I discovered the Phoenix Library’s Culture Pass recently, which gives you free admission for up to four people to such Valley attractions as the Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo. The trick is to get to the library as early as possible to check out the pass, which I was told gets snatched up quickly. I managed to grab a pass for Mesa Contemporary Arts.
The center is made up of five small galleries that house works by local, national and international artists.
Here are my faves, created by Mexican artists:
I was deeply touched by “Domestic Arsenal,” Eileen Doktorski’s memorial to victims of domestic violence. It uses common household items — phone, chair, candlestick holder, etc. — and recasts these things as weapons used to inflict pain upon the victims. Newspaper articles on the walls drive the message home.
