Happy New Year! Here’s our handpicked list of goings on! Scroll down to find maker/artist/explorer events in Italy, France, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Tahiti, and the U.S. (Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington).
+Arizona
Raptor Free Flight!
Now – March 2018
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson
Watch hawks, falcons, and owls fly completely untethered in the open desert, while a narrator explains the characteristics of each species. Two presentations daily (at 10am and 2pm) with different birds of prey native to the Sonoran Desert region each time. Included with admission.
Autumn into Spring Art Show
Now – May 11
Cornerstone Hospital, Tucson
Art on display (and for sale) by 25 local artists throughout the facility. Sponsorsed by Southern Arizona Arts Guild.
Pompeii: The Exhibition
Now — May 28
Arizona Science Center, Phoenix
Exhibition of artifacts from the ancient city of Pompeii, destroyed by the 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Over 200 items are on loan from the Naples National Archaeological Museum in Italy, including wall-sized frescoes, mosaics, marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, statues, Roman coins, and body casts of the volcano victims. Timed-entry ticket required. Tickets $12 (adults) / $10 (ages 3-17) + science center admission.
Basic Printmaking
Jan 4-25, Thursdays at 2pm
Prescott Valley Public Library (Glassford Hill Room), Prescott Valley
4-week course on basic printmaking skills. Use hand printing methods and a small flatbed printing press to make a series of personalized, handmade cards. Ages 21+. Registration required. Free.
Make + Take Art Classes
Practical Art, Phoenix
Every Saturday Practical Art offers two-hour classes with local artists. Learn a new craft and make something to take home with you.
- Jan 6, 2-4pm: Wood Burning with Alexandra Bowers. $40
- Jan 20, 2-4pm: Jewelry Texturing with Alex Ozers. $40
- Jan 27, 2-4pm: Robot Making with Jordan-Alexander Thomas. $35
Prescott Origami Fanatics: Envelopes and Letterfolds
Jan 7, 1:30-4:30pm
Prescott Public Library (Founders Suite B), Prescott
Easy-to-medium-level paper folding class for adults and teens. Paper is provided.
Savor Yuma
Jan 10, Feb 21, Mar 7
Old City Hall, Yuma
Progressive dining experience with a tour bus that takes you to sample food at several Yuma eateries. Tickets $55.
Fountain Hills Artists’ Gallery Workshops
Fountain Hills Artists’ Gallery, Fountain Hills
Artist-led workshops at a cooperatively-owned fine art gallery. To reserve a spot in a workshop, you must pre-register and pay the workshop fee.
- Jan 11, 5pm + Jan 25, 5pm: Paint Your Pet. Acrylic artist Kelly Bowman will sketch your pet onto a canvas that you can paint when you arrive. Maximum 6 participants. No experience necessary, and all supplies are included. $56 fee.
- Jan 21, 4pm: Red Flower 3-D Wool Painting. Rita Chester will show you how to use needle felting and wet felting to create an 11″ x 14″ painting. No experience necessary, and all supplies are included. $75 fee.
- Jan 22, 5pm: Soul Script with Colleen Brown. Mixed media workshop using acrylic paints, a variety of art papers, and a 10″ x 10″ birchwood canvas to make a unique collage centered on a word of your choice. Maximum 8 participants. No experience necessary, and all supplies are included. $55 fee.
Field to Feast Tour
Jan 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 27, 31
Feb 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 28
March 1, 7
Visitor Information Center, Yuma (201 N. 4th Ave.)
Half-day farm tour. Hands-on harvesting instruction from a local grower followed by lunch made from the produce you picked. Includes transportation, some veggies to take home, and the field-fresh lunch. Tickets $55.
Date Night Dinners
Jan 12, Feb 2 + 16, Mar 9
Imperial Date Gardens (near Yuma)
Gourmet dinner served outdoors in a date grove with dates in every course. Presented by Yuma Visitors Bureau in cooperation with the Bard Valley Date Growers Association. Tickets $75.
- 5:30pm: On-site walking tour.
- 6pm: Dinner.
Art in the Park
Jan 13, 12-5pm
Gateway Park, Yuma
Fine arts festival alongside the banks of the Colorado River, a la A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. Wander through art displays with a glass of wine or a mimosa. Free admission.
Spring Out to Lunch Concert Series
Jan 18 – Mar 22, Thursdays at 12:30pm.
Wells Fargo Garden performance area at Mesa Arts Center
Free outdoor concerts at lunchtime. Pack a picnic or purchase food on-site.
Quilt, Craft + Sewing Festival
Jan 25-27
Arizona Fairgrounds
Expo with sewing, quilting, needlework, and craft supply vendors (both local and national), as well as workshops and presentations. Admission $10. $1 off with online coupon (printable PDF).
Harp Guitar Virtuoso Muriel Anderson in Concert
Feb 2, 8pm
Firecreek Coffee Company, Flagstaff
Performance by Muriel Anderson, one of the world’s foremost fingerstyle guitarists and harp-guitarists. Tickets $25.
Arizona Game Fair
Feb 9-11
Mesa Convention Center
Tabletop gaming convention. Open gaming (with a library of board and card games available), vendors, events, and game industry guests. Full event badge $40+.
33rd Annual Historic Florence Home Tour
Feb 10, 10am – 4pm
Downtown Florence
Tour of 20 homes and historical structures. Tickets $10 advance/$15 day of.
World Championship Hoop Dance Contest
Feb 10-11
Heard Museum, Phoenix
2-day competition of intricate dances with up to 50 hoops, based on traditional intertribal hoop dance. Tickets $18 (includes museum admission).
Southwest Maker Fest
Feb 17, 10am – 4pm
Downtown Mesa
Collaborative, one-day festival of makers seeking to achieve the vision of a connected community, empowered by creativity. Free admission.
Arizona Cocktail Weekend
Feb 17-22
Downtown Phoenix
Celebration of the craft of the cocktail, including parties, spirit tastings, educational seminars, cocktail competitions, and drink specials. Passes TBA. Last year: $25-550.
Cartoon Tunes
Feb 18, 3pm
Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, Prescott
Prescott Pops Symphony presents a concert of classical music from cartoons. Tickets $25.
24th Annual Sedona International Film Festival
February 24 – March 4, 2018
Sedona
Festival with over 160 independent films from around the world, including features, shorts, documentaries, animation, foreign films, and student films. 10-ticket pack $130.
Art Detour 30
Mar 15-20
Downtown Phoenix
- March 15. Art D’Core Gala.
- March 16, 6-10pm. Pre-Detour Third Friday.
- March 17-18. Art Detour! Studio and art space tours.
27th Arizona International Film Festival
April 18-29
Exhibition venues throughout Tucson
Film festival with a focus on independent cinema and diverse cultures.
- Submissions of features (narrative and documentary) and shorts (documentary, dramatic, comedy, experimental, and animation) accepted through January 31, 2018.
ARTbeat 11
Apr 22, 4-9pm
Historic Downtown Yuma
Award-winning juried fine arts festival with local and regional artists and live music.
- Application Deadline: March 2, 2018
Phoenix Comicon
May 24-27
Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix
Pop culture convention featuring actors, top comic book writers and artists, programming, and vendors. Full event passes $65 through April 30.
+California
Found in Translation: Design in California and Mexico, 1915–1985
Now – Apr 1, 2018
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Exhibition about how four design movements — Spanish Colonial Inspiration, Pre-Hispanic Revivals, Folk Art and Craft Traditions, and Modernism — defined California and Mexico throughout the twentieth century.
Book Show (Store + Event Space)
Highland Park, Los Angeles
- Jan 2, 7pm. Collage + Cry: Monthly community collage art night. Materials and light snacks provided. Crying optional. $5 donation.
- Jan 5 + Feb 2, 8pm. EAT ART Open Mic: Monthly storytelling open mic. 5-minute performances of poetry, short stories, spoken word, songs.
SPAWN Creek Walk
Jan 6, 13, + 20
Samuel P. Taylor State Park, Lagunitas
The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) leads a leisurely guided tour through multiple creek sites in the Lagunitas Watershed to look for endangered coho salmon that have returned to spawn. Open to all ages and abilities. Pre-registration required. $15 donation requested.
Pacific Standard Time Festival: Live Art LA/LA
Jan 11-21
Los Angeles
International celebration of art and performance at indoor and outdoor locations throughout greater Los Angeles. Latin American and Latino artists from more than a dozen countries will perform in parks, plazas, galleries, and theaters.
- Jan 11 + 12, 8pm: Tijuana. Multimedia solo show written and performed by Gabino Rodríguez about the actor’s move to Tijuana to become a minimum-wage factory worker for six months. In Spanish with English supertitles. Tickets $15.
- Jan 16-18, 8:30pm: Teatro Línea de Sombra: Durango 66. Installation/performance using construction vehicles, tons of soil, and giant projections in an underground urban space. In Spanish and English with English surtitles. Tickets $15.
- Jan 21, 3pm: “cumbre: look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.” Rafa Esparza’s three-part performance about familial histories of immigration into the United States and the deeply complex history of downtown Los Angeles. The final segment includes a collaboration with artist Sebastian Hernandez.
An Evening of Lights: Astronomy and Bioluminescence
Jan 12, 8pm
Drakes Beach, Marin County
Learn about identifying stars, nebulae, and constellations. If it is cloudy, the focus will turn to bioluminescence and nocturnal wildlife sounds. Ages 12+. Fee $50.
Jewish Meditation
Jan 16, Feb 20, + Mar 20 at 2pm
Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles
Instruction and exercises on meditation techniques that draw from Jewish contemplative practice, texts, and traditions. Lead by meditation teacher Alison Laichter, founder of the Jewish Meditation Center in New York City. Free.
Pacific Coast Pop-up
A Little Lodge, San Francisco
Jan 17-31
Outdoor themed pop-up shop featuring clothes from the new Blood and Bolts collection.
- Jan 17, 4-9pm: Opening party. Music, free drinks, photography, and shopping.
Museums Free-for-All
Southern California
Jan 28
Free general admission at museums throughout Los Angeles and Southern California.
Craftcation: Business + Makers Conference
Apr 4-8
Ventura Beach Marriott, Ventura
Four days of creative business classes and craft workshops. $450 registration through Feb 1. Then $470.
+Colorado
Hung Liu: Transformation
Now – Feb 18
Loveland Museum/Gallery, Loveland
Exhibition featuring 15 large-scale paintings and a room-size installation by artist Hung Liu, whose work explores movement and migration, as well as the complex interactions between individual memory and history. $5 exhibit admission.
- Jan 12 + Feb 9, 5-9pm: Night on the Town. Museum stays open late with free admission and activities.
- Jan 23: Free day. Donations accepted.
Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF)
Feb 22-24
The American Mountaineering Center (AMC), Golden
Screenings of 48 films that aim to motivate audiences to awareness and action on environmental issues.
+Massachusetts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Exhibitions
- Now – Feb 25, 2018. The Andes Inverted: Immersive installation by Daniela Rivera with materials, images, and sounds gathered from Chile’s Chuquicamata copper mine.
- Now – Sep 3, 2018. Mark Rothko: Reflection: Exhibition of 11 Rothko pieces on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. that show the continuity of the artist’s work within western artistic tradition.
- Now – Jun 3, 2018. Black and White Japanese Modern Art: Display of a newly acquired, large-scale calligraphy by Inoue Yūichi, along with a selection of other monochrome avant-garde works from postwar Japan.
- Jan 3 + 21. Canaletto and the Art of Venice: On-screen tour of the Canaletto and the Art of Venice exhibition at Buckingham Palace. The film also explores the life of Giovanni Antonio Canal (“Canaletto”) and Venice places he painted, such as Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, Palazzo Ducale, and the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. (Screening at the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown on Jan 6.)
+New York
World Amigurumi Exhibition vol. 4: Dolls for Daily Life!
Now – Mar 31
RESOBOX LIC, Long Island City
Exhibition of innovative uses of the Japanese crochet art amigurumi. Free.
Canaletto and the Art of Venice
On-screen tour of the Canaletto and the Art of Venice exhibition at Buckingham Palace. The film also explores the life of Giovanni Antonio Canal (“Canaletto”) and Venice places he painted, such as Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, Palazzo Ducale, and the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo.
- Jan 4. 1891 Fredonia Opera House, Fredonia
- Jan 5. Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid
Embroidery for Beginners!
Jan 14, 12-2pm
QED, Astoria
Learn the fundamentals of hand embroidery, basic stitches, and how to transfer patterns. Start embroidering an apple pattern on a tea towel during class and then take it home with you to finish. Materials – including an embroidery hoop, floss, and a needle – will be provided. Advance registration required, as space is limited. Fee $25.
Rick Prelinger Presents: Lost Landscapes of New York
Feb 10 + 11, 2pm
Museum of the Moving Image – Redstone Theater, Astoria
Screening of a film that combines home movies by New Yorkers, tourists, and semi-professional cinematographers, outtakes from feature films, and other footage – most of which had never been seen before the film – of New York’s cityscape to show how the city has changed over time. Tickets $20.
IndieCade East 2018
Feb 16–18
Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria
Celebration of independent video games, independent game makers and players with panels and workshops plus dozens of new and unreleased games. Early Bird Full Festival Pass $100 through January 1, 2018.
+Washington
Seattle Art Museum
- Now – Mar 3, 2019. Spencer Finch: The Western Mystery at Olympic Sculpture Park.
- Now – Jul 15, 2018. Talents and Beauties: Art of Women in Japan.
Grand opening for Robot vs Sloth
Feb 10, 2-8pm
Pike Place Market, 1535 1st Ave (corner of 1st and Pine), Seattle
Artist Lauren Rudeck (“LaRu”) is moving from the shop we found by following her chalk robots (Ugly Baby and La Ru). She’s opening up her own shop called Robot vs Sloth on the other side of Pike Place Market, right on the corner of 1st and Pine.
+Washington D.C.
Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend
Now – 2019
Natural History Museum
Understanding this unique tusked whale through traditional Inuit knowledge and scientific research. Free.
Hung Liu In Print
Jan 19–Jul 8
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Best known as a painter whose work explores themes such as movement and migration, artist Hung Liu also creates pieces using an array of printing and collage techniques. She describes printmaking as “poetry,” layering images with highly textured surfaces and screens of drip marks. Museum admission $10.
- Jan 7 + Feb 4, 1pm: Tour: Fierce Women. Fast-paced, drop-in tour highlighting the work of women who blazed trails as artists, activists, and innovators. No advance registration – sign up at the Information Desk upon arrival to reserve your spot. Free (as part of the monthly Community Day).
- Feb 21, 12pm: Gallery Talk: Hung Liu In Print.
INTERNATIONAL
+France
Expo Orchidées de Colombie (Colombian Orchid Expo)
Now – March
Galerie de Botanique, Jardin des Plantes, MNHN, Paris
Project to highlight the historical collections at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, as well as the biodiversity of Colombian flora. There will also be light and sound installations by Claudia Isabel Navas.
Paris Déco Off
Jan 18-22
Paris
Home decor companies open up their Paris showrooms to the public and interior designers to debut new collections. There are also displays, such as the Linen Lux lamps. Free.
+Hong Kong
Chinese New Year Celebrations
Feb 16-18
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
The city’s biggest festival includes a parade, food and flower markets, performances, and a fireworks show over the harbor.
- Feb 16, 6-9:45pm: International Chinese New Year Night Parade. A variety of street performances followed by floats and entertainment by local and international performers. Free street viewing. Spectator stand tickets HK$300-480.
- Mar 2: Spring Lantern Festival. The last day of Chinese New Year (a.k.a. “Chinese Valentine’s Day”) is focused on couples with colorful lanterns hung in parks, flower markets, and restaurants.
+Italy
The Cinquecento
Now – Jan 21, 2018
Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
Exhibition of 16th century art in Florence with works of art by such artists as Michelangelo, Bronzino, Giorgio Vasari, Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, Santi di Tito, Giambologna and Bartolomeo Ammannati. Combo ticket to the exhibition, Baptistery of St. John, and Opera del Duomo Museum: €8.
Carnival of Venice
Jan 27 – Mar 13
St. Mark’s Square, Venice
Pre-Lenten celebrations with revelers in elaborate masks and costumes.
- Jan 27-28: Festa Veneziana on the water.
- Feb 3, 11am: Mask contest.
- Feb 11, 3pm: Costume contest.
- Feb 18-28: Eighteenth-century artisan boutique. Traditional ateliers – shoemakers, costumers, gondola artisans, mask makers, glass artists, and weavers – will set up shop in Piazza San Marco.
+NEW ZEALAND
Gardens Magic
Jan 9-28
Wellington Botanic Garden – Soundshell stage, Wellington
Nightly outdoor concerts and lighting installation at the Botanic Gardens. Picnic while you watch local Wellington musicians perform. Free.
CubaDupa
Mar 24-25
Cuba Quarter, Wellington
Festival with a wide range of street performances, including theater, bands, and opera, as well as a parade and interactive art installations. Free.
+TAHITI
Festival International du Film documentaire Océanien de Tahiti (FIFO)
Feb 3-11
Maison de la Culture, Pape’ete
Festival of documentaries about the culture, history, and issues of Oceania.
- Feb 7, 5:30pm. Screening of Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera.
Art Inspires Expeditions in “Headhunt Revisited” Documentary
As always, if you go to anything on the list, let me know how it goes!
FYI, I try to make sure all this information is correct, but there could be errors or changes. Also, I don’t necessarily endorse (or know) every single thing about each event, the venue, or organizations connected with it.
Top and Hong Kong photo via Discover Hong Kong.
Massachusetts photo via Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Paris photo via European Flax.
New Zealand photo via Amandala Photography.
Tahiti video via Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera.
