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.
Event Brings Bikes, Art, and Doing Good to Downtown Phoenix, April 20
The inaugural PEDAL CRAFT PHX rides into downtown Phoenix bringing together bicycles, art, and community to celebrate the city’s growing urban bike scene. The one night event will feature hundreds of bicyclists, a bicycle-themed poster show, a display of unique bicycle racks, and a ride to selected restaurants and bars in downtown Phoenix. PEDAL CRAFT PHX will take place on Friday, April 20, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Kitchen Sink Studios Gallery, 828 North Third Street. Admission is free.
Twenty-five top local graphic designers will show their original bicycle-themed poster artwork for Third Friday festivities and through the month of April by appointment. According to Jon Ashcroft, PEDAL CRAFT PHX co-organizer and finalist for the Phoenix New Times 2012 Big Brain Awards, “Collectors from novice to seasoned will appreciate the caliber and affordability of the posters, museum quality giclee prints produced using acid free archival paper and ink. Each artist will have a hand numbered and signed edition of twenty prints available for sale for twenty dollars each.”
Event organizers Jon Ashcroft, Dorina Bustamante, Jonce Walker, Jeremy Stapleton, Nicole Underwood. Photo by Timothy Boyd, courtesy of PEDAL CRAFT PHX.
A percentage of the proceeds from the poster show will help fund a temporary “pop-up” park on the now vacant quarter-acre Ro2 Lot at 1005 North Second Street in the Roosevelt Row Arts District and Evans Churchill Neighborhood. “We have received significant community feedback about what could go on this vacant lot, and it is gratifying to see local bicycling enthusiasts help to support its transformation into a useful temporary infill project,” said Dorina Bustamante, Ro2 Lot project lead and PEDAL CRAFT PHX co-organizer.
SideWalk Phoenix, a newly formed advocacy group for walkable, bikeable, and livable communities, will display a dozen one-of-a-kind bicycle racks designed by local artists and metal sculptors. “Bike racks are unique. They have a practical function, but they can also be urban art,” said Nicole Underwood, co-founder of SideWalk Phoenix and a PEDAL CRAFT PHX co-organizer [Underwood also writes for DPJ]. “These metal structures – visual landmarks in front of our local businesses and public spaces – symbolize a city and its residents unifying through the freedom of bicycles.”
Throughout the evening, bicyclists, walkers, and pedicab riders will be encouraged to visit downtown Phoenix restaurants that have installed bike racks and are offering special menu discounts for PEDAL CRAFT PHX participants. Jonce Walker, another co-organizer of PEDAL CRAFT PHX, stated, “Our evening ride is intended to create a swarm of bicyclists in downtown Phoenix to help bolster the local economy, convey the need for more bike infrastructure, and facilitate the exchange of friendly high-fives.”
UPDATE
The participating restaurants and bars include: The Lost Leaf, 914 N. 5th St.; The Roosevelt, 816 N. 3rd St.; Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. 2nd Ave.; Rose & Crown, 628 E. Adams St.; and The Arrogant Butcher, 2 E. Jefferson St., #150.
For those who can’t wait, here is a sneak peek of some of the posters submitted for the event.
Sponsors and Community Partners of PEDAL CRAFT PHX to date: Bicycle Cellar, Evans Churchill Community Association, Continental Shift, Jon Ashcroft Illustration & Design, Kitchen Sink Studios, Lost Creature, Phoenix Urban Design Laboratory (PURL), Roosevelt Row CDC, SideWalk Phoenix, Synergy Design Lab, and Urban Initiatives.
For more information about PEDAL CRAFT PHX, visit pedalcraftphx.com.
For details on Ro2 Lot: What Should Go Here, visit facebook.com/What.Should.Go.Here.
To learn more about SideWalk Phoenix, visit facebook.com/SideWalkPhoenix.
