Dec, 01, 2025
Media AlertsSpecial Events and Programs
Phoenix Art Museum hosts special holiday shopping days, First Friday programming, community food drive, kid-friendly programming, live musical performances, films, and more throughout December
PHOENIX (November 18, 2025) – This December, Phoenix Art Museum is packed with events that celebrate the visual and performing arts while supporting community, including free First Friday activations and a holiday food drive, Kids Day programming inspired by the newly renovated James K. Ballinger Wing, and the next edition of monthly music series SOUNDCHECK, featuring a string ensemble from The Phoenix Symphony. Additional event details and ticket links are provided below.
FEATURED EVENTS
Special Holiday Shopping Days @ The Museum Store
Every Monday + Tuesday in December
$15 for Members | $20 for the general public
Join us every Monday + Tuesday in December (10 am – 5 pm) for special shopping days at The Museum Store while Museum galleries are closed to the public. During these bonus days, visitors will be able to browse Store items at their leisure during an intimate shopping experience. The Museum Store’s holiday gift guide is now live here.
Photographer: Estefania Mitre, Dance: Tecolote
First Friday + Community Food Drive
Friday, December 5 | 5 – 8 pm
Free general admission | $10 special exhibition tickets
This First Friday, join PhxArt to celebrate Flowers of the Punjab and the grand re-opening of the James K. Ballinger Wing, featuring works from the Museum’s Art of the Americas, Art of the American West, and European Art collections. During this season of giving, the Museum will also host a community food drive to support our shared community. Full programming includes:
- Stitch Circle with Pip Coffee + Clay
Do you crochet, knit, embroider, quilt, or explore any kind of fiber art? Join us in partnership with PIP Coffee + Clay for a stitch circle, a come-as-you-are space where you can meet other fabric artists, see their works in progress, and dive into your own small weaving projects. Please no wet mediums or materials. - Courtesy of Safos Dance Theatre. Dancers: Ruby Morales, Zarina Mendoza Orduño, Lauren Jimenez, Esteban Rosales Photographer: Estefania Mitre, Dance: Tecolote
Luminaria-Making + Dance Performance with Safos Dance Theatre
Lean to make luminarias, a traditional craft of New Mexico, and enjoy a performance of select dances from Stories from Home, Safos Dance Theatre’s current touring production. All artmaking materials and instruction provided. - Meet the Artist: Gennaro Garcia
Gennaro Garcia’s vibrant tibor is featured in the Ballinger Wing re-opening. Hear from Garcia about his collaboration with Uriarte Talavera and his creative process behind these iconic ceramics. Afterward, design your own Talavera-inspired tile or create your own vibrant card inspired by Flowers of the Punjab, an exhibition celebrating India’s exquisite textiles and ornate floral motifs. Presented by Lexus. - *Community Food Drive*
One in five children in Maricopa County doesn’t have enough food to eat. Help support those in need by bringing non-perishable food items (including canned goods, pasta, rice, beans, peanut butter, cereal, and more) to December First Friday at PhxArt. We appreciate any and all donations and will distribute them directly to St. Mary’s Food Bank. - Complimentary Gift Wrapping Station
Get a head start on your holiday to-do list with our self-serve Gift Wrapping Station. Enjoy this complimentary service with any purchase from The Museum Store. Our gift wrap experts will be on hand to guide you, share tips, and ensure every gift you wrap looks beautiful. Gift-wrap, tape and ribbon are all included! - Button Making with Aileen Martinez (@look.see.draw)
- Live DJ sets with resident DJ JME-LEE (@jmelee)
- Specialty drinks from ARTenders
Tickets are available here.
First Friday at PhxArt is made possible through the generosity of APS and Lexus, with additional support from Arizona Community Foundation.
Kids Day @ PhxArt
Saturday, December 13 | 10 am – 2 pm
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the public
Every second Saturday of the month, join PhxArt for Kids Day, with special family friendly programming from 10 am – 2 pm! For December’s Kids Day, the following programming is inspired by the newly renovated James K. Ballinger Wing:
- Storytime featuring the book B is for Buckaroo by Louise Doak Whitney | 10:30 – 11 am + 12:30 – 1 pm
- Create your own felt landscapes inspired by the Art of Americas galleries| 10 am – 2 pm
- Create your own paper cactus-bud artwork inspired by Ed Mell’s Cactus Bud painting | 10 am – 2 pm
- Make your own mini-Thorne Room paper sculptures with Create Playdate | 11 am – 3 pm
- Solve an art mystery! Join Childsplay Theatre to solve a mysterious case involving artworks in the galleries. | 11:30 am – noon + 1:30 – 2 pm
Tickets are available here.
Kids Day is made possible by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
Curator Talk: The Artistry of George Elbert Burr
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Free for Members | Included with Pay-What-You-Wish admission for the public
Registration required. Capacity is limited.
Curator Talks @ PhxArt are a casual, welcoming way to engage with Museum curators in the galleries to learn exclusive information about our exhibitions and artworks on view. Each walk-and-talk also features Q & A opportunities.
This December, join Olga Viso, the Museum’s Selig Family Chief Curator and master printmaker John Armstrong for an intimate, in-gallery conversation exploring the artistry of George Elbert Burr, celebrated for his evocative etchings of the American Southwest. This close looking experience invites guests to examine Burr’s intricate prints up close with the aid of magnifying glasses and gain deeper insight into his technical mastery and creative process.
SOUNDCHECK: The Phoenix Symphony
Thursday, December 18 | Bar opens @ 5 pm | Doors open @ 5:30 pm |
Show 6 – 7 pm
Presented in Whiteman Hall
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the public
On December 18, SOUNDCHECK, presented in partnership with The Phoenix Symphony, welcomes guests to experience a stirring string ensemble performance that pairs perfectly with the Museum’s newest European art exhibition, Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection.
Attendees to this performance will also receive a special discount code to attend the Symphony’s Christmas Baroque performance at the Orpheum Theatre on December 20 and 21, 2025, creating a unique opportunity to celebrate the Baroque tradition through both visual and musical masterpieces this holiday season.
Tickets are available here.
SOUNDCHECK is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council, with additional support from Desert Financial Credit Union and the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the Performing Arts.
ON VIEW NOW
James K. Ballinger Wing | Art of the Americas + Europe Galleries
Opening November 28, 2025
Home to 10 gallery spaces, the newly renovated and dedicated James K. Ballinger Wing reopens after a five-month renovation, featuring outstanding examples of historical American, Western American, Viceregal Latin American, and European art from the PhxArt Collection presented in conversation with contemporary works by Amalia Mesa-Bains, Virgil Ortiz, and Federico Solmi, among other new acquisitions and significant loans. The refreshed space also features special exhibitions on Ed Mell and George Elbert Burr, the renovated Thorne Miniature Rooms, and the relocated and reimagined Ullman Center for the Art of Philip C. Curtis.
The inaugural installation of the James K. Ballinger Wing, an initiative honoring the historic collections of Phoenix Art Museum and the visionary leadership of Director Emeritus James K. Ballinger, was made possible by generous gifts from the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation and the Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation, Cathie Lemon, the Men’s Arts Council, and Harry and Rose Papp. The installation in the Ullman Center for the Art of Philip C. Curtis is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. It is made possible by the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation. Installations of American Art and Art of the American West in the Tooker and Wayland galleries are organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. The installation in the Kemper & Ethel Marley Gallery for Art of the American West is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. It is made possible by the Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation. Ed Mell: In the Studio in the Woodyard Gallery is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Olga Viso, the Selig Family Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs. It is presented by the Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation. George Elbert Burr: The Desert Etchings is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Olga Viso, the Selig Family Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs. The installation of Viceregal Art of Latin America in the Astorga Gallery is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by JoAnna Reyes, PhD, Adjunct Curator for Art of the Americas. It is made possible by the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation. Installations of European Art in the Harrington, Sukhman, and Stegall galleries are curated by Rachel Zebro, Associate Curator of Collections. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Splendors of East Asian Cloisonné
Through September 6, 2026
One of the most important areas of distinction in PhxArt’s Asian art department is its collection of cloisonné vessels from China and Japan. Experience spectacular and varied examples of enamel-decorated vessels from the Museum’s holdings, the majority of which were donated from the collections of Robert H. Clague and Waynor and Laurie Petrie-Rogers.
Splendors of East Asian Cloisonne is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan
Through August 9, 2026
Drawn from the Horvitz Collection, considered one of the leading collections of Japanese contemporary ceramics outside of Japan, Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan features avant-garde works by 36 women artists who have explored sculptural expression outside the traditional field of Japanese studio ceramics since the 1970s.
Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection and is curated by Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art, the Art Institute of Chicago. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. The presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and Katharine and Nicholas J. Feduska, M.D. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Flowers of the Punjab: Textiles of India and Beyond
Through August 9, 2026
Discover traditional textiles from the Punjab region of northwestern India, the birthplace of
Sikhism.
Flowers of the Punjab: Textiles of India and Beyond is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Colin Pearson, Curator of Asian Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection
Through July 26, 2026
The first exhibition of its kind in Arizona, Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection presents more than 30 examples of painting and sculpture drawn from the most important Florentine Baroque art collection outside of Italy, revealing Florence’s flourishing art industry and the cultural and intellectual legacy of the Medici Grand Dukes.
Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection is organized by Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl with the generous support of the Haukohl Philanthropies. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Rachel Sadvary Zebro, Associate Curator of Collections. Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection is made possible by FOCUS on European Art. Additional support is provided by Joanna and Mick Levin. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
Funny Business: Photography and Humor
Through January 4, 2026
Through 70 photographs drawn primarily from the collection of the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Funny Business: Photography and Humor offers a compelling view into the ways artists have utilized visual humor not only to provoke laughter and delight but also as a means of resistance
Funny Business: Photography and Humor is co-organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography. The exhibition is curated by Emilia Mickevicius, PhD, the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
2024 Arizona Artist Awards
Through January 25, 2026
Safwat Saleem: The Unrequited Love Institute and the 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Exhibition feature works by Arizona-based contemporary artists. The 2024 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Awardee Safwat Saleem showcases his latest works in an installation that centers on immigrant narratives and the cultural loss that results from assimilation. In the 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Exhibition, emerging artists Elizabeth Z. Pineda and Omar Soto explores issues surrounding immigration, identity, queer joy, and escapism.
The Arizona Artist Awards are made possible by the Scult Family; Sally and Richard Lehmann; and the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Safwat Saleem: The Unrequited Love Institute and 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards are organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement. The exhibitions are made possible by the Cohn Fund for Arts and Culture, a founding gift of the Phoenix Art Museum Education and Engagement Excellence Fund. Additional support provided by the Rob Walton, Jordan Rose, and Rose Law Group Fund for Contemporary Art. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by the Opatrny Family Foundation, with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
OTHER NOVEMBER EVENTS
LEARN // Lemon Library Book Club: Chromophobia
Wednesday, December 3 | 6:30 pm
Location: The Amphitheater inside the Museum
Free event. Please reserve your ticket and check in at the Guest Services Desk.
For more information, click here.
KIDS // Storytime
Thursday, December 4 | 10:30 am
Free for Members | Included in general admission for the general public
Advance registration recommended.
For more information, click here.
Storytime is made possible by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
LEARN // Object of the Month: Polar Vista, Kelly Akashi
Saturday, December 4, 6 | 11 am – 3 pm
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public
For more information, click here.
Object of the Month is made possible by CMI Gold & Silver.
Saturday, December 6, 13, 20, 27 | 11 am – 3 pm
Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public
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.
OTHER DECEMBER EVENTS
Every Wednesday | 3 – 8 pm
Voluntary-donation general admission
$10 off Memberships when purchased on-site
SPECIAL-EXHIBITION TICKETS: $10 for adults | $5 for youth under 17 | FREE for Museum Members
Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix, with additional support by Arizona Community Foundation.
Military Discount
Active-duty U.S. military personnel and veterans enjoy $5 off general admission tickets to Phoenix Art Museum. A valid ID is required for on-site redemption.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art of our region and world. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, PhxArt creates spaces of exchange and belonging for all audiences through dynamic exhibitions, collections, and experiences with art. Each year, 300,000 guests on average engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern, and contemporary art and fashion design, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. PhxArt also presents live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education programs and workshops, a monthly live-music series, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.