Arts & Culture
Bike Chic | Mikey Jackson
Posted on 3/26/13 by Nathan Simpson » No Comments
DPJ’s Bike Chic series by Nathan Simpson. You may see him around town scouting locals who not only ride their bikes but look dapper doing it.
Mikey in front of the mural on 5th Street
Name: Mikey Jackson
Occupation: Bartender at The Lost Leaf/Artist
Favorite thing about downtown Phoenix: Downtown is a village. People look out for each other and they get jazzed about being involved in the community.
Favorite places: I’m obviously biased, but I love The Lost Leaf. Bikini is also a great Phoenix gem that’s off the beaten path. Food wise, I’ve been spending a lot of time at Welcome Diner and I love Federal Pizza.
Where do you go for grooming? I get my hair done at Palabra. I used to just have what I guess you would call a fro, but they do a really great job. They also show art and I have a solo art show coming up there in May.
Typical bike ensemble: If I’m going to be riding a lot in the day, I’ll throw on my old boots that I know I can thrash. Otherwise I just try to dress for the weather.
Biking essentials:
- Bike – Custom built Fetish frame
- No frills – “She’s not a beauty queen. I try to keep my bike simple, easy and practical”
What he’s wearing:
- Vintage, no-tag flannel
- Graphic T shirt – Eighty Grand
- Bolo Tie – gift
- Silver ring – found
- Gemed ring- From Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
Anything you want to plug? My solo art show at Polabra in May. I also have a blog for my art at hellomikey.net.
Biannual Home Tour Returns to Encanto-Palmcroft
Posted on 3/21/13 by Courtney McCune » No Comments
Strolling through the winding, palm-lined streets of the Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood is like taking a trip around the world via architectural history. From the steeply sloped roofs of the English Tudors, the cozy courtyards of the Spanish Colonials, and the smooth adobe walls of the Pueblos, this collection of historic homes spans the globe of period revival architectural styles.
On Sunday, March 24, the public is invited to take a peek behind these stunning exteriors during the Encanto-Palmcroft home tour and street fair (no passport required!) From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, a collection of homes in the neighborhood will open their doors, allowing guests a closer look at what makes them so special, both inside and out.
The neighborhood, which features some of the larger homes in downtown Phoenix, began development in the late 1920s. Many of the houses were built in the 1920s, 30s and 40s and have since been lovingly restored and maintained to uphold their original design.
Encanto-Palmcroft is also unique for its number of famous residents throughout its history, including former Phoenix Suns player Alvan Adams and US Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist.
Along with the home tour, the event includes a street fair with a wide range of attractions like arts & crafts vendors, food trucks, live music, raffles, and booths from home design and décor services and other local businesses and community organizations.
If You Go
What: Encanto-Palmcroft Home Tour
Where: Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood
When: Sunday, March 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets: Presale on the website for $18, $20 day of
Parking: Parking is available at the NE corner of Phoenix College, located at 1202 W. Thomas Rd. Trolleys will run throughout the day between there and the Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood.
A Deise Designed Landscape
Posted on 3/21/13 by Chelsea Koressel » 1 Comment
Downtown Phoenix is full of artistic, vintage, and historic flair that you can’t find anywhere else in the valley. This is especially true of the historic districts where you see creativity at its finest in elaborate yards and lush gardens that match the diverse, unique houses themselves.
Some people add their own artwork to the face of their yards and alter features to create more personalized spaces that reflect their personalities. Others prefer functionality over design and take a more edible approach. How can it get any more organic than food straight from the earth to the kitchen table? Both approaches contribute to the downtown way of life and to a certain diverse flair that draws many to the area.
Downtown resident and professional artist Pete Deise wants his front and back yards to seek and bring about “togetherness.”
The front yard at artist Pete Deise’s house
“We live in the front yard,” states Deise. “It faces west and chases the setting sun.”
There are many antique seating areas and anyone is welcome to come into the yard for a chat. Even Pete’s watering process is meant to be therapeutic. He elaborates, “There are no drip lines in sight. There’s only the hose in my hand and the time to contemplate the day’s adventures.”
One of Deise’s sculptures
Pete’s own elaborate rust steel sculptures also inhabit the yard, adding a deeply personal touch. They remain the focal points to the yard and always provide beauty even when the winter season settles in and all the greenery is gone.
“Art is an affliction,” continues Pete. “What else can I say? Some people watch TV; I watch the light and shadows cast up the steel.” A lot of Pete’s sculptures actually mimic nature and one in particular is that of branch limbs, tangled and spindled.
Although the yard remains a bit bare during the colder temperatures of what is considered “winter” for Phoenix, there is always life at the Deise residence and there are many plans for the spring.
Pete explains, “This year there is a raised bed outside the west office window and is set to bloom in sight of the kitchen. This will be a pasta garden. That is, everything you would use in a pasta dish. We are planning also for 42 garlic cloves, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and mustard seed. Everything is full circle. Plant the seeds to see the shoots, nurture the growth, learn and sculpt from observation, then eat.”
The raised garden bed
The bed is made of old wood and raised off the ground. Pete has added some aesthetically pleasing stones that rest on the wood that also serve a purpose if the need arises to cover the garden.
A chicken coop sits on the side of the house, strategically located by the back door to the kitchen. This serves as easy access for feeding and for grabbing eggs when they are ready.
Last but not least, the pride and joy of the whole yard are the sunflowers planted every February along the perimeter of the property. “This year we will also have corn,” states Deise. “Planting now will provide a colorful future to be enjoyed in late spring and summer.”
The sunflowers are such a beautiful, powerful component and they really draw you into the property. Needless to say, they are the first element you see and the last thing you contemplate when walking away!
Wire | Roosevelt Row Hosts ‘Equinox’ Fundraiser
Posted on 3/20/13 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
What began as a simple house party along Roosevelt Row has grown into an annual fundraiser that brings over 200 people together to celebrate life in the Downtown Phoenix Arts District. This year, Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation will host its annual fundraiser at the start of spring – under the banner of the Equinox.
The funds raised through ticket sales and a raffle will help keep the Adaptive Re-use of Temporary Space (A.R.T.S.) Growhouse Community Garden active and vibrant. Growhouse grows fresh produce for the market and local restaurants, and works with students at Bioscience High School to create hands on learning experiences such as producing honey, growing food, and creating sunflower seed based bio fuel.
The event will be held at Cibo Urban Pizzeria, 603 North 5th Avenue on March 28, beginning at 5:30 pm.
General admission tickets are $35 and include two drinks and complimentary appetizers.
As a special addition to the event, a $100 VIP ticket will be offered. The $100 ticket includes entry to Equinox as well as VIP admission to the to the Feast on the Street event on April 13. VIP guests will have access to a lounge with food, drinks, comfortable facilities, and a balcony overlookign the event.
Tickets are available online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/344451
Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation (CDC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit community development corporation established to further the unique cultural character and creative assets of the Roosevelt Row Arts District, to advocate for the continuing presence and role of the arts and small business in the revitalization of the district, and to foster a dense, diverse and walkable urban community.
Information about Feast on the Street can be found at http://www.feastonthestreet.org/
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- Honey from the Growhouse bees
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- Volunteer day at the garden
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- Bioscience students lend a hand
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- Bioscience student beekeepers
If You Go
What: Roosevelt Row Equinox Fundraiser
Where: Cibo, 603 N. 5th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85003
When: Thursday, March 28, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/344451
Tickets are $35 and include two drinks and complimentary appetizers.
100 ticket includes Equinox AND one VIP ticket to Feast on the Street on Saturday, April 13.
Five Reasons to be Excited about McDowell Mountain Music Festival
Posted on 3/19/13 by Courtney McCune » No Comments
The McDowell Mountain Music Festival rolls into downtown Phoenix March 22, 23 and 24, bringing together music, arts, food and fun. Here are the top five reasons we’re stoked to have this locally grown event happening in our own backyard!
1. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
After nearly a decade in North Scottsdale, the annual music festival is heading south to a new downtown Phoenix address. Margaret T. Hance Park will play host to the event, which will include two stages of both national and local music acts, arts & crafts vendors, food trucks, camping, kids activities and a whole lot more.
John Largay, festival founder and president of Wespac Construction, the organization behind the McDowell Mountain Music Festival, felt there were a number of good reasons to relocate the event.
Largay saw a natural partnership between the MMMF, the Roosevelt district and the City of Phoenix, with their shared goal of bringing arts and culture to the community. Says Largay, “I think it’s something that (we) can build around. So if we’re there to support community and culture, which is really our primary mission . . . I think we picked a good location and I think we picked a good partner in the City of Phoenix.”
He also liked the amenities that downtown Phoenix had to offer. “I love Hance Park. It’s a great fit for what we’re doing,” says Largay,“and from a convenience and logistics, access side, both from a light rail and parking standpoint, it’s very easy for a lot of people to get to.”
2. A ROCKIN’ LINE-UP
With national headliners like The Roots, The Shins and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and a great collection of local artists, this year’s MMMF line-up should have something for just about every music fan – which is exactly what the organizers are going for.
“We think music is universal,” says Largay, “that’s a universal language that speaks to a 10-year-old the same as it speaks to an 80-year-old, so we try to diversify our genres to make sure there’s some entertainment factor for everybody.”
Largay is especially proud that the line-up includes a number of critically acclaimed bands that haven’t stopped in Phoenix for a while, like The Shins and The Umphrey’s McGee.
3. SWEET CHARITY
As if a great location and a great line-up weren’t enough, the McDowell Mountain Music Festival is essentially a charity event, donating 100% of its proceeds to local nonprofits.
According to Largay, it’s been that way since the beginning. The festival started ten years ago as a charity project organized by Wespac employees and their friends and family and has continued to build on that mission ever since.
This year, all of the funds will be donated to three local charities: Phoenix Children’s Hospital, UMOM New Day Centers and Ear Candy Music Charity. Since its inception, the festival has given over $700,000 back to the community.
4. FREE YOGA
You’ll be able to prepare your mind, body and soul for a day of awesome music with a free yoga class from Sutra Midtown Yoga, one of downtown’s coolest studios.
According to Sutra co-owner Matthew Fritz, they will offer a free all-levels Vinyasa class on the Saturday and Sunday mornings of the festival, complete with a live dj. The class will take place inside the festival grounds on the local stage from 10am-11am both days.
The class is open to anyone who’d like to attend, whether you have a ticket to the festival or not. If you don’t have a ticket, but decide you’d like to stick around, yoga participants can buy tickets at the gate for a discounted rate of $45 with their Sutra wristband. That’s a win-win for the mind, body, soul and wallet!
Learn more here: http://sutramidtown.com/events#mmmf
5. JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE
It may sound like a copout, but it’s true: from the afterhours shows at The Crescent Ballroom, to camping at the festival, to the vast array of delicious eats and drinks to choose from – there are countless reasons to be excited about this year’s McDowell Mountain Music Festival.
Most of all, we are thrilled that it will bring together a community of music and culture lovers for a great time and a great cause. And it’s all happening right in our fantastic downtown.
If You Go
What: McDowell Mountain Music Festival
Where: Margaret T. Hance Park – 200 E. Moreland St.
When:
March 22: doors 4 p.m./show 5 p.m.
March 23: doors 11 a.m./show 12 p.m.
March 24: doors 11 a.m./show 12 p.m.
Tickets: http://mmmf.ticketfly.com/
Photos provided by McDowell Mountain Music Festival
