I'm a proud member of the Phoenix Art Museum.
People ask me all the time why I'm still a member now that I live in New York. "I mean, what does the Phoenix Art Museum have that you don't in NYC?"
Great question, nameless skeptic! The Phoenix Art Museum is excellent for picnics - they'll let you lay out a blanket and hang out in the sculpture garden, munching Pane Bianco and reading McSweeney's books.
Their area-code exhibition was totally awesome. I loved getting to see art by local artists about the area I grew up in, and the emphasis on Mexican-influenced art was refreshing.
But the best part of the Phoenix Art Museum is the installation, "You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies." I won't say too much, but this is truly one of the most phenomenal things I have ever experienced. I am obsessed with this exhibit, and every time I'm in Phoenix, I make a concerted effort to experience it at least once.
You should, too. You can't possibly regret it.