Press RoomPhoenix Art Museum hosts First Friday; premieres new Richard Avedon photography exhibition and Keith Haring, Dutch art installations
Phoenix Art Museum hosts First Friday; premieres new Richard Avedon photography exhibition and Keith Haring, Dutch art installations
Nov, 29, 2024
Phoenix Art Museum hosts First Friday; premieres new Richard Avedon photography exhibition and Keith Haring, Dutch art installations
PHOENIX (November 29, 2024) – In December, Phoenix Art Museum will host First Friday on December 6, activated by a performance by DJ J-M Lee and the Arizona-based sound collective 1533, free general admission, live music, art programming, and specialty food and drink experiences. All Memberships will also be $10 off (on-site only) during First Friday.
FEATURED FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays Every Wednesday | 3 – 8 pm Voluntary-donation general admission $10 off Memberships when purchased on-site SPECIAL-EXHIBITION TICKETS: $7 for adults | $5 for youth under 17 | FREE for Museum Members and Maricopa County Community College students*
Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix. The Maricopa County Community College District program at Phoenix Art Museum (MC3@PAM) is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council.
The Maricopa County Community College District program at Phoenix Art Museum (MC3@PAM) is made possible through the generosity of Men’s Arts Council.
Military Discount Active-duty U.S. military personnel and veterans enjoy discounted admission to PhxArt throughout the year. Qualified members must show a valid ID on-site to receive $5 off general admission tickets.
FEATURED EVENTS First Friday December 6 | 5 – 8 pm Voluntary-donation general admission SPECIAL-EXHIBITION TICKETS: $7 for Adults | $5 for Youth (6-17) First Fridays at PhxArt are back, activated by free general admission, live music, art programming, and specialty food and drink experiences inspired by Richard Avedon: Among Creatives, including:
“Improvisations I” – An exploration of light and sound phenomena, performed by the Arizona-based sound collective 1533. Led by artist Saúl Millan, with Kenji Wagner and Ellier English + foreword by Marc Basil
Polaroid portraits with Orlando Pelagio
In-gallery sketching with Aileen Martinez (@look.see.draw)
Bilingual Docent Tours
Specialty food and beverage experiences with ARTenders, Salaryman, Amoy Sol, Harlem Coffee, and El Fogón de Joy (@elfogondejoy)
$10 off any Membership (on-site offer only)
First Friday at PhxArt is made possible through the generosity of APS and Lexus.
OPENING SOON Richard Avedon: Among Creatives December 6 – May 25, 2025 Featuring more than 50 works from the collection of the Center for Creative Photography (CCP), Richard Avedon: Among Creatives presents the work of legendary American photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004), highlighting his distinctive photographic portraits of fellow artists, actors, writers, and more, in addition to his contributions to fashion photography. Born in New York and with an early interest in photography, Avedon first gained prominence as a fashion photographer by working for Harper’s Bazaar magazine. As the scope of his career broadened, he trained his lens on many of the most influential figures of his time, among them fellow creative people from the fields of art, music, literature, film, and design. Through Avedon’s unflinching eye and technical prowess, their appearances and expressions become amplified for our scrutiny, prompting us to consider the gaps between their private lives and public personas. Featured portraits also reflect Avedon grappling with his own fame, morality, and legacy.
Richard Avedon: Among Creatives is co-organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is curated by Emilia Mickevicius, PhD, the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography, and is drawn from the larger traveling exhibition, Richard Avedon: Relationships, curated by Rebecca Senf, PhD, Chief Curator at the Center for Creative 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 significant support provided by Joan Cremin.
The Collection: Keith Haring December 7 – July 20, 2025 In 1986, artist and activist Keith Haring, widely recognized for his Pop art featuring energetic lines, collaborated with Phoenix Art Museum. Haring, who was then at the height of his career, designed marketing materials for the 1986 exhibition American Art of the 1980s. That same year, he led a mural workshop for the Phoenix community, in conjunction with another exhibition, Focus on the Image: Selections from the Rivendell Collection, that featured one of his untitled works. The Collection: Keith Haring celebrates the impactful relationship between Haring and the Museum during this vibrant period. Featured works include prints and sculptural work by the artist, archival materials documenting his visits, and bespoke marketing materials Haring created for the Museum in the 1980s.
The Collection: Keith Haring is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary and Community Art Initiatives, with Aspen Reynolds, Archivist, and Charlotte Quinney, Interpretation Manager. All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
The Collection: Dutch Art Expanded December 18 – Ongoing The Collection: Dutch Art Expanded pairs landscape, portraiture, interior, and still life paintings with prints and decorative art objects from the collection of Phoenix Art Museum. Alongside historical works from the Dutch Baroque period, the installation features paintings by Arizona-based artists Rachel Bess and Alanna Airitam, whose practices are inspired by hidden histories and aesthetic concerns associated with the 17th century movement. In her Phoenix studio, Bess creates a sense of romantic drama through her intimate portraits and still life vanitas paintings reminiscent of Dutch artists. In photography, Airitam celebrates Black beauty and through her Golden Age series (2017) recalls the sacrifices made by Black men and women during the Dutch Renaissance. In placing these contemporary works in conversation with artworks from the era, Dutch Art Expanded offers fresh perspectives and challenges preconceived notions on the formerly so-called “Golden Age.”
The Collection: Dutch Art Expanded is organized by the Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Rachel Sadvary Zebro, Associate Curator of Collections, with Destiny Montoya, Association of Art Museum Directors Curatorial Intern. It is made possible through the generosity of FOCUS on European Art and an anonymous donor. 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 Guarding the Art: A Frontline Perspective Closing December 1, 2024 Challenging traditional museum hierarchies and fostering dialogue about who can and should talk about art, the first exhibition of its kind at Phoenix Art Museum.
Guarding the Art was founded by the Baltimore Museum of Art with generous support from the Pearlstone Family Fund. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank.
OTHER EVENTS KIDS // Storytime December 5 | 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, the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs, and Legacy Traditional Schools.
FILM // Now Showing: Fanny and Alexander December 15 | 1 pm Free for Members | Included with general admission Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity. Tickets are available for reservation here.
Films@PhxArt is made possible by Fit Via Vi Films.
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.
