Third Fridays
From the Wire | Warehouse Clearance Sale To Benefit Artlink
Posted on 5/15/12 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
Some news items don’t need translation. That’s why DPJ launched the From the Wire series, so we could serve the destinations here by posting information and announcements – in their own words.
Have anything to donate? Art, furniture, appliances, etc. are welcome. Drop items off on Friday afternoon, May 18th from Noon – 5pm at the parking lot in the rear of the After Hours Building.
Artlink, creator of the wildly popular First Friday’s in downtown Phoenix and Art Detour, one of the longest-running arts events in Arizona, will be the benefactor of a warehouse clearance sale.
The sale will be held on Saturday, May 19th, from 7AM to 12 NOON in the parking lot of the After Hours Building, at 116 W. McDowell Road. The After Hours Building is in the heart of downtown Phoenix, 1 block west of the Phoenix Art Museum and the Central/McDowell Light Rail Stop.
Merchandise comes from a variety of manufacturers and most are never-used overstocks and samples. Items in the sale include gift-wrap, stationery goods, pet products, scrap-booking supplies, t-shirts, greeting cards, holiday decor plus art, furniture, appliances and more. Many prices are discounted nearly 90% from normal retail, with many items marked at just 25 cents.
According to Mike Oleskow, President of Artlink and organizer of the sale, “This is a great opportunity for people to get incredible deals and support the Phoenix Arts community. Proceeds help keep services like the First Friday shuttles running each month. While free for First Friday participants who love using it to explore art and to get around Downtown, the shuttles are Artlink’s biggest expense each month.”
Artlink Phoenix is one of the oldest, all volunteer run, 501-C-3 arts organizations in downtown Phoenix. Its mission is to maintain and enhance regular events, including the monthly First Fridays art walk, the annual Art Detour self-guided tour, an annual Juried Exhibition and an art-related fundraiser.
For more information on Artlink, please visit artlinkphoenix.com.
Bike Chic Special Edition | Pedal Craft PHX
Posted on 4/24/12 by DPJ Staff » 1 Comment
Hundreds of fabulous bicyclists took to the streets to support bike culture at Pedal Craft PHX last Friday night.
Bikes lined the streets, amazing racks were curated by Sidewalk Phoenix and local designers produced spectacular posters, which were purchased by the armful.
Of course our fashion spotters were on the lookout and were more than pleased to see the T-shirts designed by Jon Ashcroft looking especially chic.
Congratulations to the organizers for producing a terrific inaugural event. Look for more Pedal Craft festivities this Fall and in the meantime, check out the images captured by DPJ photographer, and Downtown resident, Jack London.
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- The line-up of posters created by local designers.
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- Welcome to Kitchen Sink!
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- Bike fans beginning to gather outside of Kitchen Sink.
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- Fashionable bicycle-inspired posters.
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- Artists added to festivities while young boys watch the fun.
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- Unique shirts created by Jon Ashcroft.
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- People lined up out the door to buy posters.
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- A bike rack resembling a fish created by Sidewalk Phoenix.
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- Organizers Jonce Walker, Dorina Bustamante and Jon Ashcroft. (not pictured: Nicole Underwood, Jeremy Stapleton, Jim McPherson)
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- The party was hopping as the evening wore on.
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- Which poster did you buy?
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- April is Bike Month!
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- Kitchen Sink Gallery was the perfect setting.
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- Can you spot your bike?
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- Posters and t-shirts for sale.
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- Pedal Craft did PHX proud.
Video: Art Detour 2012
Posted on 3/26/12 by Perry Allen » No Comments
What is art in Phoenix? A short piece compiled from my trip around Downtown Phoenix for Art Detour weekend. Thank you to all the artists, patrons, volunteers, and proprietors who took the time to speak with me.
(shot & cut by perry allen for dpj)
Artist Finds Her Footing on First Fridays
Posted on 3/23/12 by J. Seth Anderson » No Comments
Downtown Phoenix is an ever-changing landscape, but amidst all the developments, bureaucracy, and continual struggle to create an urban core with an authentic sense of place, there is at least one event that has remained a constant feature and lifeblood in Downtown for over 20 years: First Fridays.
Local artist Carol Roque has been a part of this tradition as a vendor at every First Friday since December 2006 when she began selling her work as a young art student. Roque remembers the years of the mid 2000s as a simpler time, when artists gathered in dirt lots along Roosevelt Row, where one man would bring a generator and for ten bucks he’d allow artists to plug their extension cords in so they could light up their booths.
As First Friday continued to grow and spill out into the neighborhood streets the City of Phoenix began to take notice and it wasn’t long before bureaucracy was inserted into the evolution of the monthly event.
Soon paperwork, applications, and licenses became required for artists to display and sell their work.
“The license was easy to get back then. The City helped so I got everything I needed.”
At the age of 25, Roque has been a regular for long enough to remember when such things were not needed.
Her friend and now collaborator, Aldo Jeffery, invited her to show her work at First Friday after he happened to see some portraits she had completed while studying animation at the Art Institute of Phoenix.
He offered her space at his table where she carefully set out her samples for display.
“I was so nervous that I don’t think I said a single word all night.” She may not have said anything but she made $45 from sales of her 5×5 prints that she sold for $5.00 a piece.
“I had no idea that people bought art. I didn’t know you could do art for a living, I knew you could do animation, but I hated that.”
She stuck with school and earned a B.A. in Media Arts and Animation, although she never pursued animation. Instead, after graduation she taught herself to oil paint and set out to make a living as a full time artist.
Connecting Through Art
Since childhood, Roque carried notebooks with her which she explains were her closest friends; she filled the pages with drawings and portraits of people for whom she would name and create stories and details to explain their lives.
As a kid she attended 4 different schools before moving from the Los Angeles area to Mesa with her family. “It was easier for me to connect with my paintings than it was for me to make friends.”
The theme that runs through her work is loneliness, a feeling seen in the expressions on the faces of the people she creates. Some of the subjects have distorted faces, some have large noses, all have intense eyes that seem to be pleading for understanding and love. Roque says people comment that the people in her paintings look sad and depressing.
“That caught me off guard to hear. It was a reminder that I’m not the only one who feels sad, other people do too.”
Her first painting was completed in a digital print and ink class where she learned how to paint on a computer. She still uses the computer as a way to map out her visions. Once an idea is created digitally, she is able to choose which one she wants to turn into an oil painting.
“I have to keep focused and imagine what I want. I think through the whole painting digitally, then plan how to turn it into an oil painting. It’s much easier to do it this way because it’s planned out and I’m not just painting blindly. I can plan the composition and the under painting and I don’t have to worry if I’m painting the lighting correctly.”
She said she always admired oil painters and now prefers oil because she can blend colors infinitely, but “oil paint is really dangerous and toxic. My hands used to tingle all the time and I thought that was normal. It’s not. I take precautions and wear gloves now.”
Living an Uncomplicated Life
Her work is shown around town in coffee shops or bars. Earlier this month she had a show at Hair Pollution on McDowell with Jeffery and this month her work is on display at Buffalo Exchange as their Artist of the Month.
She will have a regular gallery on Roosevelt Row in May where she will debut her newest and favorite painting.
“No one has seen it yet and it’s still untitled. It’s a girl with purple lilac hair, you see her back and she’s looking back at you with a lot of pain and emotion in her eyes. It’s intense but pretty when you first see it. There is a heart stitched on her back with a yellow bird on her shoulder holding one end of the string.”
Roque says she’s grateful that her life is uncomplicated at the moment.
“Sometimes I just work inside all day and only ever come out to First Friday. I should probably get out and socialize more. I’ve had a level of success, people recognize my work. The next step is to pay my rent more regularly.”
She acknowledges that during her years participating in First Friday she has witnessed many changes but what hasn’t changed is the interest in the downtown art scene.
“People come for different reasons. There are a lot of teenagers, lots of middle-aged men and women and elderly people. It’s everyone.”
Roque is out every First Friday and Third Friday in front of MADE Art Boutique on Roosevelt Street sharing her work with the Downtown Phoenix community. On Third Friday she draws live and you can get a custom portrait in about 20-30 minutes for only 15 bucks.
Images courtesy of Carol Roque.
From the Wire | Artlink Invites Valley Artists to Public Hanging – UPDATE
Posted on 3/06/12 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
Some news items don’t need translation. That’s why DPJ launched the From the Wire series, so we could serve the destinations here by posting information and announcements – in their own words.
Artists Without Gallery Exposure can Participate in Art Detour
All submissions to be exhibited at Artlink’s A.E. England Gallery, March 16-18.
UPDATE: Deadline for entry is March 7 MARCH 12. Applications can be submitted online or dropped off to After Hours Gallery, located at 116 W. McDowell Rd.
For Art Detour 24, Artlink is inviting all Valley artists to submit their hangable works of art for presentation in a PUBLIC HANGING. The PUBLIC HANGING will be open for view at Artlink’s A.E. England Gallery space in downtown Phoenix during Art Detour, March 16th through 18th.
The PUBLIC HANGING is a way for any artist to have their work shown in an established gallery and exposed to the public during Art Detour, one of the largest art events in Arizona.
Any artist can submit work. The only requirements are that the piece submitted must be no larger than 36”W X 36”H X 12”D, be ready to hang and be self contained. The $25 hanging fee supports Artlink and includes becoming a Friend of Artlink, an annual individual contribution to support First Fridays, gallery openings and more.
Says Mike Oleskow, Artlink President, “Phoenix has an extraordinarily rich artist community, yet many people never have a chance to have their work on display. The PUBLIC HANGING is an exciting way to make it possible for everyone to share their talents – and the small entry fee helps Artlink continue to promote First Fridays and other arts advocacy efforts.”
Works on display at the PUBLIC HANGING will not be for sale and prices will not be listed, but artists’ information will be available for reference so interested viewers can connect with the artists.
To be part of the PUBLIC HANGING, interested artists just need to visit www.artlinkphoenix.com for details and entry forms. Deadline for entry is March 7 March 12. Drop-off will be at the A.E. Gallery on March 9th & 10th and pick-up is on March 24th.
Artlink is a 501 C-3 non-profit arts advocacy organization, celebrating its 24th year. Major programs of Artlink include Art Detour, support of First Friday, coordination and support of the Trolleys for First Friday, operation of two exhibition spaces for artists in downtown Phoenix and connecting Phoenix businesses and volunteers with the Arts.
The A.E. England Gallery is located at Civic Space Park, 424 North Central Avenue. There is a Metro Light Rail stop next to the Gallery.
