Practical Art’s continuing evolution & summer events

Practical Art welcomes you to the 2015 summer! One great way to enjoy the hot, carefree summer days is at your favorite independent art shop.  As we get ready for the summer, Practical Art is saying farewell to a long devoted friend and colleague, saying hello to two new inspiring partners in the arts, and is inviting YOU to join us as we celebrate art and purpose in Phoenix!

Kara Roschi, one of our original movers and shakers, is bidding us adieu. As a seven year veteran of our amazing store, words cannot express how much she has meant to the creation and sustainability of Practical Art. Jane Reddin saw the kindness, enthusiasm, and talent that Kara possesses—qualities we all love and admire. Kara has used her talents to the benefit of our art and artists.  She helped us develop the business practices that have sustained Practical Art.  We know she will continue to to support and create local art as she focuses on her master’s program at ASU and the other opportunities that spark her genius! Good luck, and best wishes, Kara!

As we bid farewell to Kara, we enthusiastically welcome two new (to Practical Art), intelligent, and artistic women to the store. These new partners will continue to inspire and expand our mission of bringing art to the everyday. Stop by the store and meet Andi Erickson. Andi, as an Art Historian and enthusiast, will help you choose your very own art essentials! Behind the scenes, Sophie May Hook will help Practical Art develop an even greater presence in the Phoenix arts scene. Sophie is an independent arts, events and project management consultant who is passionate about nurturing talent, cultivating diversity and providing access to the arts for all.  Sophie will help us find more ways to grow the art community of our beautiful city and make Practical Art an integral part of that community. Welcome to the team Andi and Sophie!

In addition to these exciting changes, we want to give you a sneak peek at some summer plans that we’re currently developing.  Soon, in addition to finding and enjoying wonderful, functional artwork every day of the week here at Practical Art, you will be able to make your own! This summer (along with our summer kids classes with the Bergamot Institute) we plan to offer one-of-a-kind art classes with some of our favorite local artists. Make candles with the scent experts from Standard Wax; break wine bottles with Ray Delmuro and Refresh Glass; squeeze some mugs with the creativity expert Jillian Schimmel; AND MUCH MORE. Whatever your creative interests, we will have a class for you. You choose the class, gather some friends to join in the fun, we will provide the location and supplies, and one of our artists will share their expertise. There is no better way to escape from the heat than by coming out to Practical Art, enjoying friends, learning something new, and walking home with your own unique artistic creation. Look for more details and information, including how to sign up, coming soon on this blog and on our website.

Looking for other fun ways to support Phoenix? Practical Art has you covered! All summer long, join us in creating, supporting, and funding new initiatives that encourage Phoenix to recycle and reuse.  Sign up to receive our newsletter or check out our website to find out how you can help. We will also continue to share good fortune and good pie by hosting our Charity Pie Night every 4th Friday of the month. Enjoy mouth-watering masterpieces from Vonciel’s Pies while supporting local non-profit agencies around the valley. If you are looking for a place to escape the heat, enjoy one-of-a-kind handmade art, meet new and interesting people, and support Phoenix, Practical Art is the place to be. Thank you for your continued support of our shop and the 125 artists whose work continues to inspire us daily. We can’t wait to see you soon!

practical-art.com

Summer’s Here! … and the kids are home. Every. Day.

It’s just about that time. You know the time: when teachers head off to the nearest kid-free zone and send your little angels back to you for your new three-month-long, kids-all-day-everyday, summer schedule.

Wheeee!
Right?
Well….

Well, y’all will both need breaks from one another here n’ there, so here’s your dose of good news for the day: KIDS CLASSES ARE BACK AT PRACTICAL ART! We’ve got some regularly scheduled weekly shenanigans for your kiddos ages 7-12, and then we have some wily outlier classes that will be popping up periodically at other dates June-August. Stay tuned for those! 

On the docket for regular programming is the one, the only, the amazing, Bergamot Institute back with us for our THIRD year of classes! Starting June 12th, every Thursday from 5:00-6:30pm Shannon, Adam, Dustin and other Bergamotters, will help guide kids through multimedia experiments in bringing their wildest imagination-creations into 2-D or 3-D reality! They often bring along small project ideas to jumpstart the process… though typically the kiddos quickly deviate from those best-laid plans. (My favorite is still one young gal’s project that became a bejeweled doctor’s head mirror– ’cause what adult would ever think to make such a thing?! It was awesome. Kids, kids are awesome.)

Read more about Bergamot and what else they do year-round, here.
And solidify your RSVP to one of their kids class sessions at Practical Art, here. *Classes cap at 10 kiddos, so sign up quickly!*
(Purchase all the seats in a session to book for a group class and get a discount!)

As a final note, we also want to remind you to not miss this Friday’s Pie Social Charity Night from 7-9pm! It also benefits the next generation by raising funds for the Madison Education Foundation. (Ooooh! That means one of Karen’s Pie Tip blogs is coming this week!)

http://www.practical-art.com

 

 

Knock Knock. Who’s there? MARCH!

Can you believe it? First, it was 2014 sneakin’ up on us, and now— It’s already Spring! Even if you don’t own a calendar, there are some tell tale signs that Phoenix is in its primo season: we’re staring down a week of mid-80’s temps; the hotels are filled with grinning tourists who’ve busted out of their still-snowy regions to take in a spring training game; and I’m willing to bet you’ve been to at least one big outdoor community event already this month and it’s only the 3rd! It’s spring! It’s Phoenix! It’s spring in Phoenix and that means it’s festival season!!!

The end of February brought us AZ Beer Week, AZ Cocktail Week, and the Matsuri Festival of Japan, with a gentle closing of the month from the fine folks at Schnepf Farm and their Peach Blossom Festival.

This first weekend in March began with a bang just to the south of us on Central Ave– despite the rain– the Heard Museum was alive and thrumming with their Indian Fair and Market and the Phoenix Art Museum hosted their annual foodie extravaganza DEVOURED!

We’re particularly excited for this coming weekend and the 26th Annual ART DETOUR Self-Guided Art Tour! Metro Phoenix Galleries & Studios along the light rail, in the Roosevelt District, along Grand Ave, and elsewhere in the city, will throw open their doors all weekend long for the festivities. Jesse Perry, this month’s exhibiting visual artist at Practical Art, has decided that not only is he hanging his art on the walls, but that he’s turning one wall INTO art. That’s right, the room where we host our summer kids classes is getting the revamp it has so desperately deserved! Jesse will be working in front of your eyes all weekend on his vibrant mural, and he’s bringing copies of his sketch plans for the kiddos to colorize as a take-home. (And yes! You heard right! Summer Kids’ classes! Come by this weekend to meet some of the instructors too!) What else? Well, of course, the work of 120 local craft artisans, snacks, drinks, and general merriment. We’re excited!

Other notables in March?
Both the Scottsdale Arts Fest  & Fountain Hills Art Fest are the following weekend, as is the St.Patrick’s Day Faire and Parade at Margaret T. Hance Park.

The weekend after is the McDowell Mountain Music Fest and Tempe Festival of the Arts, but you’ll find us at Scottsdale’s Canal Convergence from the 20th-23rd as part of this annual series of engaging and inspiring free events at the Scottsdale Waterfront featuring innovative large scale installations by local and international artists, hands-on activities, live music, performances, and Artisan Market’s urban marketplace experience.

Whew! And we’re just using March to gear up for April. That’s a big month for us. We turn SIX! I’m sure you’ll hear more from us on it later, but if you want to get a glimpse at our two big events, Practical Art’s Six Year Anniversary and our Buffalo Girl Dinner & Art Auction, just click through those links!

With everything that’s going on, I’m sure we’ll see you soon!