Photo Courtesy Lisa Wonsey Parks

The concept behind 26 Blocks seems simple: Twenty-six local writers work with 26 local photographers and apply their craft to 26 different blocks in Downtown Phoenix. The collaborations debuted at After Hours Gallery in May, complemented by 4-by-4-inch interpretive sculptures by Rafael Navarro.

But out of this simple concept came a mind-boggling array of diverse artistic perspectives. Some writers chose a journalistic approach to describe their block; others opted for fiction or poetry. Some photographers chose to shoot structures; others opted for portraits or abstract images.

“The show is about turning negative things into positive things and looking at them from a different perspective,” says 26 Blocks founder and local writer Joey Robert Parks.

26 Blocks is now on tour throughout Phoenix until January 2011. For more information about when and where to see the show, visit 26blocks.com.
— Andrew Schwartzberg