Running Head: COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS

Community of Artists in Downtown Phoenix

Annalycia Morales

Arizona State University

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Abstract

For this project I researched the community of Artists in Downtown Phoenix. Through the past

few weeks I have spent time talking to artists, going to the Phoenix Art Museum, attending the

First Friday Festival and going to several local galleries. My intention for this project was to

learn and understand as much as I could about this community of artists and their culture. What

makes this group unique?

Keywords​: ​Art, Community, Culture

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Downtown Phoenix in Arizona is a unique place. There are numerous cultures and

communities within the city, all very different from one another. An upcoming community is that

of Phoenix’s local artists. Downtown is home to the stunning Phoenix Art Museum, galleries and

frequent festivals that all work together to present art to the public. Artists in Phoenix have and

are still, struggling to be able to make a living but the art community is on a rise. An article in

the “Phoenix New Times” stated this, “In order to be a world-class art city, Phoenix has to act

like one. It isn't the next L.A., the next Detroit, or the next Berlin. It's Phoenix — and that's a

good thing. ‘If everyone is kicking ass, then we shouldn't worry about Phoenix,’ he says.

‘Because we are Phoenix.’(John Spiak).” (Bartkowski, 2017). This essay is aimed at providing

information about this community and the people involved in it so others can hopefully gain a

better understanding of them.

Throughout my research I used several different methods to gather information. First, I

visited locations that pertained to local art such as galleries, the Phoenix Art Museum and First

Friday. I visited three local galleries: the Eye Lounge, Modified Arts and a pop up gallery that

was unnamed. I also attended the First Friday Festival and the Art museum to observe and learn.

Next, I interviewed three artists and asked them questions about their work, experiences,

opinions and personalities. Speaking with each artist individually greatly helped me to gather

specific information that gave me a much better understanding of what artists overall. Lastly, I

did research through databases to find professional and popular sources that I could use to find

scientific data about the way artists think and about the significance of art.

After conducting my research I began organizing my information into four categories:

Objects, Places/Locations, People/Behaviors and Activities/Events. I gathered information for

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each category from the places I went to, people I talked to and data I observed. Beginning with

objects, there are many types of art and ways to make it so there are different objects of value to

each artist. As an observer, I would think significant objects might be their brush, pencil or spray

paint. Functionally, they are how the artist physically creates their work, while symbolically I see

these objects as representing self expression and communication. I asked each of the artists that I

interviewed what object(s) they considered to be of significance to them and their art. Jerry

Jacobson spoke about the literal objects he used as inspiration, calling them “f​ound objects and

elements of chance and natural processes”. Kim Sweet spoke not about physical objects really,

but about concepts and feelings that she got from art and paintings she drew inspiration from.

She said paintings are a “time travel communication” she could stare at paintings and “feel the

soul”. The next section of my research was about locations of significance to the art community.

There are places that house and display art like the Phoenix Art Museum, all the local galleries

and the Roosevelt Row Art District which are obviously of significance because without them

there would be nowhere for artists to share their work or for the public to see and experience it.

There are also places important to the artists themselves. Jordan Wehmuller said she felt her

home, where she created her art, was of most significance to her. Kim Sweet said her gallery at

the Eye Lounge was the most important to her. Events and Activities was the next category in

my research. The two events that are the most popular Downtown are the First Friday Festival

that occurs every month and the event titled Third Friday. First Friday is a huge event that looks

more like a festival than Third Friday which is less rowdy and has more of a calm feel. I loved

attending First Friday, I observed many things that helped me gather information such as seeing

how artists and the public interact, as well as looking in galleries that were open to see work of
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different local artists. Jordan Wehmuller had a very positive opinion about the festival, she

thought it brought great attention to the local artists and the public. On the other hand, Jerry

Jacobson was a bit skeptical about the festival. He wasn’t convinced that it did anything for the

art community. He said it was more of a tourist attraction than anything, and the large crowds

actually took attention away from the focus of art. The last section of my research was about the

artists themselves. Although each artist is very different, with their own style, inspirations and

techniques, they do share some commonalities. The first was their out of the box and unconfined

way of thinking. For example, when Jerry Jacobson described drawing, he said “Drawing is to

see, and to see is to think”. Most people would take drawing for its literal meaning and leave it at

that, making marks on paper. However, he goes deeper saying he creates “pictorial problems”

and attempts to solve them. Another trait that was common among the artists was their intense

passion for what they do. They thoroughly enjoy art as a whole, not only creating their own but

admiring and learning from the work of others. Both Jerry Jacobson and Kim Sweet said

something along those lines during their interviews. Kim said something she thought all artists

had in common was the “...commitment to the love of something outside of any sane thing…”. I

also researched scientific information about this topic in a study titled “Personality and

Creativity in Artists and Writers”. The researchers found that, “The most obvious finding of this

study is that the creative person differs from the non-creative or average person in regard to a

great number of personality characteristics… The personality of the creative person is at once

introverted and bold”(Drevdahl, Cattell, 1958). This research was from 1958 but stands true

today; artists have always been different than the average person, not only in the way they think

but in their personality as well.

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Artists have made their own community overtime and stick together as a group of people.

I conducted interviews with a wide variety of questions that got answers that might help

“outsiders” have a better understanding of the art community as a whole. My core question was

“What makes artists in Downtown Phoenix a community?” I think what makes artists a part of a

community is what they have in common in the way they think and their passion for their work.

Having this in common builds a bond between people, it allows them to have a connection that is

deeper than sharing experiences or likes and dislikes. An article on “Next Avenue” stated the

following about art communities; “... benefits include increased creative capacity and insight, the

ability to bridge and bond and make connections with people who aren’t like you. Art is unique

in that it offers individualized experiences, which can comfort you, sometimes provoke you,

sometimes challenge you and sometimes it does all of those things”​. ​Art communities are

important not only to artists but to others that might be impacted by art that is made.
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References:

Sweet, K. (2018, October 28th). Personal interview.

Jacobson, J. (2018, October 26th). Personal interview.

Wehmuller, J. (2018, October 25th). Personal interview.

Art Next Level. Why Artists Need to be Part of an Art Community. (2017, November 08). Episode 121.

Bartkowski, B. (2017, May 15). State of the Arts: Phoenix's Arts Community Is at
Make-or-Break Moment.It's Time to Grow Up.

Drevdahl, J. Cattell, R. (1958) Personality and Creativity in Artists and Writers. Vol. 14 Issue 2,
p107-111.