ENTERTAINMENT

Warhol highlights First Friday events and exhibits, 3/6

Kellie Hwang
The Republic | azcentral.com
Fred Tieken's "For the Birds" will be shown through March 28 at Willo North Gallery.

First Friday showcases downtown Phoenix's vibrant arts scene each month, with studios and galleries opening their doors to visitors in the evening.

This month, the popular event will serve as a precursor to Art Detour, the two-day art open house for downtown and central Phoenix. There will be plenty of exhibitions, street vendors and performers, specials at bars and restaurants, and a bustling atmosphere for this especially busy First Friday.

Visit artlinkphoenix.com for more details, trolley information and a map of the participating venues.

Here's some of our picks for things to check out at this event:

Exploding Plastic Inevitable: Andy Warhol Celebration Party

The highly anticipated "Andy Warhol: Portraits" exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum opens two days before First Friday, featuring more than 200 pieces and highlighting the artist's bold portraiture. To celebrate, the museum will host a free party with live music by Wooden Indian, which will channel the Velvet Underground (Warhol was their manager), and performances from DJentrification, Barbra Seville and CONDER/dance. Jar of Buttons, Tumble Tees and Four Chambers Press will be on site.

Details: 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 6. Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Ave. Free to attend the party; $2 to view the Warhol show; $8 to view the Leonardo Codex Leicester exhibition; free to view other exhibits after 6 p.m. 602-257-1880, phxart.org.

Adults Night Out

The monthly adults-only event features a lecture in the IMAX theater, ART360 in the Dorrance Planetarium with artist Abby Messmer and dancing to the tunes of DJ Byron Felix. All four levels of attractions will be open and free of charge, except for "Gridiron Glory" and "Natural Selection."

Details: 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, March 6. Age 18 or older. Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington St., Phoenix. Free; $8 for admission to "Natural Selection" in the planetarium; $12 for admission to "Gridiron Glory." 602-716-2000, azscience.org.

'For the Birds'

Phoenix artist Fred Tieken, who has been showcasing his work nonstop locally, as well as in Venice, Calif., and Miami, makes a stop at Willo North Gallery for a solo exhibition. Tieken is known for his neo-expressionist mixed-media works, utilizing bright hues and bold lines. The evening will feature a brief talk by Tieken and a signing of his self-published book, "Selected Works by Fred Tieken."

Details: Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 6; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday March 7-8. Exhibit runs through Saturday, March 28. Willo North Gallery, 2811 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix. Free. 602-448-9041, willonorth.com.

'Everything After: New Art From Cindy Schnackel and Jared Aubel'

"Death of Twinkie the Kid" is part of Jared Aubel's show running through March 30 at R. Pela Contemporary Art.

Schnackel spent a year remaking old prints of masters she found in thrift stores, inserting painted figures into beloved works, such as a monster appearing in a Rembrandt. Aubel will showcase his pop-art portraits of famous faces, including Audrey Hepburn.

Details: Artist reception starts at 6 p.m. Friday, March 6; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. Exhibit runs through Monday, March 30. R. Pela Contemporary Art, 335 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix. Free. rpelagallery.com.

Exotic Art Show 31

This R-rated exhibition brings together provocative artistic material in a variety of media, pushing the boundaries on what art can be, from sensual pieces to jaw-dropping works. Visitors younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent.

Details: Through Friday, March 20. Alwun House, 1204 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. $5. 602-253-7887, alwunhouse.org.

'Indispensable Dispensables: Lessons to Still Be Learned'

Artist Lee Berger utilizes acrylic paints and such unusual materials as tea leaves and seed pods, which relate to the subject matter. Berger's works showcase man's deep relationship with nature.

Details: 7-9 p.m. reception on First Friday. Exhibit runs through Tuesday, March 31. Practical Art, 5070 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Free. 602-264-1414, practical-art.com.

AZCentral Pop-Up Gallery

This otherworldly view is actually in the Superstition Mountains. Cody Howard of Phoenix explains, "We knew the warm rains ... would lead to some really cool low-laying, inversion clouds, so we packed for an overnight backpack trip to the Superstition Mountains and hunkered down in this cave for the night, out of the rain. As expected, when morning came, a river of clouds was sweeping up the valley." He and Chante Fox were celebrating her birthday. See more of his photos at instagram.com/_cody_howard_.

The Arizona Republic photo staff has been showing its work and photos by readers as part of the AZ365 project at a different location each month on First Friday. This one will be the biggest yet and, for the first time, will feature photos from staffers for sale. There also will be a live portrait studio and music by DJ Grayson.

Details: 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 6; 11-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. Oasis on Grand, 1501 W. Grand Ave., Phoenix. Free. firstfriday.azcentral.com, az365.azcentral.com.

'instApache Filtered Rezolution: Social Media Now'

Douglas Miles showcases his Instagram photos through the lens of his Apache culture. Miles, who creates fine art and street art, gives his community a voice through this exhibition by showing what it's like to be a contemporary Native American artist.

Details: 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 6; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. MonOrchid, 214 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. Free. 602-253-0339, monorchid.com.

'Feminism Today'

Also showing at MonOrchid is this group invitational by all female artists. The works provide commentary on the many roles that women play and examines the definition of feminism, with each artist bringing her own views and experiences into the works.

Details: 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 6; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. MonOrchid, 214 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. Free. 602-253-0339, monorchid.com.

'Palette of the Heart: A Solo Exhibition With Artist Jim Covarrubias'

This exhibition honors the artist's great uncle and aunt, Miguel and Rosa Covarrubius, and Frida Kahlo, who was a friend of the couple. It features new works as well as pieces created during the artist's travels.

Details: 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 6. Exhibit runs through Friday, April 10. Treeo Gallery, 906 N. Sixth St., Phoenix. Free. 602-788-0033, treeohouse.com.

'26 Blocks'

This longtime project, launched in 2010, brought together 26 photographers and 26 writers, each given a random city block in downtown Phoenix as inspiration. Each pair had a month to collaborate and produce one photo and 500 words or fewer inspired by the picture. Sculptor Rafael Navarro produced a piece for each block, and in January, 26 line drawing installations were added by Travis Fetting and a bonus block of artwork.

Details: Exhibit runs through 2017. Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 50 E. Adams St., Phoenix. 602-333-0000, 26blocks.com.

'Impressionist Southwest Landscapes'

Artist Dair Deckert will show her impressionist paintings of the Southwestern landscape, inspired by a summer at geology camp climbing mountains and studying sediments, and the colorful wildflowers that grew in the rough terrain.

Details: 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 6; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. Exhibit runs through Thursday, March 26. Olney Gallery, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 100 W. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. azcathedral.org.

"Tres Cabrones: La Cabronada Continues"

Three local artists — Gennaro García, Frank Ybarra, and Joe Ray — come together for this exhibition featuring paintings, prints, sculptures and collaborations, and displaying the artists' use of bright colors and humor.

Details: 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 6; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 7. Xico Arte y Cultura, 1008 E. Buckeye Road, Phoenix. Free. 480-833-5875, xicoinc.org.

Mutant Piñata Show

This eighth-annual exhibition at Art Detour features quirky hand-made piñatas, which in the past have included a squid created from packing tape and Bubble Wrap, a blowfish made from felt and an oversize Adidas shoe. Artist Babs A'Delic will host the Mutant Piñata performance Friday evening.

Details: 6-11 p.m. Friday, March 6. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. Also open 6-11 p.m. Friday, March 20. Frontal Lobe Gallery, 1301 Grand Ave., Phoenix. Free. 602-391-4016.