SUMMER SPECTACULAR By Robert Sentinery BUZZ The art scene in Phoenix is heating up along with the rising temperatures. One of the hottest shows to hit the Valley is the Nicholas Galanin retrospective at the Heard Museum, on view through Sept. 3. Dear Listener was put together by the museum’s new fine arts curator, Erin Joyce, who brings a breath of fresh air to an institution that has been seen as traditional, bordering on stodgy. But all that is changing. This exhibition is the culmination of a collaboration between Galanin and Joyce that has included many exhibitions, several in New York, and numerous published articles. “Dear Listener: Works by Nicholas Galanin” is anything but traditional. Encompassing over 12,000 square feet of exhibition space, across multiple galleries, halls and levels within the museum, the show highlights many different media, from painting and sculpture to installation, video, fashion and live performance. What it does perhaps most successfully is highlight the sheer talent and work ethic of this contemporary Native Alaskan artist, who is a fountainhead of ideas. Galanin’s work confronts issues of authority, authenticity and the commodification of indigenous ways, with clever nods to popular culture (see “Dear Listener: A Walk-Through with Curator Erin Joyce,” p. 8). Mark Freedman is back in Phoenix after spending a decade in NYC. Some will remember the splash he made here as a member of the TRA 25 Capsule art collective before heading to the Big Apple. Now Freedman is expanding from producing art to curating, as well. He has a series of shows lined up at the Walter Gallery, including The Memphis Rainbow Parlour, an intriguing co-lab between himself and artist Lisa von Hoffner. The show brings together individual art objects in a parlor-like setting, while recalling the wild geometry and colors of seminal ’80s Italian design group Memphis, which helped define the look of a decade (see “Artist and Curator Mark Jay Freedman,” p. 12). Arcosanti has always been an interesting place to visit. But when FORM came to town, it became active and alive, in a way that Paolo Soleri had probably originally dreamt it. The festival seems to have revitalized Arcosanti and awakened it from the long, slow slumber of decades. There is renewed interest in the ideals of Archology, especially among a younger generation. Web searches are up, volunteerism is up, and while news of Soleri’s behavior toward his daughter has created a #MeToo backlash, the general feeling is that FORM has breathed in new life (see “Arcosanti in the Age of FORM,” p. 30). Finally, artistry comes in many different forms. Lindsay Green is an aerial dance artist who is amazingly adept in the air. Pole dancing has evolved from a strip club staple to a fitness craze and is now a sport with competitions that bring people together to vie for medals. Green recently earned silver and gold for her skills. When she is not teaching at her studio, Prowess Pole Fitness in Tempe, she is probably performing her jaw-dropping routines in front of rapt audiences (see “Aerial Performance Artist Lindsay Green,” p. 34). Summer Reading Program Create and Share your Avatar! read20az.com Secret Code: <strong>Java</strong>Mag Maricopa County READS