FROM THE DIRECTOR
DEARFRIENDS
H
appy New Year! I think I am not alone in my gratitude that the last of 2020 is behind us. While we have many challenges ahead as we continue to navigate the effects of COVID-19, I look forward to new beginnings and the opportunity and possibility they present for Phoenix Art Museum. In 2020, the Museum renewed its commitment to pursuing diversity in all that we do. Along with internal work by our staff, the Board of Trustees, T IM R O DGE R S , P H D which governs The Sybil Harrington our institution, Director and CEO has established Phoenix Art Museum a committee of Trustees focusing on issues of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion within the Museum. It is our intention through the diversification of our exhibitions and collections to present a body of works that reflects the community we serve. This includes featuring works by artists of color, including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian artists, as well as women artists, LGBTQIA+ artists, and those from other underrepresented groups. By sharing the perspectives and experiences of these artists, along with objects from cultures all over the world, we can create an opportunity for understanding and connection, while ensuring that all people who call Arizona home can see a piece of themselves in the art they experience during their visits. The Museum can accomplish this work not only by focusing on the artworks we acquire today and in the future, but also in the exhibitions we present for our community. This year, I am especially proud that the Museum will feature the nationally acclaimed exhibition Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich. Organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, Fearless Fashion weaves the compelling story of the groundbreaking fashion designer, an icon of the revolutionary 1960s who questioned and tested commonly held notions
of self-expression and gender identity through his unique, cutting-edge designs. Today, he is remembered best for the scandalous monokini, but Gernreich was much more than an avant-garde sensationalist. His fearlessness was grounded in a spirit of resistance. At the age of 16, Gernreich, a Jew, fled with his mother from the violent oppression of the Nazis in his native Austria. Later in life, as a gay man, Gernreich also contended with homophobia and discrimination. It is perhaps these experiences that most inspired his approach to fashion as a form of social justice and commentary. He believed in the universal beauty of the human form, and his work celebrated fluidity of movement and naturalism, making it the perfect fit for the 1960s, a time when society questioned social mores of past generations and pursued greater freedom in all aspects of life. All of us at Phoenix Art Museum are proud to share the compelling stories and creative visions of diverse artists like Rudi Gernreich. In various galleries over the past few months, you have enjoyed the perspectives of artists such as Teresita Fernández, Hélio Oiticica, and Sergio Vega and learned from Indigenous scholars who examined works in the Museum’s American art collection. Later this year, you will have the opportunity to experience the art of Sri Lanka, in addition to works from across China and Southeast Asia that span centuries.
In 2020, the Museum renewed its commitment to pursuing diversity in all that we do...It is our intention through the diversification of our exhibitions and collections to present a body of works that reflects the community we serve.”
We have much work left to do to expand our spirit of inclusion and connection. But this year, despite the challenges of COVID-19 and its impact on our financial stability, we remain committed to this work, both within our offices and our galleries. I thank you, each of you, for your support of Phoenix Art Museum and your investment in our mission to be a vibrant destination that seeks to create opportunities for meaning and to enrich the knowledge and culture of our community amidst such tumult in our world. We look forward to continuing this work, in partnership, in 2021 and for decades to come. With gratitude,
image credit: Photo by Airi Katsuta.
WINTER/SPRING 2021 / PHXART.ORG
5
