Brandon Gore

When we last put the spotlight on 100 creative forces in Phoenix, it was no secret there were more than 100 individuals who were making waves in the local arts community. So as we count down to our annual Best of Phoenix issue, we're profiling 100 more. 

We're talking painters, writers, sculptors, designers, architects -- Phoenicians who are digging into the local scene and adding their own creative elements. Welcome (back) to 100 Creatives. And while you're here, check out 100 Tastemakers on Chow Bella.  
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At the end of May -- with Best of Phoenix looming at the other end of the summer -- we came up with a wacky idea:

Let's find 100 arty types from around town. We'll ask them questions, have them share some work. We'll call it The Creatives, in honor of our "Best of" theme, superheroes.

Honestly, folks, it was that simple. We started tossing up the profiles as soon as we heard back from the artists, with no regard (really!) for order or anything more than putting someone interesting up every day.

Turns out, that was the easy part. At first, we weren't sure it would work. 100 -- that's a big number. We thought we might run out. No way. As we end this project, we realize -- in all sincerity -- that we could easily keep going. 1000 Creatives? Has a nice ring to it. But like all good things, this project is coming to an end -- to make way for more.

Oh yeah, you want to know who No. 1 is, don'tcha?

Find out after the jump.

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Courtesy of April Reyna

​2: April Reyna

April Reyna says she's a late bloomer to the comic world, but she has a pretty strong start to becoming a successful female artist within the comic industry. April nabbed a color separating job with Heroic Age Studios out of high school and assisted in the color separations of many popular DC titles such as: JSA, JLA Hourman, Deadenders, Teen Titans, and Wonder Woman.

She moved to Phoenix to study fine art at Arizona State University and has since participated in several local comic related events such as creator days on a monthly basis, 24 hours comics, and 'starving artist' extravaganzas. She's also participated in the Phoenix Comic Con, The Encredicon hosted through the store Evermore Nevermore, and The Laughing Moon Con.

Shes currently working on a cooking comic tentatively titled Recipe Adventures: Curry Festival.

Read more about Grady, her inspirations and upcoming projects after the jump...

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Courtesy of Colin Chillag

3: Colin Chillag
Colin Chillag's a local painter who says he finds inspiration in snapshots he picks up in thrift stores. His work often leaves much to the imagination (as you'll see after the jump).

He was born in Syracuse, New York, attended grade school and high school in Phoenix and left for a few years to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. Lucky for us, he came back.

Read more about Chillag, his solo exhibition at Pravus in October, and his admiration of Jon Haddock after the break ...

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Courtesy of Shawna Franks and Bob Fisher

​4: Shawna Franks and Bob Fisher

Shawna and Bob are a seriously creative power couple. Shawna's the artistic director of Space 55 Theatre at Seventh and Pierce streets in Phoenix. Bob directs, acts, and improvises there, and is the occasional host of "Seven Minutes in Heaven." They've been married for 16 years and have two sons.

They define Space 55 as a home for new work, and a low-cost artistic space for performers and audiences alike. "Our ensemble is small, but mighty," they write. "And we have amazing workshops for actors and writers run by amazing people."

Read more about Shawna and Bob after the jump ...

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Courtesy of Morgan McNally

5. Morgan McNally
Morgan McNally was born and raised in Phoenix. While she moved downtown as a fashion student in 2006, she says she dropped her sewing machine somewhere along the way, found painting, and hasn't looked back.

She's currently in pursuit of a degree in printmaking, and her work's been spotted at holgas, Space 55, Alwun House, Soul Invictus and Firehouse. You might be able to catch her at the Torch Theatre where she says she was a student/intern and is currently a family member. We've also heard she can make some pretty bomb cupcakes.

Read more about McNally and her work after the jump ...

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Courtesy of Steven Yazzie

6. Steven Yazzie
Steven Yazzie's a painter, sculptor, videographer and installation artist who uses mixed media. He says his most recent work focuses on the "intersection of personal mythology, cultural histories and the shared contemporary experience in the context of a Western imagination."

Yazzie's one of the founding members of Postcommodity, a contemporary American Indian arts collective, and YRGproject, a photography-based collaboration that explores improvised and sometimes staged environments. He currently teaches at Phoenix College.

Read more about Yazzie and his work after the jump ...

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Courtesy of Quincy Ross

7: Quincy Ross
Quincy Ross is a self-taught artist, designer, and photographer with a background in music, fashion, graphic design and business. Despite what you may have heard, Ross owns the trademark Mos Def™, which landed in the History of The T-shirt book (2002). He's managed and promoted musical talent, consulted for a major clothing company and worked at Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture school Taliesin West.

Ross says that he's a big fan of museums, music festivals and habitually branding his concepts no matter how small or fleeting, but also that he finds his work to be most rewarding when he's teaching and giving back to the local community.

Read more about Ross and his work after the jump ...

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Homage to artist John Baldessari. Courtesy John Spiak.

​8: John Spiak

John Spiak is a curator at the ASU Art Museum, (he joined the staff in 1994). The California native was heavily influenced by his grandparents, who all lived a short drive from his parent's house. One of his grandfathers worked for Disney for 25 years, his other grandparents had a small farm. Growing up, it was Disneyland, riding tractors or hitting the beach all summer long, all of which affect his current curatorial vision. (Note: Spiak also loves hyperlinks ...)

As a curator, Spiak places emphasis on contemporary art and society, with focus on work in video and social practice. He's given the first museum solo shows to Arizona artists Angela Ellsworth, Jon Haddock, and Sloane McFarland, and presented memorable exhibitions by internationally established artists Pipilotti Rist, Shirin Neshat, and Sean Duffy, to name a few. In group exhibitions, he's engaged artists of our community through nooks and crannies and New American City, co-curated with Heather Lineberry.

With Marilyn Zeitlin, he developed the Social Studies initiative, and has led the initiative since 2008. He also founded the ASU Art Museum Short Film and Video Festival in 1997 and is still acting director.

He also notes the irony (and danger) in his position at ASU -- his dad's an alum of UofA.

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Courtesy of Stephanie Carrico

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9: Stephanie Carrico

If Stephanie Carrico isn't running around the Trunk Space -- her gallery and performance arts venue -- she might be under a pile of sock monkeys.

The Utah native moved to Phoenix when she was 9 years old and eventually attended ASU for photography and sculpture. She spent most of her time during college hanging out downtown, which is why she bought a home downtown as soon as she could -- it only made sense to be a fixed part of the scene that she had felt so at home in, she says.

In 2004, Carrico and JRC opened the Trunk Space on Grand Avenue. She and her sock monkeys have been there ever since.

Read more about Carrico and her work after the jump ...

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