Ian Wender

The Burning Man from 2011's edition of the event.

​When Tempe artist Ian Wender learned he didn't land tickets to this year's Burning Man this year, he started to fume.

"I got really, really angry when I found out I wasn't getting tickets," says Wender.

The painter and photographer is a Burning Man regular who's gone to the annual arts and cultural extravaganza in the Nevada desert six out of the last seven years, and was hoping to attend yet again in 2012.

An email from Burning Man's organizers nixed those plans, however, and got hot under the collar.

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Warping to this years Phoenix Comicon: (from left) Brent Spiner, Lavar Burton, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, & Michael Dorn.

There are exactly 111 days left until this year's Phoenix Comicon, and the time probably can't pass quick enough for some local geeks. Especially since organizers of the annual pop culture fest announced some blockbuster names last night that will be appearing at this year's event.

And it includes most of the cast of landmark science fiction program Star Trek: The Next Generation.

More than 700 geeks let out a collective squee on Thursday night when Phoenix Comicon director Matt Solberg announced that Patrick Stewart (a.k.a. Jean-Luc Picard), Brent Spiner (Data), Michael Dorn (Worf), and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) are all scheduled to appear at the four-day event taking place over Memorial Day Weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center.

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Tania Katan

​Local playwright, actor, and writer Tania Katan grew up in Phoenix, moved away, and (lucky for us) came back. She's given presentations and performances, coached local authors, and written plays, including Saving Tania's Privates. Her latest book is My One-night Stand With Cancer.

Last April, Katan gave a presentation at TEDxScottsdale's Urban Sustainability series called The Power of Voice: Survivability, Sustainability and Nudity, in which she emphasized the importance of voicing opinions, asking questions, and sharing experiences.

The video of her presentation (which you can see after the jump) and her experience at a recent Race for the Cure has since been re-shared across social media networks in the past few days in reaction to The Susan G. Komen Foundation's decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood.

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"No Place" by Mike Kelley, currently hung in the Phoenix Art Museum's Katz Wing

​Mike Kelley was a contemporary American artist who was known for his collaborations in collage, textile, found object assemblages, and performances.

He was a student of John Baldessari, and his work is included in The Phoenix Art Museum's contemporary collection (pictured above), as well as the upcoming 2012 Whitney Biennial in New York.

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illustration by Claire Lawton

click on the image (or right here) for a full-sized version

​Time to get smart. According to an update to Facebook's official blog, the social media site will be rolling out Facebook Timeline and making it mandatory for all users in the next week or two.

If you're unfamiliar with Timeline, check out our handy illustrated guide, which should provide a few pointers on how to keep your job, maintain your privacy, brush up on the latest Facebook lingo, and (most importantly) pimp the hell out of your main photo.

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Photo by Ryan Wolf

A scene from the Bizarre Bazaar Freak Show at The Firehouse in 2011.

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Photo by Jonathan McNamara

The Koi Pond at the Japanese Friendship Garden.

​If you live or work in the downtown Phoenix area, you may have noticed the big, florescent green sign sitting against a tree in front of the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix/Ro Ho En.

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photo by Claire Lawton, mural by Lalo Cota

​The noise isn't coming from the boombox.

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From top left: work by Ed Mell, Dr. Eugene Grigsby, William Legoullon, The Rise Project, and work by New Carpa Theater.

​The 2012 Governor's Arts Awards will celebrate 31 years in March by recognizing creatives who have achieved and contributed to the Arizona arts community. More >>

Benjamin Leatherman

Peter Conley, executive director of Icehouse Arts, stands outside the downtown venue.

​A year ago, the Icehouse seemed destined for oblivion. As of last December, few events were taking place at the iconic downtown Phoenix gallery and performance venue, its proprietors were uncertain about its future, and thousands of dollars in back property taxes were owed to Maricopa County.More >>