Hello, lovely readers! I hope you had a good St. Patrick’s Day weekend and took advantage of some of the great events that went on for it. I’m T.J. Triolo, your guide to what’s happening this week in downtown Phoenix. We’ve got a lot of stuff coming up this week, especially for those interested in art and music.
Creative City Symposium
- Monday, March 19
- Doors open at 4 p.m., keynote speech starts at 6 p.m.
- Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. 2nd Ave.
If you’re looking for who and what is next for downtown Phoenix right now, look no further. This is an opportunity for networking over drinks during the Who’s Next Happy Hour, hosted by AZCentral. The event description says it “highlights the dynamic young people shaping the Valley and the state.” You know, people like me (Just kidding!). The goal is to find people who will make change Arizona for the better. After happy hour, the keynote speech Alexandra Lange, design critic for Curbed.com, followed by a panel discussion about Phoenix’s future. Admission is $10 per person.
Valeska Soares – Logan Lecture Series
- Wednesday, March 21
- 6:30 p.m.
- Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Ave.
Too often, art seems to be confined to benefiting one sense: sight. Why leave the other senses out, leaving them feeling sad and lonely? Brazilian artist Valeska Soares is bringing a mid-career retrospective exhibition of her art to the Phoenix Art Museum for this special event, which will also include perfume. Her work focuses on space and time, featuring flowers, mirrors and more in this exhibit. Museum members get in free, nonmember admission costs $5.
Jurassic Quest
- Friday, March 23, Saturday, March 24 and Sunday March 25
- 3 – 8 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sunday
- Phoenix Convention Center North Building, 100 N. 3rd St.
No, this is not like Jurassic Park; People are not being eaten by dinosaurs here. It’s actually an exhibition with over 80 animatronic dinosaurs. Visitors can learn about dinosaurs and interact with the animatronics. There will also be plenty of kid-friendly activities, including fossil digs and inflatable mazes. Tickets cost $20 per person.
DUB Show Tour and Concert
- Saturday, March 24
- 4 – 9 p.m.Phoenix Convention Center South Building, 33 S. 3rd St.
This is my type of event; I mean, it involves cars, which are only my biggest obsession ever. If only there were racing involved too… Anyway, this is basically a massive, indoor show for customized cars of all different types. Whether you’re into classic muscle cars, lowriders, imports or trucks, this show will have all that and more. There will also be sponsor and exhibitor booths and live music. Tickets cost $20 if bought beforehand online, $25 at the door.
The Japan-Jazz Connection – Special Engagement
Jazz music may be from a bygone era, but enthusiasm for it is here to stay. Jazz’s style has even spread beyond this country, and it even has many fans and musicians in Japan. This event will feature three Japanese jazz musicians: bassist Noriko Ueda, flutist Mayu Saeki, and pianist Ayako Shirasaki. According to a message from Lewis Nash, the founder of The Nash, these musicians are among the finest jazz talent he’s seen from Japan. General admission tickets cost $25, student tickets are $20.
Contact the columnist at Thomas.Triolo@asu.edu.
Downtown Devil's community section editor. I also write the Downtown Digest, a weekly column with things to do, with experience writing news articles and creating news videos as well. Graduating from ASU in May 2020.
