Sep, 23, 2026
Media AlertsSpecial Events and Programs
Phoenix Art Museum hosts Lenhardt Lecture with artist Jeffrey Gibson in Conversation with Candice Hopkins; welcomes MRCH for October SOUNDCHECK; First Friday celebrating exhibition Modern Treads: The Discount Tire Poster Collection
PHOENIX (September 23, 2026) – This October, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) will host artist Jeffrey Gibson in conversation with Candice Hopkins for the fall Lenhardt Lecture. Join Susan Driver and Rachel Zebro for a conversation about the current exhibition, Modern Treads: The Discount Tire Poster Collection. SOUNDCHECK welcomes MRCH for the October performance. Then, hit the road this First Friday for a nostalgic journey of vintage travel, roadside adventures and hands-on artmaking. Additional event details and ticket links are provided below.
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.
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.
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
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.
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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