Downtown Voices Coalition
Working for a sustainable Phoenix for everyone ~ para todos

Sep
02

First Friday Picks in Downtown Phoenix

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[Source: PHXated.com]

Tomorrow is First Friday once again, and while the Phoestival street fair remains on hiatus, there is still a lot going on around downtown Phoenix:

After Hours Gallery

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You all remember the Haiti Earthquake disaster and the resulting devastation. Photographer Rodney Rascona was there on the scene and he’s brought back some amazing images — both heart breaking and inspirational.

The show is called THE PINK DOOR PHOTOGRAPHS. You’ll be moved by these personal and uplifting images that capture the incredible spirit of the Haiti people.

These are contrasted in the same show with EVELYN’S STORY — a visual portrait of a surviving mother and her children, on the streets, in one 24-hour period.

PLUS, this amazing series of photos was selected a winner of the 2010 International Photographer Awards in the Deeper Perspectives category. Only 3 out of 15,000 submissions earned this recognition — and when you see the show, you’ll see why.

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Kitchen Sink Studios

The crew from Kitchen Sink Studioswill be featuring the work of local artist Kathy Taylor in their gallery space. And to help you keep cool, they’ll be selling old time sodas from the Soda Pop Shop for a small donation to our gallery. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. KSS is located just a block south of Roosevelt on Third Street.

Coe House

The cool cats at Coe House be hanging out all night with tunes by DJ MoLo and Bryan Mok & Chanelle Richardson (aka The Epileptic Photographers). Artwork by Jon Ashcroft and photos by Jason Garcia will be hanging on the walls. They’ll have a few things to sip, but feel free to bring your own to throw in the fridge or cooler. Stop by Cibo or Local Breeze just up the block for some good grub before heading over!

Curious how to get to Coe House (365 N 4th Ave)? If you’re light railing, it’s 4 blocks west of the Van Buren station. Driving? Parking is available along 4th Avenue (some spots are metered until 8 pm).

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26 Blocks at A.E. England

For the month of September the traveling exhibition 26 Blocks will be exhibited at the Artlink A. E. England Gallery. 26 Blocks is an art project that celebrates downtown Phoenix.

26 of metropolitan Phoenix’s most talented writers were paired with 26 of the City’s most celebrated photographers. Each pair collaborated to create their interpretation of one of 26 randomly selected city blocks in the downtown Phoenix area.

At a time when Arizona and Phoenix are in the national spotlight and our City is often portrayed as a hostile community facing boycotts from other cities and states, 26 Blocks promotes Phoenix in a highly positive way that encourages everyone to look at our incredible home from very different perspectives.

SuTRA Midtown Yoga – District Gallery

“Sometimes We Cock Our Heads to The Side So They Think We Have Secrets to Tell” is a series inspired by words never said. It focuses on the dreams, desires, and feelings that we let go of in order to maintain a well-crafted persona and the transparency of secrets for those who take the time to look.

Morgan McNally is a mixed media artist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. A former design student currently pursuing a BA in Museum Studies with a minor in painting, she has held residence at holgas and The Firehouse artist cooperatives, and is currently living and working out of her Garfield District studio.

Enjoy a LIVE ACOUSTIC SET by Grace Bolyard.

SuTRA Midtown Yoga – District Gallery is located at 2317 N. 7th Street

The Red Dress Tour (Caminando de Rojo)

38758_147630978581020_145624538781664_478967_6344421_nLocal performance artists Kara Roschi and Ernesto Moncada present The Red Dress Tours (Caminando de Rojo): a series of free artist-led tours taking place in downtown Phoenix arts districts over three consecutive First Fridays beginning in September.

September’s tour will focus on the Roosevelt District, staring from the The Firehouse Gallery at 1015 N 1st St.

These bilingual tours aim to promote the idea of a walkable and connected downtown while introducing participants to their local arts community. And remember, wear something red!

More details here.

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Categorized in Arts and Culture and Downtown Vitality
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Sep
02

Take “A Closer Look” at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix Campus

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[Source: Desert Living Today]

Downtown Phoenix is giving surbanites yet another reason to visit the city’s ever-expanding core, and no, we’re not talking about the opening of Nobuo at Heritage Square.

The Vault Gallery at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix Campus is launching their third exhibition, A Closer Look, a seven artist expo that begins Sept. 3.

Source: Desert Living Today

Featuring up and coming as well as established female artists from around the Valley, the four-month long Vault Gallery showcases multiple photographs, oil and acrylic paintings, and intimate drawings that contain meanings only a closer look can reveal. Given the building’s past as an outpost for the now defunct First National Bank of Arizona, the fortress-like structure invites visitors into its tight quarters with original vault doors and entryways.

Candace Eisenfeld, a Tempe artist who is showcasing her work at the gallery, says,

“The multiple images within my work comment upon simultaneous observations of reality within a historical perspective and the ambiguities that divide them…I don’t believe in universal truths, only perceptions of reality.”

The gallery runs from Sept. 3 to Dec. 18.

Lower level of University Center, 411 N. Central Ave.

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Categorized in Arts and Culture and Downtown Vitality
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Sep
02

Vote now for the Downtown Phoenix Public Market!

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Arizona Homegrown Solutions has been selected as one of 41 finalists across the country for a chance to win $20,000 through a grant from Tom’s of Maine. The fund will install four water-harvesting cisterns at area nonprofits, including the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. It will also provide green job training for under served populations and free water-harvesting classes for the public.

You have until September 10 to vote, so vote now! Scroll down to Arizona Homegrown Solutions, Phoenix, Arizona. Every vote counts!

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Sep
01

Downtown Phoenix Vitality: Weekly Events

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[Source: Yuri Artibise, Downtown Phoenix Journal]

The true mark of a vibrant urban core isn’t the popularity of special events like ball games, conventions or even First Fridays. Rather, it is the events that fill the gaps in between these. It is the creation of a 24/7 culture where things are going on every day (and night) of the week. While I wouldn’t say that we have quire arrived there, we are a lot closer that it may appear.

Here are 10 of the less heralded activities that are occurring in Downtown Phoenix on an almost daily basis.

1. Live Music

Check the DPJ calendar for up-to-date listings on nightly music at Carly’s Bistro, the Dressing Room, the Lost Leaf,Modified Arts, Revolver Records, Roosevelt Tavern and the Turf.

2. Movie Monday at Revolver Records

No-admission movie screenings with special deals every Monday at 8 p.m.

3. Improv Comedy

The Torch Theatre is one of Phoenix’s best-kept secrets. Shows vary through the week, but make sure to check out the Saturday night Cage Matches!

4. Phoenix Public Market

Every Wednesday and Saturday, the lot at McKinley Street and Central Avenue becomes our local farmers market.

5. Over-the-Hump Day, open mic

Local wordsmiths and folk musicians perform every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Conspire at 5th and Garfield streets.

6. The Downtown Phoenix Fitness Walk/Jog

Get some exercise by walking or jogging around Downtown Phoenix. Start and end points are the Phoenix Public Market every Saturday at 7 a.m.

7. Community Yoga Project

Bring your own yoga mat, towel or blanket every Saturday at 10 a.m. at Civic Space Park.

8. GROWHOUSE Garden Days

Volunteer in the garden at Garfield and 6th streets every Sunday from 8 to 10 a.m.

9. Fair Trade Café Sunday brunch

The Fair Trade menu features challah baked French toast with choice of yummy toppings, rosemary country potatoes, baked egg casserole with veggies or green chilies and biscuits and gravy. Every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

10. Sunday Service

Every Sunday at SideBar, DJs spin until 2 a.m., accompanying Downtown’s best drink discounts.

We are certainly missing a lot of other events that occur on a weekly basis. If you would like to add anything to the list, please add a comment!

This post was inspirited by the Roosevelt Row newsletter. To be kept up to date on what is going on in and around Roosevelt Row, click here to sign up for their newsletter. For a whole smattering of Downtown Phoenix events, see DPJ’s calendar page.

Be sure to check out the comments section of the original post for more great suggestions

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Categorized in Downtown Vitality
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Aug
31

Dining tips for ASU downtown Phoenix students (and the rest of you too!)

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While this article is focused on downtown ASU students, the tips are relevant for anybody who lives, works and/or plays in downtown Phoenix.

[Source: Kelly Green, New Times Chow Bella]

​Downtown Phoenix has come a long way in a short period of time. Anyone who’s been around longer than an ASU freshman can tell you that. But the dining scene for students still leaves a bit to be desired. Here are our tips for feeding yourself, these first few weeks of school.

Source: Kelly Green, Phoenix New Times

1. Become a Coupon Clipper Printer

Little known fact: downtownphoenix.com has tons of special deals and coupons on local restaurants and businesses, just select the option from the “What to do” tab and print away.

2. Be Picky About Your On-Campus Eating

There are two restaurants in the bottom of the Cronkite School at 555 N. Central Avenue: Subway and El Portal. Subway is good for a few meals, then all of the sudden one day you walk in and never want to smell that bread again. And El Portal has earned quite a reputation locally for its health inspections, which you might want to check out here.​

Our pick for an on campus meal?

ASU’s Taylor Place (120 East Taylor Street) offers lunch and dinner to everyone, not just students or dorm residents. A little more than $8 will get you an hour of bottomless food and drinks at the buffet-style cafeteria, which has offers a pizza station, salad and fruit bars, pastries, and made-to-order sandwiches. Sit outside on the patio for less of a rowdy high school cafeteria experience, unless of course, that is your thing.

The places you should be going and our coffee picks, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Categorized in Dining and Downtown Vitality
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Aug
31

City wins permit to pave over Ramada Inn in downtown Phoenix

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[Source: Emily Gersema, in azcentral.com's Phx Beat]

Photo credit: azcentral.com

Some Phoenix residents believe city officials just won approval to pave paradise and put up a parking lot.

City officials last week at a hearing with a zoning officer won a permit to turn the Second and Taylor streets site of the old Ramada Inn into a parking lot.

Business leaders and residents with the Downtown Voices Coalition want to save the pink-stuccoed property that they believe has historic value. Last week, about a half-dozen coalition members argued unsuccessfully for rejection of the temporary use permit application.

Marilyn Monroe stayed in the hotel, once known as the Sahara Motor Inn, during the filming of “Bus Stop,” which was shown in theaters in 1956.

Opponents can appeal the zoning officer’s decision to the seven-member Board of Adjustment.

However, city officials have said the plans for the old inn are a done deal.

Phoenix officials intend to turn the site over to Arizona State University for a law college building as soon as the university has the funding it needs for construction.

That could take a few years; ASU is waiting for the state to recover from its budget crisis – or a very generous donor.

The five-year permit gives ASU some time to drum up funding. The parking lot would be used for overflow parking by the nearby, city-owned Sheraton Inn at Third and Van Buren streets.

*     *     *

You can read the DVC’s position on this demolition and parking lot here and here.

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Categorized in Historic Preservation and News
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Aug
30

Share your opinion on a Skateboard Plaza in downtown Phoenix

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Last week, this blog noted that the Rob Dyrdek Foundation has donated $50,000 to design and build a skate park in the City of Phoenix. At the time, Phoenix Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski stated:

I’m thrilled to help bring a world-class skate course to my district. Residents have voiced concerns for additional recreational activities where they live and despite an economic downturn and budget cuts, we’re still able to create this opportunity for youth and families.

One of the sites that is seriously being considered is Hance Park.  It is downtown, pedestrian-friendly, accessible by numerous forms of public transit and near several schools and active neighborhoods.

Lafayette Skate Spot Rendering via Rob Dyrdek Foundation

City of Phoenix staff are looking for people express their opinions to the Parks Board at their next meeting, this Wednesday, September 1st, at 10AM.  The meeting will be held in the Parks Conference Room on the 16th floor of City Hall, 200 W. Washington.

For further information on the meeting, please call Marcia Wilson, Secretary, Parks and Recreation Department at 602-262-4993.

If you can not attend the meeting, you can share you opinion by sending an email to receptionist.pks@phoenix.gov and your respective city council member.

Categorized in City Hall, Downtown Vitality and Parks & Open Space
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Aug
29

Barrio Bikes coming to downtown Phoenix

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[Source: Emily Gersema, azcentral.com]

Mayor Gordon Visitis the shop (via Facebook)

A new set of wheels is hitting the pavement in downtown Phoenix.

The Barrio Bike Shop, a business that is part of the Neighborhood Ministries campus at 19th Avenue and Van Buren Street, has launched its own beach cruiser, the Barrio Bike, to sell.

Mayor Phil Gordon is one of the first people in line for a Barrio Bike.

Proceeds support the ministries, a Christian charity that offers services including health care, after-school programs and job training.

The charity has been largely dependent on individual donations. The ministries’ executive director, Kit Danley, said she hopes that Barrio Bike Shop and other businesses at the main campus, including a T-shirt silk screener, can enable its programs to become more self-sustaining.

Barrio Bike Shop is one of two parts of the Barrio Bikes program that work in tandem.

The shop sells used and refurbished bicycles for children and adults, while the other arm, Barrio Works, teaches repair and refurbishing skills to children, teens and adults.

Chris Williams, the Barrio Bikes coordinator who leads the bike-repair classes, said he is working with a New York bicycle manufacturer, Worksman Cycles, to get the Barrio beach cruiser business off the ground.

He has a particular group of customers that he’d like to reach this fall.

“It’d kind of be a beach-cruiser bike for the downtown college kids,” Williams, 29, said.

The beach cruiser is a heavy-duty bicycle that is recognized for its fat balloon tires and thick frame.

Williams wants to find a retail space near the downtown Phoenix campuses of Arizona State University and the University of Arizona medical school to sell Barrio Bikes, but he acknowledges resources for the charity-hosted bike shop are limited.

Orders can be placed with Williams at 602-889-1378 or chris.williams@nmaz.net.

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