THREE BY FOUR

three by

four The Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum starts the season with three exhibitions featuring four visionary artists

By Amy Young

The Mesa Arts Center in metro Phoenix’s East Valley is a premiere destination for arts and culture. Its beautiful structure is not only an architectural masterpiece, but the massive complex offers a wealth of things to do.

There are four theaters that host live entertainment, more than a dozen art studios and the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, which boasts five galleries showcasing a rotation of artwork by emerging creators to internationally renowned artists. It also boasts a store that includes unique art for sale, from ceramics to photography. Through January, the museum’s exhibition roster includes three shows by four artists working in the visionary art style — that’s artwork that goes beyond the physical world and explores spiritual and mystical themes. Alex Grey and Allyson Grey are synonymous with the visionary art style — he is considered

Wiley Wallace, Sharing, 2021, acrylic on panel, 12 x 12 inches

the spokesman for the genre. The pair met in art school in the mid- ‘70s and have continued creating for more than four decades since. Their exhibition, The Beyond Within includes their individual and collaborative psychedelic works.

Amanda Sage is a Colorado-based painter whose work examines interdimensional realms of possibility. Vision Seeds is the title of her exhibition, and it showcases work from the last 10 years of her career. Phoenix painter Wiley Wallace’s Lucid Fate maintains an electric glow—in both look and feel—as he creates landscapes that merge elements of the real world and supernatural realms.

Each gallery is like its own surreal, sci-fi movie. Each of the four artists make extremely intriguing work that uses its precision and subject matter to wow guests many times over.

Art is on display here throughout the year. The museum is always adding to its schedule, with exhibition-related programming and events. It’s common to see artist lectures and presentations on the calendar.

The venue is in the heart of downtown Mesa, and it’s common to find the plaza and the streets filled with vendors, artists offering demonstrations and live music, making a visit to the museum a broad and blended cultural experience. Plenty of shops and restaurants line the nearby streets. mesaartscenter.com

Alex Grey, Fractaleyes, 2009. Acrylic on wood, 11 x 14 inches

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