asked of the body the same focused repetition that making a sculpture does, sanding back and forth on wood or compressing clay between her fingers.

Stout builds tools and objects that reference the gestures that support, contain or tend to other bodies. Wood is central to her practice because of its tactile presence in daily life. As a natural material it absorbs repeated motion, wears unevenly and carries the evidence of hands over time. The making of each tool is itself a kind of labor, and that process feeds directly into performance, where the objects are activated and brought into dialogue with generational histories of caregiving. This creates a loop with no clear ending, one that mirrors how caregiving and service work actually operate: ongoing and always beginning again.

Stout earned her MFA from Arizona State University and her BFA from Pratt Institute. She was a 2026 Windgate Fellow at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. Her work has been shown at Tempe Center for the Arts, Terra Forma and the Arizona Biennial at the Tucson Museum of Art.

“I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Alanna, Memo, Nika, and Liza on being named this year’s Arizona Artist Awards recipients,” said Christian Ramírez, Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement at Phoenix Art Museum. “Each of these artists has developed a distinctive and multifaceted practice, and their work is a powerful reflection of the talent, creativity and strength of Arizona’s arts community. I look forward to working with Alanna, Memo, and Nika as we begin planning their exhibitions and finding meaningful ways to engage our community with their evocative work and unique perspectives. I am equally excited to see how Liza takes advantage of this award opportunity to continue growing and evolving as an artist.”

The Arizona Artist Awards are made possible by the Scult Family; Sally and Richard Lehmann; and the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund.

For high-resolution photography or more information, contact the Museum’s Communications Office at samantha.andreacchi@phxart.org or 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, 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 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 to sign up for the Artlink newsletter, or connect socially on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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The post Phoenix Art Museum Announces 2026 Arizona Artist Awards Winners appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

PHOENIX (September 2, 2026) –For the 2026–2027 season, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) is pleased to announce that internationally acclaimed artist Jeffrey Gibson (a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent) will appear in conversation with the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Forge Project, Candice Hopkins (citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation), for the fall Lenhardt Lecture. Celebrated contemporary artist Kelly Akashi will come to Phoenix in April as the spring Lenhardt Lecture speaker. Widely recognized as one of the leading contemporary American artists working today, Gibson has earned international recognition for his multidisciplinary practice, which synthesizes Indigenous traditions and aesthetics with layered references to contemporary culture and global histories. He will appear in dialogue with Hopkins, whose writing and curatorial practice explore the intersections of history, contemporary art, and Indigeneity. The Museum will present Gibson and Hopkins on October 14, 2026. Tickets to the Lenhardt Lecture featuring Gibson and Hopkins on October 14 at 6:30 pm are live here.

On April 14, 2027, PhxArt welcomes Kelly Akashi, whose work is already familiar to Museum audiences through Polar Vista, acquired by the Museum in 2023 and currently on view in the Katz Wing for Modern Art. Tickets to the spring Lenhardt Lecture featuring Akashi are here. Lenhardt Lecture tickets are free for Museum Members and $5 for the public.

“We are honored to welcome Jeffrey Gibson, Candice Hopkins, and Kelly Akashi to Phoenix Art Museum as the next speakers in our esteemed Lenhardt Lecture series,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “Among the most influential artists working today, Gibson and Akashi each bring deeply personal yet universally resonant perspectives that illuminate the stories, histories, and lived experiences shaping our world, while Hopkins has curated some of the most significant exhibitions in the past decade to reframe art history through an Indigenous lens. As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative, including the Lenhardt Lecture series, we celebrate the extraordinary impact the program has had on our Museum and our community. Through the generosity and vision of the Lenhardt family, we have welcomed many of the defining artists and cultural voices of our time, creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue while expanding the voices, narratives, and perspectives represented throughout PhxArt’s exhibitions, programs, and collection.”

Jeffrey Gibson (American, b. 1972) is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and convener, celebrated for his work in painting, installation, video, and performance. Over two decades, he has examined how language, pattern, and music construct meaning, synthesizing Indigenous and Western traditions through vibrant color, complex patterning, and layered sound. A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, Gibson represented the U.S. at the 2024 Venice Biennale with his acclaimed exhibition the space in which to place me, which made its U.S. debut at The Broad in Los Angeles in May 2025. In June 2025, he unveiled a site-specific installation at Kunsthaus Zurich and that same year was selected for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Genesis Facade Commission. His work is held in major collections including MoMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the National Gallery of Art.

Gibson will be joined in October by Candice Hopkins.A citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Hopkins is the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Forge Project, Taghkanic, New York, and Fellow in Indigenous Art History and Curatorial Studies at Bard College. She is curator of the exhibitions Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination Since 1969; Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts, co-curated with Dylan Robinson; and ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᒃ Double Vision, featuring textiles, prints and drawings by Jessie Oonark, Janet Kigusiuq, and Victoria Mamnguqsualuk. She was also the Senior Curator for the inaugural 2019 and 2022 editions of the Toronto Biennial of Art and part of the curatorial team for the Canadian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale, among other accomplishments.

Kelly Akashi (b. 1983, Los Angeles) uses material transformation to give physical form to memory, inheritance, and loss. Working across glass, bronze, crystal, stone, and ash, she renders fragile or ephemeral matter into enduring forms, creating works that hold traces of touch, labor, and impermanence and are grounded in a practice defined by deep material engagement and a conceptual approach. Akashi’s work has been presented in solo exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Art, Frye Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Henry Art Gallery, SculptureCenter, and Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano. She has also created public commissions for JFK International Airport’s New Terminal One, as well as projects with the Aspen Art Museum, Clark Art Institute, and the Hyundai Terrace for the 2026 Whitney Biennial. She is the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Women in the Arts Award from MOCA Los Angeles, among many other distinctions. Akashi’s work Polar Vista(1993–2023) is on view now in the Museum’s Katz Wing for Modern Art and was aquired by the institution in 2023.

“Dawn and I are thrilled that Jeffrey Gibson, Candice Hopkins, and Kelly Akashi are joining us this season for the Lenhardt Lecture series,” said David Lenhardt, a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “Gibson and Akashi are both masters at layering cultural references, media, and meaning through their practices. Their artworks encourage deep looking and reward the viewer with new discoveries each time they engage. We are also excited to welcome Hopkins, whose commitment to advancing Indigenous practices in contemporary art has made such a transformative impact. We are grateful they will be sharing their meaningful stories and insights with our Phoenix community.”

In addition to their presentations at Phoenix Art Museum, Gibson and Akashi will engage with local artists and creatives as part of the educational and community-based component integral to the series. Each year, Lenhardt Lecture speakers give back and work with Arizona-based creators in various capacities to provide vital mentorship.

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

About Jeffrey Gibson

Jeffrey Gibson (American, b. 1972) is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and convener celebrated for his work in painting, installation, video, and performance. For over two decades, he has examined how language, pattern, and music construct meaning, synthesizing Indigenous and Western traditions through vibrant color, complex patterning, and layered sound. A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, Gibson represented the U.S. at the 2024 Venice Biennale with his acclaimed exhibition the space in which to place me, which made its U.S. debut at The Broad in Los Angeles in May 2025. In June 2025, he unveiled a site-specific installation at Kunsthaus Zurich. Gibson was selected for the Metropolitan Museum’s 2025 Genesis Facade Commission, and his monumental bronze sculptures will be on view through June 2026. His work is held in major collections including MoMA, the Whitney, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the National Gallery of Art. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley and is artist-in-residence at Bard College.

About Candice Hopkins

Candice Hopkins is a citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation and lives in Red Hook, New York. Her writing and curatorial practice explore the intersections of history, contemporary art, and Indigeneity. She is Executive Director & Chief Curator of Forge Project, Taghkanic, New York, and Fellow in Indigenous Art History and Curatorial Studies, Bard College. She is curator of the exhibitions Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination Since 1969, Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts, co-curated with Dylan Robinson, and ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᒃ Double Vision, featuring textiles, prints and drawings by Jessie Oonark, Janet Kigusiuq, and Victoria Mamnguqsualuk. She was the Senior Curator for the inaugural 2019 and 2022 editions of the Toronto Biennial of Art and part of the curatorial team for the Canadian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale, featuring the work of the media collective Isuma; as well as documenta 14, Athens and Kassel; and Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Her notable essays include “The Gilded Gaze: Wealth and Economies on the Colonial Frontier,” in the documenta 14 Reader; “Outlawed Social Life,” in South as a State of Mind; and “The Appropriation Debates (or The Gallows of History),” in Saturation: Race, Art, and the Circulation of Value (New Museum/MIT Press, 2020).

About Kelly Akashi

Kelly Akashi (b. 1983) uses material transformation to give physical form to memory, inheritance, and loss, translating intimate objects into sculptures that register time and change. Her practice is grounded in deep material engagement, where learning processes such as glassblowing, stone carving, casting, and candle-making becomes integral to her conceptual approach. She approaches mortality as a contemplative condition, attentive to the quiet dignity of transience. Akashi serves as Core Faculty in Grad Art at ArtCenter College of Design. Her work has been presented in solo exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Art, Frye Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Henry Art Gallery, SculptureCenter, and Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano. Public commissions include a monumental installation for JFK International Airport’s New Terminal One, an outdoor sculpture commission for Williams College Museum of Art, projects with the Aspen Art Museum, Clark Art Institute, and the Hyundai Terrace for the 2026 Whitney Biennial. She is the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Women in the Arts Award from MOCA Los Angeles and grants from the Trellis Fund, the Andy Warhol Foundation, LACMA Art + Tech, Peter S. Reed Foundation, and Tieger Foundation.

About the Lenhardt Lecture and the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative

Since 2018, the Lenhardt Lecture series has engaged Valley audiences with some of the most acclaimed contemporary artists in the world. Featured speakers have included Jim Hodges, 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, Lily Stockman, Eamon Ore-Giron, Charles Gaines in conversation with Thelma Golden, Adam Pendelton in conversation with Dr. Adrienne Edwards, and Caroline Kent. The program also includes an educational and community-based component. All Lenhardt Lecture speakers engage with local artists and creatives, working with Arizona-based creators in various capacities to provide vital mentorship.

The Lenhardt Lecture is a key component of the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative. Established in 2017 through the generosity of the Arizona-based Lenhardt family, the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative deepens 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, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe and Lily Stockman with funds from the Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative.

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 announces artists Jeffrey Gibson and Kelly Akashi, curator Candice Hopkins as 2026-2027 Lenhardt Lecture speakers appeared first on Phoenix Art Museum.

FEATURED EVENTS

Films at PhxArt: American Pachuco with Director David Alvarado + Producer Everett Katigbak

Wednesday, September 2 | 6 p.m.

$10 for Members | $15 for Non-Members

Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushed Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate and expand America’s story. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize workers to win the first farmworker union contract. His Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Despite critical rejection that killed the show, he persevered, creating La Bamba—a blockbuster breakout film that authentically depicted Mexican American life to the world. Now in its 60th year, El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. American Pachuco is the story of an artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations. Featuring interviews with Linda Ronstadt, Lou Diamond Phillips, Cheech Marin, Delores Huerta and Edward James Olmos. Winner of both the Audience and Jury awards at the Sundance film festival.

Tickets are available here.

SOUNDCHECK | Meat Puppets

Friday, September 25 | 7 p.m.

$10 for Members | $28 for the public* 

*Tickets include all-day access to the Museum

SOUNDCHECK is back. One Friday per month from 7–8 p.m., Phoenix Art Museum turns into a live-music venue for one hour, with unplugged sets, local and regional acts, and art all around you.

Season two of SOUNDCHECK kicks off with Arizona Hall of Fame recipients the Meat Puppets. Formed in Phoenix in the early 1980s, the Meat Puppets turned punk’s creative freedom loose on country, psychedelia and Southwestern desert weirdness, making landmark albums like “Meat Puppets II” and “Up on the Sun” before Kurt Cobain brought brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood onstage for Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged and introduced them to a generation. More than 40 years later, the founding trio is back together, joined by keyboardist Ron Stabinsky and guitarist Elmo Kirkwood. As drummer Derrick Bostrom puts it, “This doesn’t feel like an oldies act. It feels like the culmination.”

Tickets are available here.

SOUNDCHECK is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council, with additional support from the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Arts.

Kids Day at PhxArt

Sunday, September 13 | Noon – 5 p.m.

Free for Members | Included with general admission

Designed for visitors of all ages, Kids Day at PhxArt features interactive in-gallery art-making, Storytime and dynamic performances that connect participants with PhxArt’s collection and special exhibitions. This September, Kids Day celebrates the 60th anniversary of Phoenix Art Museum’s fashion collection. Explore the current fashion exhibition COLORWEAR: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion and find your signature look.

• Noon–5 p.m. | Design your own personal style with a mix and match wardrobe craft
• Noon–5 p.m. | Accessorize with a custom-made button
• Noon–5 p.m. | Strike a pose in our fashion photobooth with photographer Kenzie Rich
• Noon–5 p.m. | Learn about ACI and PhxArt’s newest publication, COLORWEAR: A Kaleidoscope of Fashion
• 1:30–2 p.m. | Join us for a reading of Elmer by David McKee
• 2–2:45 p.m. | The galleries come alive with a performance by The Phoenix Symphony

Tickets are available here. All art-engagement programming is included free with general admission.

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.

Summer Symphony Series

Free for Members | Included with general admission

The Phoenix Symphony is coming to PhxArt for two more performances this summer. Catch them on select Sundays during Kids Day and on select Wednesday evenings throughout the season and experience the Museum in a whole new way.

• Sunday, September 13 at 2 – 2:45 p.m.
• Wednesday, September 16 at 5 – 5:30 p.m.*

*Free-access times. Performances are included with general admission. Purchase tickets here.

OPENING SOON

Kim Chong Hak, Painter of Seoraksan

Opening September 9, 2026

Kim Chong Hak, Painter of Seoraksan is the first exhibition of works by the South Korean master painter Kim Chong Hak in Arizona. It features more than 80 paintings, drawings and sketches that span the arc of Kim’s long career, highlighting an aspect of Korean art from the late 20th century that is little known outside of South Korea. Born in Sinuji, Korea, in 1937, Kim Chong Hak first worked as an abstract painter in the 1960s and ultimately rejected the adoption of Western-style abstraction. In the late 1970s, he settled in Gangwon Province in eastern South Korea and home of Mount Seorak—the highest peak in the country’s Taebaek mountain range. There, he sought out an alternative artistic discourse, moving away from the monochromatic painting popular in Korea of the time and toward his own unabashedly expressive style.

Kim Chong-Hak, Painter of Seoraksan is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and curated by Michael Rooks, Wieland Family Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. Lead sponsorship of the publication is provided by Johyun Gallery and the Korea Foundation. Generous support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Su and Al Longman, Gallery Hyundai and the Yang Won Sun Foundation.

The presentation of Kim Chong-Hak, Painter of Seoraksan at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art, and made possible by the generous support of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Exhibition Endowment Fund, Hyunsook Jeanne Sours, and E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. In-kind support provided by Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix. Contemporary art exhibitions and projects are made possible in part by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.

NEW ON VIEW

The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art from the William P. Healey Collection

Through July 11, 2027

The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art from the William P. Healey Collection examines modernity in Native American art and demonstrates how Indigenous artists have sustained, adapted and reimagined cultural knowledge across a century. The exhibition considers how visual culture was transmitted through familial lines of artists, artists’ collectives and pedagogical lineages, including the complex legacies of Native boarding schools. It also explores the power of storytelling, examining how works rooted in ceremony demonstrate continuity and resistance, while tracing evolving relationships to abstraction and modernism. Featured artists include Fritz Scholder, T. C. Cannon, Kay WalkingStick, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Emmi Whitehorse, Quincy Tahoma and more.

The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art: The William P. Healey Collection at Phoenix Art Museum is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and is curated by JoAnna Reyes, PhD, Adjunct Curator for Art of the Americas and guest curator Tony Abeyta (Navajo). 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

Flowers of the Punjab: Textiles of India and Beyond

Closing September 6, 2026

Discover traditional textiles from the Punjab region of northwestern India, the birthplace of Sikhism. At the heart of the display is the Phulkari, a richly embroidered garment created by a girl’s female family members starting from her birth and completed by her marriage.

Flowers of the Punjab: Textiles of India and Beyond is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is curated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art, and made possible through the generosity of The Sikh Heritage 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.

Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan

Closing September 13, 2026

Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan celebrates the originality and virtuosity of 36 women artists who have explored sculptural expression outside the traditional field of Japanese studio ceramics since the 1970s. The exhibition’s 40 avant-garde works are drawn from the Horvitz Collection, considered one of the leading collections of Japanese contemporary ceramics outside of Japan, and explore wide-ranging content and motifs, including the human body, geology, flora and fantastical abstract forms.

Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection and curated by Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Curator of Japanese Art. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan is made possible by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and Katharine and Nicholas J. Feduska, M.D. Contemporary art exhibitions and projects are made possible in part by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.

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

OTHER SEPTEMBER EVENTS

PhxArt Book Club: Temple of Love by Rick Owens
Wednesday, September 2 | 6:30 p.m.
Free event

Location: The Lemon Art Research Library, located inside the Museum Administration Building

For more information, click here.

Storytime
Thursday, September 3 | 10:30 a.m.
Free for Members | Included with general admission

For more information, click here.

Storytime is made possible by First Things First, 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: Celebration from the Underworld, Tony Abeyta
September 3, 5, 17, 24 | 11:30 a.m.
Free for Members | Included with general admission

For more information, click here.

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

First Friday

Friday, September 4 | 5 – 8 p.m.

Free general admission

Tickets are available here.

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

Create Playdate

Saturday, September 5, 12, 19, 26 | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

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.

In Conversation: 2025 Lehmann Emerging Artists

Wednesday, September 23 | 6:30 p.m.

Free during Pay What You Wish Wednesday

Tickets are available here.

Puppet Workshop with Chris Ignacio

Saturday, September 26 |10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

$40 for Members | $50 for Non-Members

Capacity is limited.

Tickets are available here.

National Theatre Live: Mrs. Warren’s Profession

Sunday, September 27 | 1 p.m.

$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.

Films at PhxArt: The Social Network

Wednesday, September 30 | 6 p.m.

Free for Members | $10 for general public
Tickets are available here.

OTHER DISCOUNTED + FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS

Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays
Every Wednesday | 3 – 8 p.m.
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.

Military Discount

Active-duty U.S. military personnel and their families enjoy free admission from Armed Forces Day (May 16, 2026) through Labor Day (September 7, 2026) as part of the Blue Star Museums program.

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 (August 19, 2026) – SOUNDCHECK is back at Phoenix Art Museum. This fall, for one Friday each month, Phoenix Art Museum turns into a live-music venue for unplugged, can’t-miss performances from popular local and regional acts. The monthly performances run from 7-8 p.m. and are made possible thanks to the generosity of presenting sponsor Men’s Arts Council, with additional support from the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Arts. The SOUNDCHECK season kicks off with Meat Puppets on September 25, followed by MRCH on October 30. Tickets are now live on www.phxart.org and can be found here.

“We are very excited to bring back SOUNDCHECK during the 2026-2027 season at Phoenix Art Museum,” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “This increasingly popular program gives visitors a new way to experience the Museum, with live musical performances that range from rock n’ roll and punk rock, to indie and contemporary pop. We are grateful to Men’s Arts Council and the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Arts for their ongoing support of this program and their commitment to bringing even more people together through art, music and shared experiences.”

Launched in 2025, SOUNDCHECK is a monthly live-music experience at Phoenix Art Museum. Last year’s lineup included musical guests 76^th Street, The Sunflower King, The Phoenix Symphony and many more.

This year’s lineup kicks off on Friday, September 25, 2026, with Arizona Hall of Fame recipients Meat Puppets. Formed in Phoenix in the early 1980s, Meat Puppets turned punk’s creative freedom loose on country, psychedelia and Southwestern desert weirdness, making landmark albums like Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun before Kurt Cobain brought brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood onstage for Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged and introduced them to a generation. More than 40 years later, the founding trio is back together, joined by keyboardist Ron Stabinsky and guitarist Elmo Kirkwood. As drummer Derrick Bostrom puts it, “This doesn’t feel like an oldies act. It feels like the culmination.” 

The second band in this year’s schedule is MRCH, on stage Friday, October 30, 2026. Indie electronic duo MRCH makes moody music you can dance to. Their songs have been featured in TV shows like The Twilight Zone, Search Party, The Vampire Diaries, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and more. As well as the upcoming film Capsized (premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August 2026), the duo has carved out a niche cinematic presence. MRCH toured independently, supporting bands including Cannons, CHVRCHES, Foster the People, Bad Suns and others. 

“SOUNDCHECK brings together some of the best of what makes Phoenix so special, from incredible music and art to meaningful opportunities to connect as a community,” said Sentari Minor, board president of Men’s Arts Council. “As we kick off a new season, we’re excited to continue our partnership with Phoenix Art Museum and bring this event back for another year. It’s a celebration of local talent, creativity and community, and we look forward to welcoming everyone for another unforgettable experience.”

Tickets for Meat Puppets SOUNDCHECK performance are available here and tickets to MRCH can be purchased here.

SOUNDCHECK is included with regular-priced museum admission, giving visitors access to Phoenix Art Museum galleries in addition to live musical performances.

Additional bands in the 2026 SOUNDCHECK lineup will be announced later this fall.

High-resolution photography with image credits can be downloaded here. To request interviews, 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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