Goodbye, awkward dates and ugly dresses; the Children’s Museum of Phoenix prom is all about having fun with friends.

The adage “truth is stranger than fiction” is proven in “The Lost Wife,” by Alyson Richman. She has succeeded in blending both for an unforgettable reading experience.

Most people know what it’s like to pull up a chair at a family reunion or holiday meal, but not many have tucked their toes under the table at a community harvest feast. Several local art and community organizations are hoping to change that with Saturday’s “Feast on the Street” in downtown Phoenix.

Ahmed Alsoudani says that America is a dreamland. Yet, his complex paintings of violence and warfare are very much influenced by his upbringing.

Using nothing more than the soot from a wood burning stove mixed with his own saliva, deaf artist James Castle used this homemade ink to communicate with the world.

After all the payments and fees we remit to credit card companies, it would feel nice to get a little something back once in a while.

Spring has sprung, and with flowers blooming all around the Valley, Phoenix Art Museum is getting in on the floral action.

You could pick up some pretty good art for a decent price this weekend.

Dear artists, friends, community members, and the city of Phoenix,

For Horizon Honors senior Stephanie Yamamoto, 17, Japanese taiko drumming is more than just rigorous exercise or a way to get in touch with her roots — it’s a spiritual art.

Thirty thousand black paper moths are perched on the walls and ceiling of the Phoenix Art Museum lobby. Some moths the size of a softball, others as small as a penny, greet visitors to the museum with their delicate wings and form a visual path that encircles guests and escorts them into the main exhibition.

Mention the name Leonardo da Vinci and what comes to mind? The “Mona Lisa” or “The Last Supper” most likely. While it is for these works the Renaissance artist and inventor is best known, his portfolio of brilliance is much broader, as the Arizona Science Center portrays in its new exhibit “Da Vinci — The Genius.”

When Bill Keller landed a store manager’s job with Dillard’s department store in the Valley 34 years ago, his wife, Dianne, said she wasn’t excited about moving to Arizona, much less Mesa — from Minneapolis.

When Bill Keller landed a manager’s job with Dillard’s department store in the Valley 34 years ago, his wife, Dianne, said she wasn’t excited about moving to Arizona, much less Mesa — from Minneapolis.

Ryan Dempsey was 7 years old when he first started to draw. Three years, and more than 100 canvases later, he continues to use his talent to paint pictures for himself, for his family and friends, and for a good cause.

Naming herself after the provincial flower of Alberta, Canada, Loca Rosa is a performer with international flair.

As a dark veil began to sweep over Europe in 1939 — the pale hint of what would come from Nazi rule — a stockbroker from England took a course of action that would save the lives of nearly 700 children.

With cacti and strip malls obstructing the views at times, visitors could easily write Phoenix off as a place where water and culture are scarce. But this metropolis — which includes upscale Scottsdale and college town Tempe — is a nature lover’s oasis with pristine peaks and the vast Sonoran desert.

A total of 32 Phoenix nonprofit arts and culture organizations received $525,346 in grant funding in the 2012-13 fiscal year from the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.

Phoenix nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and their audiences had a total economic impact of $301 million and generated $13.9 in local government tax revenue and $17.7 in state government tax revenue during the fiscal year 2010.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has announced nominees for the 2012 Palo Verde Business Woman of the Year and the 10 women are well known in the community for not only their business but their service.

Arizona Opera, currently in its 42nd season, is galvanizing its future as a world-renowned opera company through its $8.5 million “Raising Our Voice” capital campaign. Arizona Opera has always been an integral element in Arizona’s arts community, and now, the company is embarking on a watershed and transformational next step with a new Opera Center. Centrally located in the heart of the Phoenix Arts District, and easily accessible by light rail, the center will anchor the cultural gateway, along with the neighboring Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Museum and Phoenix Theatre.

More than 20 hand-crafted ceramic and bronze animal sculptures that spotlight the rich wildlife of the Phoenix Zoo are on display at Phoenix Sky Harbor, Terminal 4, Level 2.

Parents around the Valley can learn about art and how to talk to kids about it tomorrow at the Phoenix Art Museum.