A P R I L — J U LY 2 01 9
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THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIPE TO DO RIGHT. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
WE BELIEVE IT IS THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS TO EXPAND MINDS AND HORIZONS, TO CHALLENGE PERCEPTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES. TO FULFILL THAT PROMISE TO YOU, OUR MEMBERS, OUR GUESTS, OUR COMMUNITY, WE MUST INNOVATE, ENGAGE, AND, MOST OF ALL, EVOLVE. IF WE SHY AWAY FROM THAT WORK, IF WE CHOOSE WHAT IS COMFORTABLE OVER WHAT IS RIGHT, THEN WE DO NOT DESERVE TO BE CALLED YOUR PHOENIX ART MUSEUM. WE MUST HAVE THE COURAGE AND IMAGINATION TO TAKE LEAPS. WE OWE IT TO YOU AND OUR FOUNDERS TO DO EVERYTHING IT TAKES TO BE THE VERY BEST WE CAN BE, FOR ALL PEOPLE. YOU DESERVE NOTHING LESS. 3
A P R I L— J U L Y 2 0 1 9
Amada Cruz The Sybil Harrington Director and CEO Jon Hulburd Chair of the Board of Trustees
EDITORIAL STAFF Executive Editor | Nikki DeLeon Martin Managing Editor | Samantha Andreacchi Contributing Editors Janet Baker, PhD, Curator of Asian Art Margaree Bigler, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Vanessa Davidson, PhD, the Shawn and Joe Lampe Curator of Latin American Art Marissa Del Toro, DAMLI Curatorial Fellow Betsy Fahlman, PhD, Adjunct Curator of American Art Lani Hudson, Audience Development Manager Josselin Salazar, Digital Communications Coordinator Dennita Sewell, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family Chief Curator Kelly Whitton, Program Director, Men’s Arts Council Rachel Zebro, Curatorial Associate of Modern and Contemporary Art Editorial Intern | Leah Goldberg Creative Director | Michael Bartley Graphic Designer | Chanda Curiel-Miller Photography Contributor | Airi Katsuta
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CONNECT WITH US @phxart 1625 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1685 phxart.org
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CONTENTS A P R I L — J U LY 2 01 9
6 7 8 10 24
Letter from the Board Letter from the Director Museum News On View Men’s Arts Council
25 27 28 30
In Memory | John Bouma Get Involved Acknowledgments | Circles of Support Shop PhxArt
11 Julio César Morales: Invaders and 2018 Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants Recipients 12 Exploring the Art of Asia galleries 14 Flora 16 Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist 22 Transcendent Transcendentalists 31 Legends of Speed
ON THE COVER | image credit: Agnes Pelton, Day (Día), 1935. Oil on canvas. Gift of The Melody S. Robidoux Foundation. image credits: (top, left to right) Malakai, My Sol is My Home, July 17th, 2018. Film, digital photography and graphic. Courtesy of the artist; Marc Jacobs, Coat and boots (detail), Spring
2002. Silk floss embroidery on kidskin. Gift of Arizona Costume Institute and Steve and Ardie Evans.; 1926 Miller. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Photos: Zach James Todd / Courtesy of Canepa. (opposite page) Raymond Jonson, Cañon de Chelly (detail), 1928 and 1972. Oil and sand on canvas. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, Museum purchase with funds provided by an anonymous donor © University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PHOENIX ART MUSEUM
2018-19 BOARD OF TRUSTEES List as of February 25, 2019
CHAIR
Jon Hulburd
VICE CHAIRS
Carter Emerson and Meredith von Arentschildt
TREASURER
Mark Feldman
SECRETARY Jane Jozoff
Ruben E. Alvarez Craig R. Barrett Donald Brandt Jo Brandt Drew M. Brown* Amy S. Clague* Larry Clemmensen Mike Cohn Jacquie Dorrance* Judy Goldberg John W. Graham Michael Greenbaum* Paul Groves Nancy Hanley Lila Harnett* Maria Harper-Marinick Tim Jones Parvinder Khanuja M.D. Margot Knight Alan W. Kosloff Sally Lehmann David Lenhardt Dennis Lyon* Donald Opatrny Rose Papp Jim Patterson Blair J. Portigal Kimberly F. Robson David Rousseau Sue Selig Raymond Slomski *Honorary Trustee
FROM THE CHAIR of the Board of Trustees DEAR FRIENDS OF PHOENIX ART MUSEUM, As the chair of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, I have enjoyed the opportunity three times a year to write directly to you in the pages of PhxArt Magazine. With my final letter as my term draws to a close this October, I am pleased to reflect on all the Museum has accomplished these past two years and to recognize Amada Cruz, who celebrated her fourth anniversary as the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. I have deeply enjoyed working closely with Amada, and I am inspired by her vision for this Museum and the impact we can have on our community. As the first woman and person of color at the helm of this institution, she has brought not only extensive experience in arts leadership, but a unique and nuanced understanding of the role museums play in bridging cultural divides. She has always made the courageous, and seldom easy, choices necessary to do that most important work, a quality I deeply admire. Phoenix is a constantly evolving, multicultural metropolis, unrecognizable in its diversity from even 20 years ago. As a recent transplant to the Valley of the Sun, Amada saw it with the fresh, new vision that sometimes eludes those of us who have long called a place home. I have learned a great deal about my city, and how the Museum must evolve and respond to who our community is today, not who it once was. That means reimagining the way we do business, the way we interact with guests, and the way we diversify our leadership, staff, and volunteers, all to hold ourselves to the highest possible standards. Amada has urged and encouraged us to not only keep pace with the changing times but, whenever possible, anticipate those changes. Today, we witness the fruits of those efforts through increased community engagement. During Amada’s tenure, the Museum has more than doubled its First Friday attendance and added new free-access times with the support of generous sponsors.
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES | LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
But evolving to meet the needs of our complex community involves more than just reducing admission. It means creating an environment that is warm, open, and accessible to all. The Museum has worked hard to expand its bilingual engagement through bilingual didactics, a Spanishlanguage visitor guide, and, beginning this summer, a fully bilingual website, one of the first of its kind of any museum in our nation. Additionally, we have made important changes to increase our capacity to welcome more school children than ever before, with a 24% increase in school tours just one year after adopting new initiatives spearheaded by our Docent board. I congratulate Amada for the work she has done, joined by the Museum’s staff and volunteers, to persist in the practices that serve us well while embracing new innovations designed to grow and empower the Museum. Phoenix Art Museum was founded 60 years ago this November by a group of determined volunteers who believed this city deserved an art museum, and so they worked together to build this one. We owe it to them to continue building our Museum. With gratitude, Happy Holidays and a Joyous 2019.
JON HULBURD
Chair of the Board of Trustees Phoenix Art Museum
FROM THE DIRECTOR of Phoenix Art Museum DEAR FRIENDS, Think globally, act locally is a phrase used in business, planning, environmental, and other contexts. It requires an organization to balance particular local considerations with more universal concerns. Think globally, act locally also serves as a useful guide for Phoenix Art Museum, as we strive to reflect our local community while aspiring to national and international significance. This balancing of the local and global guides our exhibitions, gallery installations, education programs, and, really, everything we do. Let’s start with local. How do we define the term as it relates to our city and region? The Valley of the Sun is a dynamic, fast-growing metropolitan area of 4.5 million people. Phoenix itself is home to more than 1.6 million people with a median age of approximately 33 and of whom 41% are Latina/o. The art on view in our galleries reflects this local reality through displays of American art showcasing the art of the West, our own sublime landscapes, and works by important historical Arizona figures such as Philip C. Curtis. Additionally, historical or contemporary art from Mexico is often featured throughout the Museum. Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views offers an intimate view into 20th-century Mexico, while special-engagement exhibitions like the recent Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire have brought ancient artifacts from Mesoamerica to our audiences in Arizona. The local is also a desert context, as exemplified in Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist. This exhibition, organized by the Museum and curated by our Selig Family Chief Curator, Gilbert Vicario, was inspired by Pelton’s paintings in the Museum’s collection. The complementary installation, Transcendent Transcendentalists, curated by adjunct curator of American art Betsy Fahlman, PhD, further mines the theme of abstraction and spirituality with a focus on collection works by artists who worked in New Mexico.
instances to name, but in the past four years alone, Phoenix Art Museum has worked with more than 1,100 local artists on workshops, performances, presentations of their work, and exhibitions, not to mention including their works in our permanent collection. Julio César Morales: Invaders, featuring work by the 2018 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award recipient, and the 2018 Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants Recipients exhibition honor the best of our local talent. When we think globally, we aim to “bring the world to Phoenix and Phoenix to the world,” as stated in our strategic plan. Thinking globally also forces us to think big and act according to national standards of quality. The exhibitions organized by the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, Dennita Sewell, always feature the best of international fashion, and the exhibition Flora perfectly exemplifies this insistence on design excellence. The Museum’s curators have been focused on generating their own exhibitions and sending them to other venues as a way to increase the Museum’s impact and attract national funding. As the Museum’s name, scholarship, and exhibition catalogues continue to travel the world, Phoenix Art Museum can proudly claim to be a truly “glo-cal” organization. With gratitude,
AMADA CRUZ
The Sybil Harrington Director and CEO Phoenix Art Museum
Acting locally also includes working with our many community partners on educational offerings, special events, and programs during voluntary-donation times. There are too many such
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
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INTRODUCING DAMLI FELLOW MARISSA DEL TORO
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n 2017, Phoenix Art Museum was one of only 20 museums nationwide to receive funding from the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI), a partnership between the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation supporting efforts to diversify leadership staff in art museums. The funds awarded to the Museum through the initiative, which is financially sponsored by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, have expanded the Teen Art Council and enabled the Museum to offer paid undergraduate- and graduate-level internships, in addition to supporting a twoyear curatorial fellowship. The Museum welcomed Marissa Del Toro as its DAMLI fellow in September 2018. In her first month with the Museum, Del Toro, who earned a master’s degree in art history from The University of Texas at San Antonio, played an integral role in the presentation of the special-engagement exhibition Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire. Since then, she has focused her efforts on researching national and regional artists who identify as Latina/o or Latinx,* while also serving as an editorial assistant on the catalogue for the exhibition Teresita Fernández: Elemental, scheduled to open at Phoenix Art Museum in 2020. Del Toro is also tasked with producing original
scholarship on the subject matter of her choice, which will culminate in an exhibition and related publication. “We are very excited to welcome Marissa to Phoenix Art Museum as our DAMLI fellow,” said Gilbert Vicario, the Museum’s Selig Family Chief Curator. “She brings a wealth of valuable insight and experience to the Museum’s curatorial team and is poised to become a future museum leader.” Del Toro said she looks forward to continuing her examination of and engagement with the landscapes, peoples, cultures, and communities in Phoenix and Arizona through her work. Additionally, she hopes to spend time mentoring the Museum’s young people to expand the influence of her fellowship. “I want my impact to go beyond me, the exhibition, and the Museum,” Del Toro said. “By interacting with and getting to know the Museum’s interns and Teen Art Council, I hope I can help encourage a new generation of curators and administrators from diverse backgrounds.” For more information on the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, visit phxart.org or fordfoundation.org.
DEFINING LATINX* Latinx is a gender-neutral word inclusive of individuals throughout the Latina/o community, including those who exist outside of the male/female gender and sexuality binaries. The term refers to a group of diverse individuals living in and outside the United States with generational lineage or diasporic roots from countries associated with Latin America. Some individuals do not recognize the term Latinx and instead personally identify with others they consider more appropriate, illustrating how socially constructed identities are diverse and complex formations that cannot be easily categorized or fully described.
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MUSEUM NEWS
Renee Aguilar has joined the Museum as its development events coordinator. Previously, Aguilar served as marketing and events coordinator at Pueblo Grande Museum.
PROMOTIONS
Amanda Denmark-Gessel has joined the Museum as its exhibitions technician. Previously, Denmark-Gessel served as foundry monitor at Rhode Island School of Design.
Gwendolyn Fernandez has been promoted to a new role as interpretation and accessibility manager. Previously, Fernandez served as family programs manager.
Nicole Rivet has joined the Museum as its chief development officer. She oversees major gifts, fundraising events, foundations and grants, data and research, and corporate and institutional giving. Previously, Rivet served as principal and consultant at Stellar Philanthropic Consulting, and vice president for national development at Catholic Health Initiatives National Foundation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Middlebury College and a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia.
Cynthia Baiz has been promoted to a new role as database operations coordinator. Previously, Baiz served as prospect researcher.
Kari Walters has been promoted to a new role as assistant registrar and database specialist. Previously, Walters served as collection database and registration assistant.
NEW HIRES GALLERY ATTENDANTS Rigoberto Flores Ryan Knappenberger Buck Newman VISITOR SERVICES ASSOCIATES Lacey Medina Alex Swarts
CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICAN ART Phoenix Art Museum has received a major gift from Nicholas Pardon, co-founder of the SPACE Collection, the largest collection of post-1990s abstract art from Latin America in the United States. The gift of 112 artworks increases the Museum’s holdings of contemporary Latin American art by 280%.
RECENT ACQUISITIONS Phoenix Art Museum has acquired Qusuquzah Standing Sideways (2012) by Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971). One of the most celebrated contemporary artists working today, Thomas explores contemporary black identity through her depictions of African-American women. The large-scale photograph increases the representation of African-American artists in the Museum’s collection.
A GIFT FROM THE FORD FOUNDATION Phoenix Art Museum has received a $300,000 grant from the Ford Foundation that provides core support for Teresita Fernández: Elemental, scheduled to open in 2020 and co-organized with Pérez Art Museum Miami. For more information on the upcoming exhibition, visit phxart.org.
A MILESTONE MOMENT In October 2018, the Museum welcomed more than 5,000 guests on First Friday, sponsored by Macy’s, to celebrate the opening of Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire. More than 72,000 guests, including nearly 11,000 students, visited City of Water, City of Fire during the exhibition’s four-month run.
(image credit) Teresita Fernández, Fire, 2005. Silk yarn, steel armature, epoxy. In collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA. Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul.
MUSEUM NEWS
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FEATURED EXHIBITIONS AND INSTALLATIONS
image credit: Philip C. Curtis, Mountain Village (Villa de la montaña), 1955. Oil on board. Bequest of Iris S. Darlington.
RAGNAR KJARTANSSON: SCANDINAVIAN PAIN AND OTHER MYTHS
EARLY AMERICAN MODERNISM: THE DECADE OF THE ARMORY SHOW
WONDROUS WORLDS: ART & ISLAM THROUGH TIME & PLACE
SELECTIONS FROM THE SCHORR COLLECTION
MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS, MEXICAN VIEWS
AMERICAN SCENES/AMERICAS SEEN
Through April 14, 2019 Anderman, Marcus, and Marley galleries
Through May 26, 2019 Art of Asia galleries
Through June 9, 2019 Norton Gallery
Through August 25, 2019 American art galleries
Through 2019 Harnett and Ullman galleries
SUBLIME LANDSCAPES Through May 3, 2020 American art galleries
PHILIP C. CURTIS AND THE LANDSCAPES OF ARIZONA Through November 15, 2020 American art galleries
Through February 9, 2020 American art galleries
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EXHIBITIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS, VISIT PHXART.ORG/CURRENT. 10
ON VIEW
SCULT ARTIST AWARD | JULIO CÉSAR MORALES: INVADERS 2018 PHOENIX ART MUSEUM ARTISTS’ GRANTS RECIPIENTS Through July 7, 2019 Marshall and Hendler galleries
A SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL ARTISTS
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hrough July 7, 2019, Phoenix Art Museum presents two exhibitions showcasing works by Arizonabased contemporary artists. Julio César Morales: Invaders is a solo exhibition featuring the work of the 2018 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award recipient, Julio César Morales, and the 2018 Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants Recipients exhibition features works by grants recipients Taylor James, Malakai, Elliott Jamal Robbins, and Papay Solomon. Julio César Morales: Invaders is a mid-career survey of the work of the eponymous artist, who is known for exploring the movement of people, narcotics, contraband, and American popular culture across the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Morales (b. 1966), the exhibition, featuring multimedia installations, mixed-media drawings and paintings, and photography, seeks to present life along the border without adopting a distinct moral position, instead capturing people as they are and the tactics of survival required to occupy this liminal space. Invaders includes new and recent pieces by the artist, whose past works are featured in the collections of Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Calif.), Deutsche Bank, The Museum of Modern Art (N.Y.), and Pérez Art Museum Miami (Fla.), among others. The 2018 Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants Recipients exhibition features work by four emerging contemporary
artists based in Arizona. Photographs by Taylor James (b. 1979) document the unforgiving nature of the U.S.Mexico border and depict artifacts left by travelers or human remains, while works by award-winning filmmaker Malakai (b. 1990) focus on Afrofuturism and the black experience. Elliott Jamal Robbins (b. 1988) uses appropriated and self-generated imagery and text to create works that serve as both personal narrative and an interrogation of the performative nature of blackness and masculinity in Western cultures. In contrast, portraits by Papay Solomon (b. 1993) challenge the preconceptions of young people of the African Diaspora in the West. “Through their work, these established and emerging artists address some of today’s most pressing social issues both in the United States and around the world,” said Gilbert Vicario, the Museum’s Selig Family Chief Curator. “We are excited to share these poignant and timely exhibitions with our audiences in Arizona.” Julio César Morales: Invaders is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of Arlene and Morton Scult. The 2018 Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants Recipients exhibition is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of donors to the Museum’s annual fund. image credit: (left to right) Julio César Morales, Invaders, 2010. Neon. Courtesy the artist and Gallery Wendi Norris. Installation view, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 2019; Malakai, My Sol Is My Home, July 17th, 2018. Film, digital photography, and graphic. Courtesy of the artist.
RECOGNIZING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS IN ARIZONA
Each year, Phoenix Art Museum presents two significant recognition opportunities for contemporary artists based in Arizona. The Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award is presented to a mid-career artist whose work demonstrates a sustained degree of excellence and commitment to contemporary art. Selected by a jury, the recipient receives a $5,000 prize and is invited to present work in a solo exhibition at the Museum the following year. Conversely, the Phoenix Art Museum Artists’ Grants, formerly the Contemporary Forum Artists’ Grants, are designed to support and encourage emerging contemporary artists practicing in Arizona. A jury selects up to five grant recipients, who receive $2,000 each and also present work in a group exhibition at the Museum the following year. The jury for both the 2018 Scult Artist Award and the 2018 Artists’ Grants was composed of Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family Chief Curator of Phoenix Art Museum; David Engel, former president of Contemporary Forum; artist Patricia Sannit; Morton Scult; and Ginger Shulick Porcella, executive director and chief curator of Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson. For more information, visit phxart.org. EXHIBITION
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WHAT’S
NEW? Exploring the Art of Asia galleries
Since Janet Baker, PhD, joined Phoenix Art Museum in 2000 as the curator of Asian art, the Museum’s Asian art collection has more than doubled in size. “Our collection has grown from 3,000 objects to more than 6,000 through the generosity of many donors,” Baker said. “We have broadened the holdings in terms of geographical and chronological scope to better represent the 38 countries and 6,000 years that constitute the known history of Asian art.” Beginning in August, five new exhibitions in the Art of Asia galleries will examine this rich and diverse history through new loans and recent gifts to the Museum, exploring ancient and contemporary lifestyles and traditions in China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and more.
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EXHIBITION
CRICKETS, TEA, AND SNUFF: CHINESE INTELLECTUAL PURSUITS
August 3, 2019 – March 29, 2020 Art of Asia galleries
In traditional China, the literati, or educated class, set the standards for aesthetic taste and leisurely pursuits, many of which are still practiced today. Through a diverse selection of objects, this exhibition introduces viewers to a number of these preferences and interests. Crickets were the ideal pet for members of the Chinese upper classes and imperial court because of their soothing sound and their ability to be transported in elegant, portable cages. Viewers will have the opportunity to examine various gourd cricket cages donated to the Museum by Amy S. Clague. The beverage of connoisseurs in China and still widely consumed today, tea is considered medicinal, stimulating the mind, cleansing the blood, and aiding in digestion. As a result, tea vessels hold a special significance. For centuries, the town of Yixing was known as the central producer of unglazed teawares, and a collection of Yixing teawares, donated to the Museum by James T. Bialac, is showcased in the exhibition. The practice of inhaling snuff, or aromatic tobacco ground into a fine powder, for a jolt of nicotine originated in the Americas but took hold in China during the 17th century. Made of stone, porcelain, lacquer, and other materials, snuff bottles were symbols of status, wealth, and taste in China. The exhibition features a selection of Chinese snuff bottles, donated to the Museum by Deborah G. Carstens.
THE TIMELESS LANDSCAPE: RECENT GIFTS FROM THE PAPP FAMILY
August 10 – November 17, 2019 Marilyn and L. Roy Papp Family Gallery Classical Chinese ink paintings traditionally focused on the beauty of the natural world, depicting insects, birds, flowers, and fruit, or trees, clouds, and mountains on paper or silk. Featuring gifts from The Papp Family Foundation, this exhibition showcases large hanging scrolls, horizontal scrolls, and album leaves distinguished by their structured ink brushstrokes and soft touches of color. Complementing these paintings are examples of classical Chinese ceramics donated by Gail and Stephen Rineberg.
GURU NANAK: FOUNDER OF SIKHISM
August 17, 2019 – March 29, 2020 The Kaur and Singh Sikh Art Gallery Guru Nanak (1469–1539) was the founder of Sikhism, and his concept of oneness includes spiritual, sociological, and humanitarian insights that have formed the cornerstone of Sikh writings and practices. This exhibition celebrates the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak’s birth and explores his fundamental beliefs through historical and contemporary images.
POWERFUL PATTERNS: TRADITIONAL TEXTILES OF ISLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA
August 3 – November 17, 2019 Coleman and Way Gallery Traditional textiles of the Indonesian archipelago are now well represented in the collection of Phoenix Art Museum, thanks to the generosity of several donors through the years. Throughout this exhibition, woven cloths, worn in life, marriage, and death, illuminate the myths, beliefs, and social hierarchy of the region.
CLAY AND BAMBOO: JAPANESE CERAMICS AND FLOWER BASKETS August 10, 2019 – March 29, 2020 Art of Asia galleries
Featuring recent loans and gifts from Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz and Sanford and Beth Hoffman, this exhibition of contemporary Japanese ceramics examines how artists transcend functionality, gender, and material to create pieces that are modern yet rooted in tradition. Examples of basketry used for ikebana floral arrangements are also showcased and share a similar rustic and natural aesthetic.
Crickets, Tea, and Snuff: Chinese Intellectual Pursuits is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of Amy S. Clague, James T. Bialac, Deborah G. Carstens, and donors to the Museum’s annual fund. The Timeless Landscape: Recent Gifts from the Papp Family is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of The Papp Family Foundation, Gail and Stephen Rineberg, and donors to the Museum’s annual fund. Guru Nanak: Founder of Sikhism is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of the Sikh Heritage Fund. Powerful Patterns: Textiles of Island Southeast Asia is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Meryl Haber and donors to the Museum’s annual fund. Clay and Bamboo: Japanese Ceramics and Flower Baskets is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, Sanford and Beth Hoffman, and donors to the Museum’s annual fund. image credits: (opposite page, left to right) Fan Guoying, Precious gem teapot, 20th century. Stoneware. Gift of James T. Bialac in honor of the Museum's 50th Anniversary; Matsutani Fumio, Vessel, 2017. Glazed ceramic. Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection. (this page, left to right) Kino Satoshi, Oroshi 16-18, 2016 Porcelain. Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection; Unknown, Ewer with dished mouth and chicken-headed spout, Six Dynasties period. Light gray Yue stoneware with mottled brown glaze. Gift of Gail and Stephen Rineberg; Unknown artist, Guru Nanak Pointing his Feet Towards Mecca, India, 18th–19th century. Ink and color on paper. Loan from the Khanuja Family Collection; Miyashita Zenji, Water jar, 2008. Stoneware with colored-clay overlays. Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection; Unknown, Teapot with three frogs on rock, 20th century. Stoneware. Gift of James T. Bialac.
EXHIBITION
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FLORA
April 13 – August 18, 2019 Kelly Ellman Fashion Design and Orme Lewis galleries
Natur sele Spanning four centuries, Flora features more than 30 botanical-inspired ensembles and accessories for women, men, and children, tracing the evolution of floral fashions through the ages. Drawing exclusively from the collection of Phoenix Art Museum, the exhibition showcases historical garments alongside pieces by such designers as Prada, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Comme des Garçons, Charles James, and Slava Zaitsev, while also highlighting a variety of textiles and techniques used by designers to incorporate flower motifs, patterns, and silhouettes into their creations.
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EXHIBITION
ural ction “F
lowers are a beloved, classical theme explored by fashion designers throughout history,” said Dennita Sewell, the Museum’s Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design. “With its breadth of historical and contemporary garments and accessories, Flora illustrates how the approach to representing flowers in fashion has evolved from realism and naturalism to abstraction, hyperabstraction, and hyper-realism.” Throughout the exhibition, garments from the 18th and 19th centuries showcase traditional, realistic representations of
flowers, in contrast to the bold, abstract floral prints and organic silhouettes of modern pieces. Highlights include an embroidered leather coat and boots by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, a 1951 petal dress by Charles James, and a skirt and jacket by Slava Zaitsev, known for his colorful, theatrical designs often adorned with floral patterns and inspired by Russian folk costumes. Flora also features objects recently acquired by the Museum, including an ensemble from the Spring/Summer 2019 collection of Comme des Garçons, purchased with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute, a support group of Phoenix Art Museum. The contemporary ensemble includes a slouchy, black tuxedo jacket paired with rose-print trousers, distinguished by their abstract, multidimensional silhouette suggesting a flower form. Additionally, the exhibition explores how the ensembles on view were constructed, highlighting various textiles and embroidery and embellishment styles. A linen suit by Prada from 2003 showcases raffia-embroidered rose buds on netting, the bohemian styling of a Givenchy couture dress from the 1960s is enhanced with a scattering of wildflowers, and a piece by Yves Saint Laurent features an all-over print of American Beauty Roses on silk crepe de chine.
“In an era in which we view most things digitally, Flora underscores the significance of materiality in fashion design,” Sewell said. “Viewers are encouraged to look closely at an object and examine its details to build an understanding of how and why designers choose specific materials and techniques to articulate their ideas and inspirations.” With its range of material and deep insight into the creative process, Flora explores the enduring influence of flowers on fashion while demonstrating how inspiration drives design. As a result, viewers are left to contemplate a well-known topic and discover the subtle, bold, and sometimes surprising ways in which fashion can reflect the natural world. Flora is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of The Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, The Ellman Foundation, and Arizona Costume Institute.
image credits: (opposite page) Marc Jacobs, Coat and Boots,
Spring 2002. Silk floss embroidery on kidskin. Gift of Arizona
Costume Institute and Steve and Ardie Evans. (this page, left to right) Margaine-Lacroix, Dress, 1921. Silk faille with cotton lace
with cut silk and bead embroidery. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Stone; Adrian, Dress, 1945. Printed rayon crepe. Gift of Mrs. Tom Pollock; George Halley, Evening dress, Fall 1969. Cut velvet on satin. Gift of Carol Schatt, from the estate of Nina Pulliam.
EXHIBITION
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EXHIBITION
AGNES PELTON: DESERT TRANSCENDENTALIST Through September 8, 2019 Steele Gallery
Adapted from the Introduction by Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family Chief Curator, in the Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist exhibition catalogue.
A
gnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist is the first survey of the under-recognized American painter in more than 24 years and is presented 88 years after a favorable review in American Art News in 1931. “To this artist,” the article states, “life is a development of consciousness which she translated into symbolic color, rhythm and form … for the eye alone it is a haven of beauty.” Many years later, a 1944 review in the Sacramento Union describes her work with similar admiration: “Her expression is chiefly through two media, color and light. So marvelously does she use color that some of these paintings seem to glow with a light coming from within the pigment.” Despite their explicitly complimentary messages, both critical appreciations of Pelton’s work, at once prophetic and hinting at a sophisticated visual literacy, failed to take hold. Almost nine decades later, we are still laying the groundwork for a greater understanding of Pelton’s contribution to American modernism and abstraction, while a contemporary generation of artists continues to embrace an appreciation of her work.
MARGINS
Pelton’s distinctive paintings can be described as metaphysical landscapes rooted in the California desert near Cathedral City, although they grew out of a sensibility firmly established prior to the artist’s arrival in the West. Born to American parents in Stuttgart, Germany, Pelton (1881–1961) and her family briefly lived in Basel, Switzerland, before returning to the United States in 1888. She graduated in 1900 from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and that same year worked as an assistant teacher at the Ipswich Summer School of Art in Ipswich, Massachusetts. In 1910, she spent a year studying life drawing at the British Academy of Arts in Rome, and by 1913, she exhibited in the Armory Show of 1913, at the invitation of the painter and art promoter Walt Kuhn (1877–1949).
The Reemergence of Agnes Pelton “Miss Pelton is a child of the new age. She is harbinger of the future for other poets.” —American Art News, February 21, 1931
Pelton first encountered the Southwest in 1919, when she was invited to the home of Mabel Dodge Luhan (1879–1962) in Taos. In the 1920s, she traveled the world extensively, and it was during this same decade that she matured into an artist whose interpretations of earth and light, biomorphic compositions of delicate veils, shimmering stars, and atmospheric horizon lines distinguished her abstract work and sparked her artistic passion. Intentionally moving away from the East Coast arts community for practical and financial reasons, Pelton settled in 1932 in Cathedral City, California, a place she would call home for nearly 30 years. Despite misconceptions, Pelton was not an eccentric who lived in seclusion. She settled quietly in a community with a small circle of friends and acquaintances that allowed her to focus on her work. Her passion was her abstractions, but she also painted realistic desert continued on page 18 EXHIBITION
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saw-toothed brush marks that define and contrast areas of surface and depth. Paintings such as Being (1926) and The Fountains (1926), which followed after The Ray Serene, become untethered from reality and move toward a surreal embodiment of light, space, and vibrations that borders on science fiction. By the 1930s, earth-bound elements return to Pelton’s paintings. Horizon lines, twinkling stars, and landforms reorient her abstractions, reflecting her own inspirations, superstitions, and beliefs. These emotional states, in turn, are made manifest in ethereal veils of light, jagged rock forms, and exaggerated horizons reminiscent of theatrical stage sets that both symbolize and exemplify an idealism arguably rooted in the philosophical tenets of 19th-century American transcendentalism. scenes, smoke trees, Joshua trees, and the San Jacinto Mountains. Sold alongside her abstractions, these landscapes helped pay the bills and gave her a creative outlet that was very different from her abstract compositions. On view through September 8, 2019 at Phoenix Art Museum before traveling to the New Mexico Museum of Art (Santa Fe), Whitney Museum of American Art (N.Y.), and Palm Springs Art Museum (Calif.), Desert Transcendentalist focuses on Pelton’s abstract body of work that emerged in the 1920s out of a nascent period marked by the production of her Imaginative Paintings. These Arcadian compositions, brushy and with a darkened palette, depict female figures in natural settings, such as wooded forests, grottoes, or windswept landscapes. The earliest work in the exhibition, Room Decoration in Purple and Gray (1917), was created during this period and features a figure in a fantastic landscape of overlapping veils of color, with a floral arrangement and a small glimpse of a hillside in the background. A significant formal and conceptual break from these early compositions is achieved in The Ray Serene (1925), a work of pure abstraction. Devoid of figure or ground, its composition is dominated by organic shapes and lines,
Many of the works in Desert Transcendentalist are inspired by Pelton’s interest in Agni Yoga, a neotheosophical religious doctrine with a principal focus on fire as a guiding force. Intimation (1933), one of only two portraits in the exhibition, is an unsettling representation of Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947), one of the teachers of Agni Yoga and an artist whose paintings were said to have hypnotic expression. Because of this and other esoteric interests, Pelton was asked to participate in a collective of artists known as the Transcendental Painting Group (TPG). This shortlived group based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was formed in 1938 by artist Raymond Jonson (1891–1982), who was dissatisfied with the term nonobjective, and included Emil Bisttram (1895–1976), Ed Garman (1914–2004), Florence Miller Pierce (1918–2007), and Stuart Walker (1904–1940), among others. Works by Jonson, Bisttram, and Walker are on view in a complementary installation at Phoenix Art Museum entitled Transcendent Transcendentalists. The TPG briefly reconnected Pelton to the Southwest, although there is no evidence she ever returned to the region. The extent of her involvement with the TPG, aside from being named honorary president, seemed to be her participation in a few exhibitions, and after the group’s demise in 1941, continued on page 20
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EXHIBITION
“So marvelously does she use color that some of these paintings seem to glow with a light coming from within the pigment.” —Sacramento Union, 1944
Pelton, then 60 years old, produced fewer abstractions and temporarily turned her attention to desert landscapes to bring in some much needed income. By the 1950s, Pelton’s health was failing, and in 1961, she passed away from liver cancer. Despite her small but devoted following of curators, art historians, and artists, Pelton has remained relatively unknown and largely misunderstood within the canon of American modernism. Her slow reemergence out of the margins of American art began through critical and academic reevaluations of her place in art history, and in the 1980s, archival efforts to establish a baseline of primary research materials on her work and life started to take shape. The Agnes Pelton papers at the Smithsonian Institution were assembled by Cornelia and Irving Sussman and donated to the Archives in 1984 by gallery director Jan Rindfleisch on behalf of the Sussmans. In 1997, approximately 162 letters from Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort, which are now part of the archival collection, were bequeathed to the Sussmans through Joan Crisci, the executor of Comfort's estate, and donated to the Archives. The majority of Pelton’s works were catalogued in a publication for an exhibition curated in 1989 by art historian Margaret Stainer, the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work since 1955. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in Pelton’s work, thanks to a continued appreciation and fascination with American art of the West and Southwest, her points of intersection with other artists in the region, and a new generation of artists and art historians seeking to expand the discussion around abstraction and spirituality. The last survey exhibition of her
work, Agnes Pelton: Poet of Nature (1995), traveled extensively throughout the United States; however, a 1995 review in The New York Times characterized her paintings as uneven and erratic and incorrectly implied that it was she who was inspired by the TPG and not the other way around. Still, other reviews of the time were more in tune with her particular form of abstraction while noting that her work still received diminished attention. Most recently, Pelton’s work was included in Illumination: The Paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Pelton, Agnes Martin, and Florence Miller Pierce. The 2009 group exhibition explored the connections and parallels between the four American women artists. At this particular moment, Pelton’s greatest advocates seem to be a new generation of mostly contemporary women painters
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EXHIBITION
SHOP
Bring home the wonders of Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
$45.00 (member) | $50.00 (non-member) The illustrated publication features the artist’s metaphysical landscapes and explores her often overlooked contributions to American modernism. Hardcover, 248 pages, Hirmer Publishers.
ARCHIVAL PRINTS
$21.60 (member) | $24.00 (non-member)
Through these efforts, new conversations on American modernism and abstraction are forged and expand our current knowledge on the roles women have played in the evolution and manifestation of modernism. Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist introduces us to these connections and interpretations, while asserting Pelton’s rightful place in the history of American art and emphatically proclaiming, as was stated almost 90 years ago, that she is a harbinger for the future. Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. image credits: (pages 16-17, left to right) Agnes Pelton, Messengers, 1932. Oil on canvas. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, Gift of The Melody S. Robidoux Foundation; Unknown, Agnes Pelton, ca 1940s. Courtesy of the Palm Springs Historical Society, all rights reserved. (page 18, top to bottom) Alice Boughton, Photograph of Agnes Pelton, n.d. Carolyn Tilton Cunningham Family Collection, Courtesy of Nyna Dolby; Agnes Pelton, Orbits, 1934. Oil on canvas. Collection of Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Concours d'Antiques, the Art Guild of the Oakland Museum of California; Agnes Pelton, Light Center, 1947-1948. Oil on canvas. Collection of Lynda and Stewart Resnick. Photo: Jairo Ramirez. (page 19, top to bottom) Agnes Pelton, The Ray Serene, 1925. Oil on canvas. Collection of Lynda and Stewart Resnick. Photo: Jairo Ramirez; Agnes Pelton, Departure, 1952. Oil on canvas. Collection of Mike Stoller and Corky Hale Stoller. Photo: Paul Salveson; Agnes Pelton, The Blest, 1941. Oil on canvas. Collection of Georgia and Michael de Havenon. Photo: Martin Seck. (page 20, top to bottom) Agnes Pelton, Sand Storm, 1932. Oil on canvas. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2012.504. Photography by Edward C. Robison III; Agnes Pelton, Prelude, 1943. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Hayden Collection – Charles Henry Hayden Fund and Tompkins Collection – Arthur Gordan Tompkins Fund. © 2018 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Agnes Pelton, Future, 1941, oil on canvas, Collection of Palm Springs Art Museum, 75th Anniversary gift of Gerald E. Buck in memory of Bente Buck, Best Friend and Life Companion. (this page) Agnes Pelton, Fires in Space (detail), 1938. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY.
EXPERIENCE
Aside from being inspired by her paintings, many of these artists have also actively participated on a curatorial level to raise awareness of and interest in Pelton’s life and work. Weatherford delivered a lecture in 2016 at Ballroom Marfa entitled “Agnes Pelton and the American Transcendental,” and in the same year, The Ocular Bowl, a cross-generational exhibition focusing on the physical and metaphysical manifestation of sight and its effects on mind and memory, featured works by Alex Olson, Linda Stark, and Agnes Pelton.
11x14,” 100% acid-free paper, color-permanence rating of 100 years.
CHANNELED VISIONS: WOMEN, ESOTERICISM, AND MODERN ART April 27 | 1 pm
Discover how popular esoteric movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries, including spiritualism and theosophy, offered women artists new avenues of creative expression. Susan Aberth, PhD, associate professor of art history at Bard College, will examine artists such as Agnes Pelton, Georgiana Houghton, Emma Kunz, and Hilma af Klint.
TRANSCENDENTAL SOUND BATH
May 18, June 15, September 7 | 1 – 3 pm Enjoy group meditation in Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist, with crystal bowls, chimes, and other healing sound instruments that help to ease the mind, body, and soul.
CIRCLES
who perhaps are the true receivers of the messages she sent many years ago. These artists include Mary Corse (b. 1945), Alex Olson (b. 1978), Linda Stark (b. 1956) and Mary Weatherford (b. 1963), among many others. For some, Pelton’s work represents a unique sensibility formed both inside and outside of a neat chronological framework separating abstraction from representation, as it embraces both genres in varying degrees. In other cases, it is simply the use of light as a medium that bridges Pelton’s early explorations with contemporary artists. For example, Weatherford’s interest in light as an artistic medium links directly with Pelton’s interest in giving shape to light in space, whereas some works by Stark resonate strongly with the metaphysical explorations of landscape in various paintings by Pelton.
Brighten up any interior with archival reproductions of Agnes Pelton’s ethereal and otherworldly compositions.
CIRCLES PRESENTS: ERIKA DOSS
April 11 | 5:30 pm Reception 6:15 pm Lecture
Circles of Support donors are invited to a reception and presentation by Erika Doss, PhD, professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She will discuss Agnes Pelton’s exploration of multiple strains of mysticism and Pelton’s belief that art is a form of personal and creative transcendence. For more information or to join the Museum's Circles of Support, visit phxart.org or call 602.257.2115.
EXHIBITION
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BEYOND painting TRANSCENDENT TRANSCENDENTALISTS Through December 15, 2019 American art galleries
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EXHIBITION
For much of his life, Raymond Jonson was committed to creating abstract art rooted in the spiritual, wholly preoccupied with exploring how painting could help him and others attain higher levels of being. He was not alone.
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n 1938, Jonson (1891–1982) founded the Transcendental Painting Group (TPG), a short-lived collective of artists who, like him, were dedicated to non-representational art. The group included Agnes Pelton (1881–1961), Emil Bisttram (1895–1976), Lawren Harris (1885–1970), Florence Miller Pierce (1918–2007), and Stuart Walker (1904–1940), among others, and according to a succinct statement of purpose, now in the Archives of American Art, members strove to “carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world through
new concepts of space, light and design, upon planes that are termed idealistic and spiritual.” Through December 15, 2019, Transcendent Transcendentalists explores the abstract works of three members of the TPG— Jonson, Bisttram, and Walker. Funded by a Henry Luce Foundation grant awarded to the Museum in 2018, the installation features 14 works from the Museum’s collection alongside 12 airbrushed watercolor paintings and an oil painting by Jonson, on loan to the Museum from March 30 through July 7, 2019 from the Collection of Ronald and Maxine Linde. In addition to showcasing the depth of the Museum’s American art collection, the selection of works complements and provides context to the special-engagement exhibition Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist, on view through September 8, 2019 in the Museum’s Steele Gallery. Through a wide range of works, Transcendent Transcendentalists encourages viewers to examine the ways in which Jonson, Bisttram, and Walker attempted to use the visual arts to depict intangible, unknown realities and draw connections between art and the metaphysical world. They often experimented with space, light, and design in an effort to reach, depict, and guide viewers to a higher plane of spirituality through abstract compositions of varying degrees. In Tensions (1939), for example, Bisttram approaches abstraction with a strong sense of mathematics and dynamic symmetry, a theory he used regularly in his practice to create structured, otherworldly compositions. The painting of geometric shapes and connecting lines suggests a diagram, perhaps of a higher spiritual plane or the path to reach it, and resembles works by Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), a pioneer of abstract modern art and author of Concerning the Spiritual in Art, who, along with such figures as spiritualist, philosopher, and author Helena Blavatsky, the cofounder of modern theosophy, were sources of inspiration for members of the TPG. The 12 airbrushed watercolor paintings by Jonson further illuminate the group’s continued interest in exploring the mystical and supernatural, this time focusing on
astrology. On view for the first time in a public art museum and loaned to the Museum from the Collection of Ronald and Maxine Linde, they depict the 12 signs of the zodiac and are part of a series created in 1938 by Jonson and author, composer, and humanistic astrologer Dane Rudhyar (1895–1985). The two had been previously introduced by Agnes Pelton, and while Rudhyar supplied the drawings for the series, Jonson created the complementary paintings, which, after their tenure as part of Transcendent Transcendentalists, will be replaced with landscapes from the Museum’s American art collection. However, not every work in the installation depicts the metaphysical. Jonson’s City Dynamism (1932) presents an abstracted albeit recognizable scene of a factory emitting billowing clouds of pollution into a geometric, color-blocked sky, in clear critique of the Industrial Age’s impact on the natural world. Even more representational in nature, Walker’s Mountain Rancho (1935) offers a realistic view of a rural mountain town. The painting stands to remind audiences that while TPG members were ensconced in the ethereal, American regionalists of the ’20s and ’30s were instead committed to depicting true-to-life scenes of bucolic and small-town America. Still, the focus of Transcendent Transcendentalists remains nonrepresentational art with a spiritual and metaphysical motivation, and when asked how to approach and interpret these abstract and highly cerebral works, Betsy Fahlman, PhD, the Museum’s adjunct curator of American art and the installation’s curator, offered a thoughtful solution for viewers. “Think of these artists as trying to map what you cannot see,” Fahlman said. “They are trying to visualize and make something concrete out of an essence. With Jonson, there’s an energy there, while Bisttram’s paintings are much more analytical. However, they are all attempting to give an order and a discipline to something that means a great deal to them, something psychological, intangible, and ineffable.” Transcendent Transcendentalists is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.
“Around us we have realism, strife, pain, and greed. I wish to present the other side of life, namely the feeling of order, joy, and freedom.” —Raymond Jonson
image credits: (opposite page) Raymond Jonson, City Dynamism,
1932. Oil on canvas. Gift of Dr. & Mrs. Lorenz Anderman. © University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque. (this page, top to bottom) Emil Bisttram, Ascending, 1930. Pencil on paper. Gift of Richard Anderman in honor of Lorenz and Joan Anderman; Emil Bisttram, Tensions, 1939. Oil on board. Gift of Richard Anderman in honor of Lorenz and Joan Anderman.
EXHIBITION
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In Gratitude
image credit: Tom Leigh/Tommy Gun Images. A 1947 Tatra T-87 making its way
up Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Arizona.
MEN’S ARTS COUNCIL P
hoenix Art Museum is grateful for the steadfast support of Men’s Arts Council (MAC), a support group of the Museum. In its 52-year history, the non-profit organization of more than 200 members has raised more than $9.7 million in support of the Museum’s exhibitions, acquisitions, education programs, and vital operations. Although membership is by invitation only, MAC strives to find members who are committed to supporting the arts and the Museum through non-traditional fundraising efforts in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Along with hosting a cash bar at special Museum events and exhibition openings, MAC organizes three major fundraising events per year that directly benefit Phoenix Art Museum.
BELL LEXUS NORTH SCOTTSDALE COPPERSTATE 1000 First held in 1990, the Bell Lexus North Scottsdale Copperstate 1000 is a 1,000-mile vintage road rally through some of Arizona’s most spectacular environments. Now considered one of the most successful vintage car rallies in the country, the annual event features more than 80 select sports, racing, and Grand Touring cars manufactured before 1974. Each year, MAC offers a free public viewing of the cars prior to the start of the rally, which attracts thousands of car enthusiasts from around the world. The 2019 Bell Lexus North Scottsdale Copperstate 1000, which took place from March 30 through April 3, featured marques such as Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, OSCA, Cisitalia, and Lamborghini.
COPPERSTATE DOUBLE GUN The Copperstate Double Gun is a sporting-clays shooting tournament hosted each spring at the Ben Avery Clay Target Center. Featuring double-barrel, break-action shotguns, the annual event is a one-round, 100-shot, winner-takes-all competition. The first Copperstate Double Gun, held in 2010, drew only 30 participants, but the event has since grown to become Phoenix’s premiere sporting-clays fundraiser. On March 2, the 2019 Copperstate Double Gun welcomed 160 shooters.
COPPERSTATE OVERLAND First organized in 2015, the Copperstate Overland is a vintage off-roading rally that offers drivers the unique opportunity to adventure across Arizona’s unpaved roads to experience some of the state’s most scenic vistas. Throughout the duration of the rally, MAC provides full accommodations for participating drivers, including a private campground, private chef, live entertainment, and safari-style tents. The 2018 Copperstate Overland was capped at 20 vehicles, with a waitlist of 10 drivers. The 2019 Copperstate Overland will be held from October 12 through October 16, 2019. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the ongoing generosity and dedication of Men’s Arts Council through the years. Through their commitment to our shared community and the arts, MAC and its members have helped increase access to inspiring, world-class art for all people in the Valley and beyond. learn more about Men’s
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MEN’S ARTS COUNCIL AND THEIR ANNUAL EVENTS, VISIT MENSARTSCOUNCIL.COM. 24
IN GRATITUDE
Photo courtesy of Snell & Wilmer.
John Bouma was a man who loomed larger-than-life in the history of our city. From his more than 30 years serving as the chairman of Snell & Wilmer, one of the largest and most influential law firms in Arizona’s history, to his civic and community leadership serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations dedicated to the conservation of Arizona’s wildlife, arts and culture, social services, economic growth, and law, justice, and advocacy, John had a profound impact on the state he adopted as his home.
Remembering John Bouma O
n January 22, 2019, John passed away. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, four children, 12 grandchildren, and innumerable friends, colleagues, and admirers, all of whom are beneficiaries of John’s kindness, wisdom, diplomacy, and unconquerable spirit. John and Bonnie, his wife of 59 years, first called Arizona home in 1960, when John served as a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps at Fort Huachuca in Southeastern Arizona. Following the conclusion of his army service, the couple settled in Phoenix, where John began his work for Snell & Wilmer in 1962. Twenty years later, John would ascend to the role of chairman of the firm, now the largest in the state, leading Snell & Wilmer from less than 100 attorneys in 1983 to more than 400 in 2015, when he stepped down as chairman after 32 years of leadership. A colleague of John, the late Edward “Bud” Jacobson who worked alongside him at Snell & Wilmer, once said that John was “the kind of person I’d send to Camp David because he could get warring peoples to agree,” that John was a “gladiator who [became] a statesman.” With the characteristic homespun pragmatism and practicality of his Iowan roots, John had an ability to cut through conflict, lead through complexity, and inspire in others a willingness to step outside of themselves in pursuit of what is best for their community and for each other.
John served on the Board of Trustees of Phoenix Art Museum for nearly a quarter-century, beginning in 1994. During his tenure as a Museum Trustee, he helped to guide the Museum through periods of incomparable growth, serving as chair of the Board from 1996–1998, just as the Museum concluded a major building expansion and capital campaign, opening new collaborative gathering spaces for the community. He presided over the Board during the single most-attended exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum, Splendors of Egypt, which drew more than 300,000 attendees, the most of any one exhibition in the Museum’s 60-year history. Additionally, he was a stalwart supporter of the Museum, a voice of reason, guidance, and unflagging belief in the Museum’s mission and future during the economic downturn beginning in 2007. At every moment of his service to the Museum, he was a believer in what was possible and a believer in the mission of this institution to enrich the lives of the community he called home. The author Marilynne Robinson once wrote in her novel Gilead, a story about another wise Iowan, “This is an interesting planet. It deserves all the attention you can give it.” Her character’s words challenge us not to be content simply as observers, but to participate in this world, in this life, to step outside of our comforts and complacency, to
ask more of ourselves, to see what is good, what is best, what is challenging, what is complex about the world we encounter, and to give ourselves to it, freely and wholeheartedly. Maybe it is a Midwestern thing, or perhaps it is simply the hallmark of a leader, but on behalf of Phoenix Art Museum, we can think of no one who better exemplified this generosity of spirit and action better than John Bouma, and it will not be forgotten.
In Gratitude On behalf of Phoenix Art Museum, we wish to thank those who contributed to a memorial fund in honor of Mr. Bouma’s leadership and service to the Museum. Gifts to the John Bouma Memorial Fund will be used to support areas of greatest need within the Museum’s operations.
DREW AND LAURIE BROWN HEATHER AND MICHAEL D. GREENBAUM JON AND CARRIE HULBURD JANE AND MAL JOZOFF OPATRNY FAMILY FOUNDATION PAM AND RAY SLOMSKI
IN MEMORY
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Thank You
2018 ACI HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
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2018 ACI Holiday Luncheon committee members and attendees, with Stephen Jones.
n December 3, 2018, Arizona Costume Institute (ACI) hosted its 2018 Holiday Luncheon, presented by To Be Continued, at Phoenix Art Museum. The beloved annual event featured keynote speaker Stephen Jones, who is considered one of the finest milliners of our time. His hats have been, and continue to be, an integral component in some of the most memorable runway spectacles of the past quarter-century. The 2018 Holiday Luncheon raised nearly $120,000 in support of the fashion design department of Phoenix Art Museum. Thank you to all who attended, and a special thank you to the Holiday Luncheon chair, Lynne Love; the Holiday Luncheon committee; and their sponsor.
ABOUT ARIZONA COSTUME INSTITUTE Founded in 1966, Arizona Costume Institute (ACI) supports the Museum’s fashion design department through the acquisition, preservation, and appreciation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. To learn more about ACI, visit arizonacostumeinstitute.org.
COMMITTEE CHAIR Lynne Love HONORARY CHAIR Mary Ellen McKee COMMITTEE Perrine Adams Ronna Beeson Lisa Bell Luba Burns Jennifer Carmer Iris Cashdan-Fishman Carol Clemmensen Libby Cohen Mel Dillman Janet DuVal Katherine Emery Amanda Garmany Missi Harrington Jan Herwick Diane Hollinger Donna Johnson Ginette Karabees Sarah Love Martha Martin Kathie May Mary Ellen McKee Priscilla Nicholas Patti Oleson Camerone Parker McCulloch Nancy Pendelton Shirley Prest Helene Presutti Lisa Shapiro Carol Shriber Khamsone Sirimanivong Joy Sprink Dagmar Unger Vicki Vaughn DeeDee Vecchione Robin Woodworth SPONSOR To Be Continued
Images courtesy of Haute Media.
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THANK YOU
WHAT’S NEW WHAT’S NOW
Friends of Contemporary Art Discover the world of contemporary art at Phoenix Art Museum when you join Friends of Contemporary Art. From meet-and-greets with renowned and emerging artists to exclusive access
As a Friend of Contemporary Art, you’ll enjoy the following benefits, all year long: FRIENDS $150 | FRIENDS UNDER-40 $100 • Free admission for two to all FOCA-exclusive contemporary art exhibition previews • Free admission and priority seating for two for contemporary art lectures and film series • Complimentary subscription to tri-annual FOCA e-newsletter • Invitations to contemporary art special events and fundraisers • Discounts and priority reservations for events such as PhxArt Amplified and more.
COLLECTORS $300 Includes all of the benefits of Friends level, plus: • Invitation for two to a FOCA-exclusive behind-the-scenes exhibition tour led by a Museum curator • Invitations to regional and national contemporary art experiences, including artist-studio visits • Free admission for two to the Lenhardt Lecture and Emerging Artist Lecture, including access to VIP receptions with the artists.
AFICIONADOS $500 Includes all of the benefits of Friends and Collectors levels, plus: • Invitation for two to a private collection tour and hosted reception • Priority registration for regional and national contemporary art experiences, including artist-studio visits • Up to four complimentary tickets for guests to any FOCA lectures and films, and up to two additional complimentary tickets for guests to the Lenhardt Lecture and Emerging Artist Lecture, including access to VIP receptions with the artist.
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to exhibition openings, films, and artist lectures, you’ll be the first to experience what’s new, what’s now at Phoenix Art Museum. Requirements for FOCA Membership An active Museum Membership or Circles of Support membership and a passion for contemporary art at Phoenix Art Museum. What Your Membership Makes Possible All funds support contemporary art exhibitions, programming, and acquisitions at Phoenix Art Museum.
Join today. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FRIENDS OF CONTEMPORARY ART, VISIT PHXART.ORG/FOCA OR CALL 602.257.2176. image credit: Ragnar Kjartansson, Scandinavian Pain, 2006, Neon. Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik. Installation view, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 2018.
GET I N VOLV ED
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Arizona Five Arts Circle * Current Trustee ° Past Trustee
The Museum gratefully acknowledges our Circles of Support donors, whose annual gifts benefit our exhibitions, educational programs, and services for the community. please note: This list recognizes those who have made a gift between September 1, 2018 and February 1, 2019. Institutional donors, 21st Century Society members, and Members at the Fellow level will be mentioned once annually.
CIRCLES OF SUPPORT $25,000+ *Craig and Barbara Barrett Allison and Bob Bertrand Carol and *Larry Clemmensen The Dorrance Family Foundation *Carter and Susan Emerson *Jon and Carrie Hulburd *David and Dawn Lenhardt *Donald and Judith Opatrny *Mr. and Mrs. James S. Patterson, Jr. $10,000+ Anonymous (2) °Roberta Aidem *Ruben and Shelley Alvarez Jett and Julia Anderson °John and Bonnie Bouma Ginger and *Don Brandt *Mr. and Mrs. Drew M. Brown Deborah G. Carstens *Amy S. Clague Lee and *Mike Cohn Gloria and Philip Cowen *Mark and Diana Feldman *Judy and Bill Goldberg *John and Kathleen Graham Heather and *Michael D. Greenbaum *Paul and Mary Beth Groves *Mrs. Nancy Hanley *Lila Harnett *Maria Harper-Marinick and Michael Marinick *Tim and Shannon Jones *Jane and Mal Jozoff *Dr. Parvinder Jit Singh Khanuja and Parveen Kaur Khanuja *Margot and Dennis Knight Judy and *Alan Kosloff °Richard and *Sally Lehmann Janis and *Dennis Lyon *Rose and Harry Papp *Blair and Lisa Portigal *Kim and Steve Robson *David Rousseau *Sue and Bud Selig Pam and *Ray Slomski Carl and Marilynn Thoma Charles and *Meredith von Arentschildt $5,000+ Anonymous (2) Betsy and Kent Bro Richard and Ann Carr Katherine and Charles Case
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SUPPORT
Pam Del Duca Larry Donelson Beverly N. Grossman Judith Hardes Jeanne and °Gary Herberger Peter Hernandez Ricki Dee and John Jennings Carol and Kenneth Kasses Amy Koch Jan and Tom Lewis Sheldon & Marianne Lubar Charitable Fund °Paul and Merle Marcus Susan and Philip W. Matos Pat and Keith McKennon Dr. and °Mrs. Hong-Kee Ong Matthew and Mary Palenica °Gail Rineberg Lois and John Rogers Barbara and Jeffrey G. Schlein Iris and °Adam Singer Nancy Swanson °Gary and Diane Tooker Gilbert Waldman and Christy Vezolles °Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Weil III $2,500+ Anonymous Milena and °Tony Astorga °John and Oonagh Boppart Linda H. Breuer Jennifer and Bill Clark Edie and James Cloonan Robert and Vanne Cowie Jim and Betsy Donley Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Donnelley, III Paul Giancola and Carrie Lynn Richardson Kenneth and Janet Glaser Dean and Taylor Griffin Ms. Mary Beth Herbert and Mr. Cecil Penn Cheryl J. Hintzen-Gaines and Ira J. Gaines Doris and Martin Hoffman Family Foundation Ellen and Bob Kant Dr. and Mrs. Jamie Kapner James and Ina Kort Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Lavinia Dr. and Mrs. Robert F. Lorenzen Steve and Janice Marcus Cindy and °Don Martin Diane and Larry McComber Michael and Jane Murray Kay and Walter Oliver John J. Pappas Saltlick Family Trust Jacqueline Schenkein and Michael Schwimmer Sheila Schwartz Timothy Schwimer
Bud and Judy Stanley Donna Stone Miesha Stoute Miriam and Yefim Sukhman Mrs. Betty Van Denburgh Charles and Vonnie Wanner °Mr. and Mrs. William G. Way William C. Weese, M.D. Sherry Wilcop Paul and Katherine Wolfehagen $1,500+ Anonymous (5) Judy Ackerman and Richard Epstein Sara and °Alvan Adams Dr. Dan and Miriam Ailloni-Charas Bert and Jill Alanko Makenna and Mike Albrecht Caralee Allsworth Megan and John Anderson Ellen Andres-Schneider and Ralph Andres °Carol Barmore °Alice and Jim Bazlen Matt D. Bedwell and Lindsay A. Mehrtens-Bedwell Uta Monique Behrens Joan Benjamin and Larry Cherkis David and Susan Berman Neil Berman James T. Bialac °Donna and Gus Boss Nancy and Joe Braucher Eric and Dorothy Bron Sumner Brown and Lyn Bailey Julia and Robert Bruck Robert Bulla Sue Bunch Ray and Mona Buse Mr. Joe Bushong and Mr. Chad Christian Kay Butler Jerry and Stefanie Cargill Philip Carll Marilee and David Clarke Julie and Wes Clelland Elaine and Sidney Cohen Deborah and Richard Cookson °Joyce Cooper Lattie and Elva Coor Sam Coppersmith Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Damico Mr. and Mrs. Alfred D'Ancona Leslie Dashew and Jack Salisbury Mr. and Mrs. Michael DeBell Luino and Margaret Dell'Osso Conrad Diven Robert M. Dixon JoAnne Doll
Harold Dorenbecher and Mary Heiss Sydney D. Dye and L. Michael Dye Dr. and Mrs. John Eckstein Judith and John Ellerman Maureen and Tom Eye Dale and Mary Fedewa Richard and Suzanne Felker Katalin Festy-Sandor Noel and Anne Fidel George and Ann Fisher Amy Flood and Larry West Dr. Stephen and Madeleine Fortunoff Susie and Don Fowls Dr. and Mrs. Jack A. Friedland Allison Gee Elton Gilbert Angela and Jeffrey Glosser Dr. David and Joan M. Goldfarb °Richard and Susan Goldsmith Laurie and Charles Goldstein Shawn and John Goodman Judy Gordon Peter and Wendy Gordon Victoria and Rod Granberry Karen and James Grande Barbara Graves The Harold and Jean Grossman Family Foundation Kate Groves and Warren Meyer Jackie and Larry Gutsch Sharon Halliday and Joseph Lee Ms. Ashley Harder Karen and Lawrence Harris Marilyn W. Harris Josh and Cat Hartmann Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Hauser Michael Hawksworth and Nori Homco Maxine and Ralph Henig Linda Herman Paul and Yinglu Hermanson Lori and Howard Hirsch Lynda and Arthur Horlick Mimi and David Horwitz Christine Hughes Betty Hum Nancy Husband Linda and Albert Jacobs Jeff and Sarah Joerres Gigi Jordan and Bob Patterson °Dr. Eric Jungermann Lynn and Larry Kahn Donald Karner and Kathryn Forbes Ruth R. Kaspar Kathy and Fred Kenny Eleanor and Bruce Knappenberger Carolyn Refsnes Kniazzeh Susan Kovarik and Brian Schneider Judy Krolikowski
°Carolyn R. Laflin Bruce and Jane Lawson °Gene and Cathie Lemon Cindy and Benjamin Lenhardt Thomas S. and Sheri A. Levin Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Levine Shirley and Jerry Lewis Dr. Dorothy Lincoln-Smith and Dr. Harvey Smith °K. David and Ann Lindner Michael and Susan Little Cassandra Lucas and Andrew Miller Don and Debra Luke Carol Ann and Harvey Mackay Matt Magee and Randall Seale Mr. and Mrs. Daniel G. Maloney Roger and Victoria Marce Paul and Ann Markow Mr. and Mrs. James Marsh Martha Martin Sandra Matteucci Carol Davidson McCrady Tammy McLeod and John Hamilton °Jim and Jean Meenaghan
Janet and John Melamed James and Ana Melikian Arthur Messinger and Eugenie Harris Victoria and Anthony Miachika Sherrell Miller Doris and Eliot Minsker Gene and Connie Nicholas Richard B. and °Patricia E. Nolan Kenneth O'Connor and Deedee Rowe Dawn and Michael Olsen Carol Orloski Barbara and Donald Ottosen Camerone Parker McCulloch and Robert McCulloch, M.D. David and Mary Patino Stan Payton Jody Pelusi Helen J. Pierson Mrs. Arnold Portigal Helene and Joseph Presutti Mrs. Maritom K. Pyron Donna Reining Betsy Retchin Ida Rhea
Nancy Riegel Karen Riley Stephena C. Romanoff Merle and Steve Rosskam Sandra and Earl Rusnak Vincent and Janie Russo Val and Ray Sachs Mary and Tom Sadvary Jana Sample Stella and Mark Saperstein James and Linda Saunders Janice C. Schade Carol and Randy Schilling Fred and Arleen Schwartz Arlene and Morton Scult Mary and Stanley Seidler Jenna and Danny Sharaby Mr. George F. Sheer and Linda Porter Donald and Dorothea Smith Lynne Smith Jean and Scott Spangler Lou and Larry Stein Barbara Steiner John and Ellen Stiteler
MAY THE JOYS OF TODAY. BE THOSE OF TOMORROW. MORE THAN JUST A LONGING FOR LASTING HAPPINESS IN OUR LIVES, THIS IRISH PROVERB SPEAKS TO A DREAM FOR A FUTURE AS BRIGHT AS THE LIGHT WE KNOW TODAY. WHEN YOU MAKE A PLANNED GIFT TO PHOENIX ART MUSEUM, YOU ENSURE OUR DOORS REMAIN OPEN FOR COUNTLESS TOMORROWS. JOIN US, AND TOGETHER, WE CAN KEEP THE LIGHT AND THE MAGIC OF THE ARTS ALIVE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
°Betsy and Bruce Stodola Margaret Stone and Jonathan Dee Paula and Jack Strickstein Gustavo A. Tabares Janice Tekofsky Allyson J. Teply Fred and Gail Tieken Mark and Mary Timpany Dr. and Mrs. Richard Towbin Pat and Phil Turberg Jacquie and Merrill Tutton Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Vecchione Patricia Ann Walsh Susan and Chuck Watts Gerald Weiner Trudy and Steven Wiesenberger Mildred B. Williams Gretchen and Dick Wilson Ronald G. Wilson and Bonnie Naegle-Wilson Stephen and Robin Woodworth Delwyn and Diana Worthington Pat and Barry Yellen °Judy Zuber
We’d love the opportunity to tell you more about our planned giving program and how gifts like a charitable IRA rollover can help the Museum remain a place where all people are welcome to discover, grow, and dream. If you already have included Phoenix Art Museum in your estate plans, please let us know so we may thank you for your generosity and recognize you as a member of our 21st Century Society. For more information, contact plannedgiving@phxart.org.
SUPPORT
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GARDEN VARIETY
$53.96 (member) | $59.95 (non-member) The ultimate gift for gardeners and artlovers alike, Plant is a visually stunning survey that celebrates the beauty and diversity of plants through photographs, cutting-edge micrograph scans, watercolors, drawings, prints, and more. HARDCOVER, 352 PAGES.
HOT DISH
$13.50 (member) | $15.00 (non-member) Inspired by Iznik ceramics popular in the 16th century, these hand-decorated trivets offer a fresh, contemporary take on traditional Turkish designs. CERAMIC. HEAT RESISTANT WITH LEAD-FREE GLAZE. HAND-WASH. 6 ½” DIAMETER. MADE IN TURKEY.
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SHOP PHXART
NECK SEASON
$157.50 (member) | $175.00 (non-member) The vivid bouquet on this elegant silk scarf recalls the rich floral decoration on a Sèvres porcelain plaque (ca. 1771) in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden. 100% NATURAL WOOL. MADE IN MEXICO.
SILK SHEETS
$22.49 (member) | $24.99 (non-member) Adorned with a colorful lacquer design, this journal celebrates the artistic histories and Indo-Persian influences in Bukhara, a city in modern-day Uzbekistan that was located along the Silk Road. HARDCOVER, 144 PAGES.
GOLDEN RULE
$36.00 (member) | $40.00 (non-member) These calligraphed earrings and necklace offer an inspiring message in Thuluth script that reads, “the good (or best) people are those who help people.” BRASS WITH ANTIQUE GOLD FINISH. NECKLACE 18,” EARRINGS 2 1/2”
POP OF COLOR red poppy or african violet
$90.00 (member) | $100.00 (non-member) Hand-crafted by artist Michael Michaud, these stylish and eye-catching pins are cast from real flora from around the world. HAND-PATINAED BRONZE.
N E LEG E
D E E P f S o DS
xperience more than 20 of the most famous and successful race cars of all time by Maserati, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Ford, and more, in the first exhibition of racing cars presented at Phoenix Art Museum. Legends of Speed features cars
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ber 3, 2 m e v o N
driven by some of the greatest drivers in the history of racing, such as A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, and Stirling Moss, and includes winners of 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500, and the Italian Grand Prix.
Legends of Speed is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of Melani and Rob Walton, through The Rob and Melani Walton Foundation, and Susan and Carter Emerson, with additional support provided by Laurie and Budd Florkiewicz, Sonia and John Breslow, and Nancy and Najeeb Kahn.
DON’T LET LEGENDS OF SPEED PASS YOU BY. Renew your Membership today, and enjoy every moment of Legends of Speed and the Museum’s 60th anniversary. To renew, visit phxart.org or call 602.257.2124. image credits: (top to bottom) 1967 All American Racer, Gurney Eagle F-1 Race Car. Miles Collier Collections @ the Revs Institute. Photo: Peter Harholdt; 1926 Miller (details). Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Photos: Zach James Todd / Courtesy of Canepa.
UPCOMING EXHIBITION
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Experience immersive and interactive sculptures and installations exploring narrative, memory, space, and time, in the largest exhibition of works by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller ever presented in the Southwest.
image credit: Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, The Marionette Maker (detail), 2014. Mixed media installation including caravan, marionettes, robotics, audio, and lighting; approximately 14 minutes, looped. Work produced by the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (2014). Š Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller; Courtesy of the artists and Luhring Augustine, New York.
Cardiff and Miller: Spoken Sound is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation and the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation.
CARDIFF AND MILLER: SPOKEN SOUND
SEPTEMBER 7, 2019 – JANUARY 26, 2020
Phoenix Art Museum 1625 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1685 phxart.org
Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Phoenix AZ Permit Number 402