26 Blocks

07/02/2020

Instagram 26 Blocks Livestream on , tonight, and every Thursday night until the spiritual successor, Biggest Small Town is released. Each tour a different experience, with different aspects of this one-of-a-kind exhibit revealed.

03/25/2020

Due to Covid19, all exhibit tours have been ceased. When things stabilize, I'll have a 26 Blocks Virtual tour and then resume regular tours when appropriate. Until then, please be safe.

~ Joey Robert Parks, 26 Blocks creator & curator

03/07/2020

WHERE ARE THEY NOW 20/20? Writer, Andrea Avery. Block A.

In early 2010, 26 Blocks creator came across a copy of ‘Real Simple Magazine’ which featured an essay by Andrea—tinyurl.com/Andrea2010realsimple —who’d just won the magazine’s ‘Life Lessons Essay Contest’ by beating out 6,970 other submissions. In addition to a $3,000 prize and her essay being published in the magazine, she won round-trip tickets for two to New York City, a hotel two-night stay for two, Broadway tickets, and lunch with the editors of Real Simple.

At the end of the essay, it noted that Andrea was a 10th-grade English teacher in Paradise Valley and a part-time instructor at ASU. Joey tracked her down and pitched her on 26 Blocks participation. She enthusiastically hopped in and produced a wonderful story for Block A filled with curiosity, awe, and literary intrigue.

In August, 2018, Pegasus Books published her first book, ‘SONATA: A MEMOIR OF PAIN AND THE PIANO’. (tinyurl.com/Andreasonata). New York Times bestselling author of 'Eat, Pray, Love', Elizabeth Gilbert, said about ‘Sonata’: “Andrea writes like a clever, cunning, confident angel. She’s a natural, and her realness and grace are lovely to behold.”

Andrea is now the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Phoenix Country Day School. You can learn more about Andrea at Andreaaveryauthor.com and on IG:

03/06/2020

WHERE ARE THEY NOW 20/20? Photographer, Tony Blei. Block X

Tony took the 1st photograph in March 2010, just a few months after his mother and father passed away. The faint eye in the photo is a selfie. The overwhelming consensus is that the eye is expressing sadness and/or great reflection. That Tony poured his heart and soul into this symbolic abstraction of images is without question.

Tony and his wife left Phoenix for Washington in 2012. On November 4, 2016, tony went to sleep for a 10-hour brain surgery to remove a tumor. He awoke to the loss of his right arm, a new president, excruciating pain, and a horrible new life. As a result, he also lost his 30-year professional photography career.

Instead of giving up or retiring, Tony leveraged this into a new career selling insurance. It’s something he’s very good at. Last month, he led his agency in sales. Does he love selling insurance? “No. Nobody likes an insurance agent,” Tony said. “I prefer to be creative. I’m currently working on a series of videos for our agency.”

Though it’s a story he’d rather not own, he continues to battle his life back. Also last month, he made this inspiring 2:22 video (tinyurl.com/tonytodaytomorrow) to share what he’s learned and how he’s moving forward.

Find Tony on IG:

03/06/2020

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (2010-2020) — Writer Joe Bardin —

Joe’s writing in 26 Blocks can be seen in Block J, ‘Interview With a Parking Meter’. The sample is the first image.

Joe’s been quite prolific since he did wrote his contribution to 26 Blocks in March 2010. “It has all taken off a lot since then,” Joe said. “[Stage plays I’ve written and their] productions in [Phoenix], out of town and even one in Germany. Everything has pretty much ramped up since 2010.” In Sept 2019, a collection of Joe’s essays were published as ‘Outlier Heart: Essays From My Life as an Immortal’. Cult novelist, Kris Saknussemm (Zanesville, Penguin Random House), said of ‘Outlier Heart’, “A work of visionary humanism that can be read alongside Emerson, William James, Annie Dillard, and Lewis Thomas. Even if you don't understand the philosophical position, you can appreciate the fine writing and personal search." Buy it on Amazon here: tinyurl.com/Outlierheart — Be sure to check out Joe’s literary writings website at JoeBardin.com or his business writing at relativitywriting.com

03/01/2020

On May 7, 2020, the 26 Blocks art exhibit will be 10-years-old since it debuted to the world at Mike Oleskow and Russ Haan’s former ‘After Hours Gallery’!

A very unexpected 1,000+ Phoenicians showed up that First Friday night to help 53 Phoenix-based writers, photographers, and a sculptor celebrate downtown Phoenix in 78 pieces of art. How different was downtown Phoenix a decade ago? Cityscape was being built. The light-rail was under construction. ASU downtown had just started building.

Where are all 53 of those artists and those 15 people behind-the-scenes now? What have they been doing in their craft to change their world for the better since? In the 68 days leading up to May 7, 2020, 26 Blocks creator, director, producer, and curator, will be finding out and share with you here what he learns.

Sometime before May 7, 2020, he’ll unveil the official start date of the ‘26 Blocks 20/20 Scavenger Hunt’ and the prizes for the first four people to complete the elaborate art & city tour challenge!

02/21/2020

This month is the 10-year anniversary of when 53 writers, photographers, and sculptor Rafael Navarro were reasearching and creating their artwork for the May 2010 unveiling of 26 Blocks. This was the first local news coveage of the collaborative art exhibit at the (now defunct) After Hours Gallery, owned and operated at the time by the fabulous Mike Oleskow (current art director at FOUND:RE Phoenix) and documentary screenwriter & director, Russ Haan. In 2015, the presentation of the exhibit artwork got a major overhaul thanks to the generous funding provided by the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel and spearheaded by the Director of Operations at the time, Wright.

02/17/2020

The 26 Blocks Scavenger Hunt is getting much closer to launching!

The hunt features a single question for each block of art. To answer the questions, participants must view the artwork blocks and physically visit each corresponding city block. Cheaters who attempt the hunt with Google Streetview, etc. will be out of luck, as the answers won’t be discoverable online. Your welcome 🙂 The first one to answer all of the 26 Blocks Scavenger Hunt questions correctly will win a substantial prize. There will also be 2nd to 4th place prizes. Prior to launch, we’ll be posting a new 26 Blocks related trivia question every so often on the IG page

Whoever has the most correct answers a week before the Scavenger Hunt launches, will get half of the questions three days in advance of the public launch. Have fun gearing up for the big launch day. We don’t know what month it will be, but we do know what day: the 26th, of course! 🥳

08/21/2019

Joey Robert Parks, creator, director, and curator of 26 Blocks, is giving a free tour tonight, 6pm - 7pm, at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel. Complimentary cocktail mixed live. Tour starts at Dust Cutter restaurant/bar located in the center of the hotel. Look for Joey standing by the brass pig with the plate of cocktails on it's stout.lol

Inside the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel is an art exhibit that will help you discover Phoenix in a whole new light; a secret passage to what it's like ...

07/27/2019

Today, I created the Block J Scavenger Hunt challenge for the upcoming 26 blocks scavenger hunt.

These photos are of the art work created by photographer Ellen Barnes, Sculptor Rafael Navarro Artes, Writer Joe Bardin, and Illustrator Travis Fetting. To solve each block's puzzle, you'll need to study the artwork at the exhibit in the lower lobby of the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel and visit the actual city block. The fun begins... soon!