Press RoomPhoenix Art Museum to unveil anime-inspired exhibition during free First Friday community celebration; hosts virtual and in-person programs in November
Phoenix Art Museum to unveil anime-inspired exhibition during free First Friday community celebration; hosts virtual and in-person programs in November
Nov, 02, 2022
Exhibitions and Special InstallationsMedia Alerts
Phoenix Art Museum to unveil anime-inspired exhibition during free First Friday community celebration; hosts virtual and in-person programs in November
PHOENIX (November 2, 2022) – This November, Phoenix Art Museum will presentMr.: You Can Hear the Song of This Town, the Museum’s newest major contemporary art exhibition. A free community preview celebration will be hosted November 4 before the exhibition officially opens to the public on November 6. Also this month, PhxArt will host virtual programs and in-person events, including Creative Saturday, National Theatre Live, and much more.
FEATURED EXHIBITION OPENING + COMMUNITY EVENT Mr.: You Can Hear the Song of This Town November 6, 2022 – March 12, 2023 Mr.: You Can Hear the Song of this Town at Phoenix Art Museum is the first U.S. solo exhibition in more than five years to exclusively showcase the imaginative and visually complex works of contemporary Japanese artist Mr. Influenced by anime and manga, Mr. creates feverish graffiti-inspired paintings and sculptures that explore tragedy, trauma, and fantasy within Japanese society and among a global audience obsessed with social media. The exhibition features a large selection of works by the former protégé of Takashi Murakami, including drawings and paintings created during the height of the pandemic, a recent Museum acquisition, and a new 33-foot-long canvas that will enjoy its world premiere at the Museum.
Mr.: You Can Hear The Song of This Town is organized by Phoenix Art Museum, with special thanks to Lehmann Maupin and Kaikai Kiki. It is made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor, Ronald and Valery Harrar, Men’s Arts Council, Ms. Isabelle Georgeaux, Kevie Yang, and The Japan Foundation–Los Angeles, with additional support from Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
On November 4, Phoenix Art Museum will host a Mr.: You Can Hear the Song of This Town-themed First Friday sponsored by Men’s Arts Council and UMB Bank. In-person programming includes:
Making Onigiri key chains with Japan Outreach Initiative from Japanese Friendship Garden (@jfgphx)
A scavenger hunt with prizes (while supplies last)
Themed food and beverage, including boba-inspired drinks by Crafti Tea & Mocktails (@crafti.tea), Hot Bamboo (@hotbamboo), and Kakigori Addict
Japanese-inspired street food vendors and anime-inspired drinks by ArtTenders
The First Friday opening celebration of Mr.: You Can Hear the Song of This Town is sponsored by the Men’s Arts Council and UMB Bank and is supported in part through the generosity of the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts.
CLOSING SOON Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka Closing November 6, 2022 Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lankaoffers an unparalleled opportunity to view a selection of rare and outstanding Sri Lankan artworks, many of which have never before been publicly exhibited. Spanning 1,000 years, the exhibition showcases more than 50 works from the Museum’s dynamic collection of Sri Lankan art, as well as newly discovered black-and-white photographs of mid-20th-century life on the island nation.
Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, with additional support from the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.
Clay and Paper: Japanese Ceramics and Screens is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members. The exhibition features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by Elaine and Sidney Cohen.
The Golden Temple: Center of the Sikh Faith is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and made possible through the generosity of The Sikh Heritage Fund.
NOVEMBER 2022 EVENTS Storytime in the Galleries November 2 | 10:30 am Free for Members | Included in general admission for the general public Limited capacity. Advance registration required. Designed for our youngest PhxArt visitors (ages 0-5) and their parents or caregivers, Storytime in the Galleries is a wonderful opportunity to share the joy of early literacy, art-inspired play, and hands-on learning with family and friends. The Storytime in the Galleries series will be offered on the first Wednesday of each month. Tickets are available for reservation here.
Storytime in the Galleries is made possible in part by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for the 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: El Viajero (The Traveler) by Liliana Porter November 3, 5, 17 | 11:30 am Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public This triptych by Argentine artist Liliana Porter contains small objects in monochromatic empty backgrounds that seem to build a narrative. Join Master Docent Susan de Queljoe to explore the story, the realities, and the illusions present in this work. For more information, click here.
Weekly Virtual Mindfulness Sessions November 3, 10, 17, 24 | Noon Free for Members | $5 suggested donation for the general public Scientific studies show the art of mindfulness can relieve anxiety, depression, pain, and stress and actually change the way we feel, think, work, and play by opening new pathways in the brain. Presented in collaboration with Hospice of the Valley, this free, 30-minute, at-home mindfulness session promotes living in the present. This session is hosted live on Zoom, a video-conference platform. For more information, click here.
ACI 2nd Wednesday Lecture with Yuniya Kawamura November 9 | 12:30 – 1:30 pm Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity. Since the mid-1990s Japanese youth have played a crucial role in forming their own unique fashion communities and producing creative styles that have impacted global fashion. Subcultures such as Lolita in Harajuku and Gyaru and Gyaru-o in Shibuya reflect the affiliation and identities of their members and have often blurred the boundary between professional and amateur models, photographers, merchandisers, and designers. In the past decade, these youth subcultures have gradually disappeared from the streets of Tokyo as they shift their presence to social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Learn more about these fashion subcultures from Yuniya Kawamura, author of Fashioning Japanese Subcultures, with a book signing following the lecture. Tickets are available here.
Creative Saturday November 12 | Noon – 3 pm Free for Members | Included with general admission to the general public Celebrate the opening of the Mr: You Can Hear The Song of This Town with hands-on experiences for the entire family. Visitors of all ages and abilities are invited to explore traditional and contemporary Japanese culture through shodo brush painting and origami workshops with instructors from the Japanese Friendship Garden, mini matsuri games with the Japanese Outreach Initiative, an anime- or manga-character workshop with Scottsdale Artists’ School Teen Academy, and more. For more information, click here.
Creative Saturday is made possible in part by Carolyn Dunkin Schulte Educational Endowment Fund, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
Lecture and Book Club: The Beauty of Everyday Things November 19 | Noon – 2 pm Presented in Singer Hall and the Lemon Art Research Library The Beauty of Everyday Things calls on readers to deepen their relationship with the objects that surround them, offering a heartfelt defense of modest, honest, and handcrafted objects, from traditional teacups to paper. To complement the Lemon Art Research Library Book Club selection by Soetsu Yangai, Janet Baker, PhD, curator of Asian art, will give a lecture on traditional Japanese art forms that will be featured in the new installment of the Art of Asia galleries in December. She will discuss the concept of Wabi-Sabi, or “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.” For more information, click here.
National Theatre Live: Straight Line Crazy November 20 | 1 – 4 pm $15 for Members | $20 for the general public Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity. Robert Moses was determined to improve the lives of New York City’s workers, creating parks, bridges, and miles of expressway to connect people with the outdoors, but he now finds himself faced with resistance by protest groups campaigning for a different vision. Ralph Fiennes leads the blazing account of one of New York’s most powerful men, captured live from the Bridge Theatre in London. Rated PG-13. Estimated runtime: 3 h. Tickets are available here.
National Theatre Live showings are made possible in part by the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts.
SCHOOL AND ADULT TOURS On-site school and adult tours have returned to Phoenix Art Museum. To learn more about school-tour offerings and planning a school visit, click here. For adult and college group tour requests, click here.
In addition, Phoenix Art Museum offers live virtual presentations for school classrooms and community organizations. For more information on Virtual Classroom Visits, click here. For more information on Virtual Presentations for Adults, click here.
School Tours and Virtual Classroom Visits are made possible in part by Carolyn Dunkin Schulte Educational Endowment Fund, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs the and William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
PHXARTIST SPOTLIGHTS Presented by Phoenix Art Museum, PhxArtist Spotlight is a monthly series that explores what inspires and motivates Valley creatives, while leveraging the Museum’s reach in its community to support and expand awareness of working artists. Each month, the Museum highlights a different artist working in Arizona, posting a Q&A with the artist and images of their work on the Museum’s Instagram and Facebook channels and on the Museum’s bilingual blog. The artist is also highlighted in a monthly email sent to Museum Members, Circles of Support donors, and a subscriber list of more than 65,000 followers.For more information on the series, click here. For recent spotlights on Rembrandt Quiballo and Patricia Sannit, click here.
About Phoenix Art Museum Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum has provided millions of guests with access to world-class art and experiences in an effort to ignite imaginations, create meaningful connections, and serve as a brave space for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, the Museum is a vibrant destination for the visual arts and the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. Each year, more than 300,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents a comprehensive film program, live performances, and educational programs designed for visitors of all ages, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.
