Events & Activities
Film and Performance
Movies at a museum? We may not have popcorn, but Phoenix Art Museum screens thought-provoking movies with themes that may directly relate to our current exhibitions or collections. Screenings are followed by related discussion, often led by topic experts. Starting at 1pm on selected Sunday afternoons, movies are free of charge. Seating is available on a first come, first serve basis.
Films at the Museum
Enjoy outstanding independent and classic cinema and documentaries relating to art, artists, and works on view in the Museum, usually followed by discussion. All Films at the Museum showings are free and first come, first seated.
El favor de los santos: The Sacred Iconography of Retablos and Ex-Votos
Sunday, January 20, 1pm
With the introduction of Christianity to the Aztec peoples, a new kind of religious iconography arose: retablos and ex-votos. Traditionally painted on tin, retablos tell of the lives of the saints while ex-votos give thanks for miracles granted. This film brings together art historians, preservationists and religious practitioners to look at the stories embedded in these paintings and their significance for those who pray to them. Presented by No Festival Required in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 57 minutes.
Masterpiece Replayed film series: Chi-hwa-seon (Painted Fire)
Sunday, January 27, 1pm
In a time of political and social unrest in 19th-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him. After the screening, join Hyaeweol Choi, Ph.D., for a discussion of the director’s visual motifs, aesthetics and portrayal of art as performance. Presented by ASU’s Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 117 minutes.
Darkness and Light: Richard Avedon
Sunday, February 17, 1pm
Learn more about photographer Richard Avedon through this American Masters program on his life and work. Screened courtesy of Thirteen/WNET New York; presented by No Festival Required in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 90 minutes.
Masterpiece Replayed film series: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Sunday, February 24, 1pm
Joel is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine has had her memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he asks the inventor of the process to have Clementine removed from his own memory; as Joel’s memories disappear, however, he attempts to escape the procedure. After the screening, join Carol Vernallis, Ph.D., for a discussion of the musical and visual motifs that crisscross the film. Presented by ASU’s Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 108 minutes.
Photographers Who Film 2
Sunday, March 9, 1pm
Screen short fine-art and documentary films by photographers Elliot Erwitt, Duane Michals, Bruce Weber and Willard Van Dyke. Adult content and nudity. Presented by No Festival Required in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 70 minutes.
Pedro Guerrero: Portrait of an Image Maker
Tuesday, March 11, 7pm
This documentary addresses the historical and cultural significance of photographer Pedro E. Guerrero's life and work. The film includes interviews with Guerrero, notables of the art and architecture world, publishing figures, friends and family. Guerrero's beautiful photography of celebrated artists, the common man and spectacular art and architecture give the audience a rare glimpse into the life of a man whose photographs are recognized worldwide. Provided courtesy of Gnosis Ltd.; presented by the Museum’s Contemporary Forum and sponsored by Bentley Gallery/ Bentley Projects. Runtime: 70 minutes.
Julian Opie and Yayoi Kusama
Sunday, March 16, 1pm
Two documentary films present the work of contemporary artists Yayoi Kusama and Julian Opie, both of whose work is included in the Museum’s collection. Self-Obliteration, a rarely seen film directed by Jud Yalkut, shows Kusama as she creates art through the countryside, city and a wild 1960s “happening.” The Eye: Julian Opie profiles the artist, who reflects on his working methods and sense of the world around him. Adult content, sexual situations and graphic nudity. Presented by No Festival Required in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 60 minutes.
Masterpiece Replayed film series: ¡Viva Zapata!
Sunday, March 23, 1pm
Marlon Brando portrays Emiliano Zapata, the well-born but penniless Mexican Indian who goes from outlaw to revolutionary to national leader. After the screening, join Gary Keller, Ph.D., for a discussion of how although ¡Viva Zapata! (1952) is one of old Hollywood’s best Hispanic-focused films, it nevertheless repeats racial stereotypes. Presented by ASU’s Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 113 minutes.
Latin-American Film Festival Opening Night
Tuesday, March 25, 7pm
Join us for the first film of Phoenix College’s ninth annual Latin-American Film Festival Week! In Spanish with English subtitles; for mature audiences. Presented by the Museum’s Latin American Art Alliance.
Stolen
Tuesday, March 30, 1pm
In March 1990, thieves disguised as Boston police officers gained access to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and successfully perpetrated the largest art heist in modern history. Among the priceless paintings stolen were works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas and Manet. At the heart of the film is a very unlikely hero: Harold Smith, whose quest to recover the Gardner paintings takes him through the Boston criminal underground; to Ireland, investigating the theory that the Irish Republican Army may be involved; and on wild goose chases, bringing him precipitously close to the truth. Runtime: 85 minutes.
Shijie (The World)
Sunday, April 13, 1pm
A theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, “The World” is designed around scaled representations of famous landmarks. Through the eyes of the staff, we a meet pretty, young dancer and a security guard who is fond of her but not of personal commitment. Adult content. Presented by No Festival Required in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 143 minutes.
A pessoa é para o que nasce (Born To Be Blind)
Sunday, April 20, 1pm
Three blind sisters earn their living by singing in front of churches. In this Brazilian documentary, they tell their amazing stories, full of drama, heartache, rape, poverty, death and hope. Adult subjects and nudity. Presented by No Festival Required in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 84 minutes.
Masterpiece Replayed film series: Bend It Like Beckham
Sunday, April 27, 1pm
A comedy about bending the rules to reach a goal, Bend It Like Beckham explores the world of women’s soccer through the eyes of two English 18-year-olds with their hearts set on a future in professional soccer. After the screening, join Julie Codell, Ph.D., for a discussion of the film’s aesthetics, treatment of national identity and gender, and the sports-film genre. Presented by ASU’s Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture in conjunction with Movies at the Museum. Runtime: 112 minutes.
Performances at the Museum
Included with Museum general admission, unless otherwise noted.
Serenade Replayed
Saturday, February 16, 1:30pm
In concert with Masterpiece Replayed, ASU faculty violinist Jonathan Swartz, violist Nancy Buck and cellist Thomas Landschoot explore a similar theme of repetition through music. They perform the string trio Serenades of Beethoven and Dohnányi, which exemplify the use of repetition in music, both within form and the differing treatments of the same form.
Scribing with Sound
Sunday, March 2, 2pm
The choirs of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral invite you to travel from the Middle Ages to the present, as they explore the sounds of sacred texts. To many generations, music was the primary method for hearing and understanding different sacred writings. The Cathedral Choirs, under the direction of James Wahl and Garold Whisler, present the earliest notated Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony and contemporary works in the Judeo-Christian traditions.
India Cultural Day
Saturday, March 22, 12 Noon – 3pm
In honor of When Gold Blossoms, join us for a celebration of India! Enjoy traditional and contemporary music, dance and fashion from different regions of this ancient country. An illuminating talk on the life cycle in India completes the day’s activities. A detailed schedule is available at PhxArt.org. Presented in partnership with India Association of Phoenix.
Macro, Micro and Minimal: Repetition in Music
Saturday, March 29, 2pm
Leslie Amper, National Endowment for the Arts solo recitalist, presents a piano concert with commentary highlighting the various ways 19th- and 20th-century French composers engage repetition to give life to their deepest inspirations. Works include compositions by Debussy, Fauré, Satie and Messiaen.
ASU Student Composer Concert
Saturday, April 12, 1:30pm
In our second collaboration, ASU ensembles perform works written for specific locations in the Museum. Student composers were inspired by the physical attributes of a gallery as well as the art in them.
Music in the Gallery: Passport to Europe
Begin your voyage through the centuries with sounds from the Old World.
- Saturday, April 19, 1 – 3pm: Brushstrokes on Flamenco Guitar by Chris Burton Jácome
- Saturday, May 17, 1 – 3pm: Resonance of Four Hundred Years by Musica Dolce
Diego Rivera’s Life and Work: Murals Under the Stars
Friday, May 16, 7:30pm
Gregorio Luke, president emeritus of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, hosts this multi-screen video production in the Dorrance Sculpture Garden. Following the program, join us for live Latin jazz and a dessert reception featuring South American wines and a cigar bar. Presented by the Museum’s Latin American Art Alliance. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (602) 307-2080.