DECEMBER 2018—MARCH 2019
THE WORLD IS SO RICH, SIMPLY THROBBING WITH RICH TREASURES, BEAUTIFUL SOULS, AND INTERESTING PEOPLE. FORGET YOURSELF. – Henry Miller
THIS WORLD IS A BIG PLACE. 197 MILLION SQUARE MILES OF COUNTRIES AND STATES, ANNEXES AND FIEFDOMS, REPUBLICS AND AUTARCHIES. WHILE WE SEEM MORE CONNECTED THAN EVER BEFORE BY THE ENDLESS 1S AND 0S OF INFORMATION AND OPINION, IT SOMETIMES FEELS LIKE WE HAVE NEVER BEEN FURTHER APART. THIS COMING YEAR, WE INVITE YOU TO SHAKE OFF THE PUNDITS AND POLITICS, ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO, THINK, AND BE, AND STEP OUTSIDE OF THE EVERYDAY TO REALLY SEE THE WORLD, RIGHT HERE AT HOME. WITH WORKS OF ART FROM THE MIDDLE EAST TO WESTERN EUROPE, SOUTHEAST ASIA TO THE AMERICAS, THERE IS AN ENTIRE WORLD OF EXPERIENCES. WE HOPE YOU’LL TAKE A CHANCE THIS YEAR TO SEE THE WORLD HERE, AND MAYBE, FOR JUST A LITTLE WHILE, FORGET YOURSELF. 2
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DECEMBER 2018–MARCH 2019
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
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Vanessa Davidson, PhD, the Shawn and Joe Lampe Curator of Latin American Art Gwendolyn Fernandez, Family Programs Manager Lani Hudson, Audience Development Manager Kaela Sáenz Oriti , the Gerry Grout Education Director Josselin Salazar, Web and Social Media Coordinator Rebecca Senf, PhD, the Norton Family Curator of Photography Dennita Sewell, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family Chief Curator Rachel Zebro, Curatorial Associate of Modern and Contemporary Art Editorial Intern | Leah Goldberg
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CONTENTS DECEMBER 2018—MARCH 2019
6 7 8 10 12
Letter from the Chair Letter from the Director Museum News Recent Acquisitions On View
30 Free Arts and Phoenix Art Museum 33 Acknowledgments 37 Shop PhxArt 38 Art Unknown
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Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views Ragnar Kjartansson: Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths
20 Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place 26 ultracontemporary
Creative Director | Michael Bartley Graphic Designer | Chanda Curiel-Miller Photography Contributor | Airi Katsuta
602.257.1222 602.257.2124 602.257.2173 602.257.2115
24-Hour Information Membership Office Volunteer Office Circles of Support
CONNECT WITH US @phxart 1625 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1685 phxart.org
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ON THE COVER | image credit: Dish with Mirror Script Calligraphic and Floral Motifs, India, Dated by inscription, 1910, British Raj Period (1858–1947) Brass, black compound Newark Museum Gift of Dr. George A. Van Wagenen, 1927. image credits: (top, left to right) Shara Hughes, Narnia (detail), 2017. Oil and acrylic on canvas. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum. Purchased with funds provided
by the Dawn and David Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund; Lola Álvarez Bravo, De generación en generación, ca. 1950. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona, Lola Álvarez Bravo Archive © Center for Creative Photography; SarahAnn (Age 17), Haha Naru Shizen (Mother Nature), 2018. Mixed-media. (opposite page) Ragnar Kjartansson, The Visitors (detail), 2012. Nine-channel video. Phoenix Art Museum, restricted gift of Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation to Phoenix Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. © 2012, Ragnar Kjartansson. All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PHOENIX ART MUSEUM
2018-19 BOARD OF TRUSTEES List as of October 29, 2018
CHAIR
Jon Hulburd
FROM THE CHAIR of the Board of Trustees
VICE CHAIRS
Carter Emerson and Meredith von Arentschildt
TREASURER
Mark Feldman
SECRETARY Amy Cohn
Craig R. Barrett Matthew Boland John J. Bouma 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 Diane Halle Nancy Hanley Lila Harnett* Tim Jones Jane Jozoff Parvinder Khanuja, M.D. Margot Knight Alan W. Kosloff Sally Lehmann David Lenhardt Sharron Lewis Dennis Lyon* Francis Najafi Donald Opatrny Rose Papp Jim Patterson Blair J. Portigal Kimberly F. Robson David Rousseau Sue Selig Raymond Slomski *Honorary Trustee
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FROM THE CHAIR of the Board of Trustees DEAR FRIENDS OF PHOENIX ART MUSEUM, As 2018 draws to a close, it’s the time of year when many of us begin to think not just about what we’ve done in the past 12 months, but what we might do next. After all, as the clock strikes midnight on January 1, ushering in another new year, it brings with it a chance to do something new, to reinvent ourselves, to reach for a new goal, or to make more progress toward an old one. In consideration of the year ahead, I’d like to ask each of you to think about deepening your relationship with Phoenix Art Museum. I hope you will make a New Year’s resolution to take time out of the hectic 9-to-5 stresses of your daily lives, the hustle-and-bustle of the everyday, and instead make time to see each of our exciting new exhibitions. As a Museum Member, you enjoy free admission to the Museum all year long, and I hope that you will take advantage of it fully. I’d also like to ask you to consider making an additional gift to the Museum as we close out this calendar year. In this issue, we’ve included an envelope that makes it possible for you to make an extra donation to the Museum before December 31. Not only is your gift fully taxdeductible, but it also will profoundly impact the Museum that you know, love, and have long supported. Even a gift of an additional $10, $20, or $100 can make all the difference, helping us to bring inspiring exhibitions from around the world. In this final month of 2018, I hope that each of us can resolve to find new ways to connect with one another, to put us on a path of understanding and graciousness and to empower ourselves and others to support those causes that can really make a difference. On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I thank each and every one of you for all that you do for our Museum, our community, and our world. Happy Holidays and a Joyous 2019.
JON HULBURD
Chair of the Board of Trustees Phoenix Art Museum
BOARD OF TRUSTEES | LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
FROM THE DIRECTOR of Phoenix Art Museum DEAR FRIENDS,
S
ince I moved to the Valley of the Sun more than three years ago, fall and winter have become my favorite seasons. Unlike the time I spent on the East Coast, fall and winter are our busiest time of year, when our city comes alive and when Phoenix Art Museum is once again activated by new exhibitions, vibrant and engaging new programs, and exciting events, like last month’s pARTy in the Garden. As our year draws to a close, I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished together. I am really proud of the fact that during our 2018 fiscal year, which concluded on June 30, we welcomed nearly 270,000 guests to Phoenix Art Museum, including nearly 50,000 guests younger than 18. What’s even more compelling, however, is that in addition to these guests, the Museum served more than 317,000 additional members of our community through on-site and off-site engagement. But what does a figure like that include? It includes more than 200,000 visitors who experienced our offsite art installations at CityScape, when they came downtown to skate in the temporary ice rink on Central between Washington and Jefferson. They enjoyed indoor and outdoor installations by artists and live music and dance performances at our satellite location, PhxArt Project: CityScape. It also includes more than 13,000 students who enjoyed classroom visits from our wonderful Museum Docents, who helped expand their knowledge and understanding of art and the humanities. And it includes nearly 12,000 adults in senior centers, assisted living facilities, and other community spaces who were visited by Docents in an effort to bring arts enrichment activities directly into our communities.
Including our 1.5 million visitors to the web in the last year, as well as our more than 110,000 followers on social media, we had more than 2 million touchpoints with our community in FY18, through on-site, off-site, and online engagement. I am so proud of the hard work that the staff, Board of Trustees, affiliate groups, and volunteer corps have done to continue to expand our reach into the community. I am also deeply grateful to each of you, for the generosity of your support that makes these accomplishments possible. I hope that each of you will take an opportunity to spend some time at the Museum this season and see the ways in which your gifts bring our Museum to life. We couldn’t do it without you. With gratitude,
AMADA CRUZ
The Sybil Harrington Director and CEO Phoenix Art Museum
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
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MUSEUM NEWS
MUSEUM-BY-THE-NUMBERS
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE OUR EXHIBITIONS? Each year, Phoenix Art Museum organizes a number of exhibitions that tour nationally and internationally once they’ve been presented to our community. Find out where two of our latest exhibitions have been—and where they’re going next.
PAST/FUTURE/PRESENT: CONTEMPORARY BRAZILIAN ART FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, SÃO PAULO Organized by Phoenix Art Museum in collaboration with the Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo (MAM-SP), and co-curated by the Museum’s Shawn and Joe Lampe Curator of Latin American Art, Vanessa Davidson, PhD, Past/Future/ Present offers a rare panorama of contemporary Brazilian art produced from the 1990s through our current decade. The exhibition, which premiered at the Museum in September 2017, will next travel to the Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, where it will be on view beginning in January 2019.
SHEILA PEPE: HOT MESS FORMALISM Curated by the Museum’s Selig Family Chief Curator, Gilbert Vicario, Hot Mess Formalism is the first mid-career survey on the work of artist Sheila Pepe, who constructs large-scale, ephemeral installations and sculptures from domestic and industrial fibrous materials. Since its departure from the Museum in January, the exhibition has traveled to Everson Museum of Art and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Now, Hot Mess Formalism is on view at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum through March 10, 2019.
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MUSEUM NEWS
500+ New acquisitions
in 2018
800+
GUESTS
who took advantage of free admission for veterans and active-duty military and their families through our Military Access Program.
16,700+
Teachers Students from 275 schools participated in free professionaldevelopment programs for educators at Phoenix Art Museum.
3,000+
PHXART ON THE ROAD
2,300+
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NUMBERS THAT SHAPE PHOENIX ART MUSEUM
Guests took a tour led by Museum Docents last year.
30 EXHIBITIONS and special installations filled our galleries last year.
Giovana Aviles has joined the Museum as its family programs assistant. Previously, Aviles served as special events manager and logistics director at Isac Amaya Foundation. Christina Brown has joined the Museum as its membership manager. Previously, Brown served as marketing manager and associate broker at American Federal Rare Coin and Bullion.
from 247 schools visited Phoenix Art Museum on field trips, a 24% increase from the previous year.
110,000+
Melissa Dunmore has joined the Museum as its communications specialist. Previously, Dunmore served as supervisor at Parent Partners Plus at Southwest Human Development.
engage with us on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
$1.5 million Contributed
by Circles of Support donors and Museum Members last year alone.
Briauna Tutwiler has joined the Museum as its higher education program coordinator. Previously, Tutwiler served as the ArtTable Fellow at Phoenix Art Museum.
Heather Covitz has joined the Museum as its education tour and outreach associate. Previously, Covitz taught English at Poston Butte High School. Marissa Del Toro has joined the Museum as its Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI) curatorial fellow. Previously, Del Toro served as curatorial support group coordinator at Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
FOLLOWERS
Mary Ann Pagano has joined the Museum as its controller. Previously, Pagano worked extensively in other non-profit sectors, including museums, health care, and government.
PROMOTIONS Margaree Bigler has been promoted to a new role as assistant director of marketing and communications. Previously, Bigler served as public relations and digital communications manager. Kali Caldwell has been promoted to a new role as membership and group sales specialist. Previously, Caldwell served as visitor services coordinator. Tomás Johnson has been promoted to a new role as external affairs assistant. Previously, Johnson served as membership assistant.
Mark Koenig has joined the Museum as its chief financial officer. Previously, Koenig served as chief operations officer at Independent Diplomat, and chief financial and administrative officer at Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco.
Dorothee Nygren has been promoted to a new role as affiliate relations specialist. Previously, Nygren served as support group assistant.
NEW HIRES VISITOR SERVICES ASSOCIATE Michael Estes Sarah Gaughan John Hebert Alexis Lopez Sasha Ramos Kassandra Rodriguez Cassie Von Alst
GALLERY ATTENDANTS Patrick Anderson Paulette Fernandez Jonathan Gerhardstein Alexis Guevara Simur Khurana Astrud Leatham Emily Luffey Andrew Manning
Marilen Montenegro Mark Morales Ronny Morales Annmarie Morris Jesse Powell Jetiany Valtierra Joshua Weisler
MUSEUM NEWS
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Recent Acquisitions
Q & A with Shara Hughes
“N
arnia is a wonderful addition to the Museum’s contemporary art collection,” said Gilbert Vicario, the Museum’s Selig Family Chief Curator. “Hughes is an exceptional painter, and her work Narnia was selected for acquisition in part because its geographic rock formations resonate with the local landscape, and because it places the Museum within larger conversations in the art world about the commingling of figuration and abstraction.” A standout in the 2017 Whitney Biennial, Hughes (b. 1981) was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but lives and works in Brooklyn. She creates fantastical landscapes that reference multiple art movements, including Symbolism, Fauvism, and Surrealism, from a contemporary perspective, and her rich compositions toggle between material and surface, transparency and depth, and abstraction and representation in quickly rendered canvases.
image credit: Shara Hughes, Narnia, 2017. Oil and acrylic on canvas. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum. Purchased with funds provided by the Dawn and David Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund.
SHARA HUGHES NARNIA
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RECENT ACQUISITIONS
Phoenix Art Museum has acquired Narnia (2017) by contemporary artist Shara Hughes. It is the first painting by a living woman artist acquired by the Museum since 2013, and the first work purchased with funds provided by the Dawn and David Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund, the Museum’s first fund designed specifically to collect works by next-generation contemporary artists on a national and international scale and a key element of the Dawn and David Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative.
“Dawn and I are excited that the Museum’s first artwork acquired through the Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund is a painting by Shara Hughes,” said David Lenhardt, a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “Hughes is becoming a nationally recognized artist right before our eyes, and there is a painterly quality and a newness to her work that impressed us immediately. We are thrilled that Narnia has found a home in the Museum’s collection.” Narnia is on view through December 30 as part of Present Tense: Selections from the Lenhardt Collection. The exhibition, in the newly named Dawn and David Lenhardt Gallery, showcases both early and recent acquisitions by the Lenhardts, placing works by Andy Warhol (1928– 1987) and Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997) in conversation with those by living contemporary artists. Hughes’ painting Jagged Little Hills (2018) is also on view as part of Present Tense.
Artist Shara Hughes was the inaugural speaker for the Emerging Artist Lecture Series presented by the Dawn and David Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative on October 24 at Phoenix Art Museum. We spoke with Hughes to learn more about her process, her use of color, and her inspiration for Narnia. Phoenix Art Museum: What themes or ideas do you explore through your art? Shara Hughes: In the past five years, I’ve focused mostly on madeup landscapes like Narnia. They aren’t based on landscapes I’ve seen—they are totally from my imagination. My work is more about painting and the process than it is about the landscapes. I use the landscape as a vehicle to access the viewer, to kind of trick them into entering this world of painting. PhxArt: Tell us about your process. How do you start a painting? SH: I work intuitively. I don’t mix up palettes or lay anything out, so when I’m painting, I’m reacting to what I’ve just done. Working this way makes it exciting for me to paint because I never know what’s going to happen. I think that’s why my work seems alive and playful. PhxArt: What was your inspiration for Narnia, and how did you choose the title? SH: When I started painting, my plan was to put yellow acrylic paint over the entire canvas. But as I was putting it on, it turned into this outline border, which turned into the grass-like shape along the painting’s edge. And then it just went from there. Narnia was different than the other paintings I was making at the time—it felt placeless, like four or five different landscapes vibrating together. It was as if I were on the moon but also maybe in Switzerland or the Southwest. To me, Narnia was the only title that seemed appropriate. You’re peeking through this grassland at an unknown place that you can look at, but you never get to go there. PhxArt: What do you hope viewers notice about Narnia? SH: It’s pretty electric, like an explosion, but there’s a lot of subtlety in the painting language. The work has some interesting color combinations within the yellows. There are some greys that become different colors because of what they’re next to, and there are some greens that also come alive. There might even be the same paint in two different areas, but in one place it looks red, while in the other it looks purple. I hope viewers spend some time with the piece to discover the surprise of color.
RECENT ACQUISITIONS
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FEATURED EXHIBITIONS AND INSTALLATIONS
MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS, MEXICAN VIEWS
Through June 9, 2019 Norton Photography Gallery
PRESENT TENSE: SELECTIONS FROM THE LENHARDT COLLECTION Through December 30, 2018 Lenhardt Gallery
TEOTIHUACAN: CITY OF WATER, CITY OF FIRE Through January 27, 2019 Steele Gallery
MIRROR MIRROR
Through February 17, 2019 Ballinger Interactive Gallery (The Hub)
RAUSCHENBERG AND JOHNS: THE BLURRING OF ART AND LIFE Through February 17, 2019 Orientation Gallery
¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN! JOSÉ GUADALUPE POSADA AND THE TALLER DE GRÁFICA POPULAR Through March 10, 2019 Lyon Gallery
WESTERN ART ASSOCIATES: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS Through March 17, 2019 American galleries
EARLY AMERICAN MODERNISM: THE DECADE OF THE ARMORY SHOW Through August 25, 2019 American galleries
AMERICAN SCENES/AMERICAS SEEN Through March 1, 2020 American galleries
SUBLIME LANDSCAPES Through May 3, 2020 American galleries
PHILIP C. CURTIS AND THE LANDSCAPES OF ARIZONA Through November 15, 2020 American galleries
CARLOS AMORALES: BLACK CLOUD image credits: (clockwise from top left) Robert
Rauschenberg, Passport (from Ten from Leo Castelli), 1967. Color screenprint on three rotating plastic discs. Gift of Barney Dreyfuss II © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation; Philip C. Curtis, Tin Barn (Granero de hojalata), 1954. Tempera on panel. Gift of Edward Jacobson Revocable Trust American; Jacob de Backer the Younger, The Last Judgement, 16th century. Oil on panel. Long term loan from the Schorr Collection; Thomas Hill, El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Valley, not dated. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Mills, by exchange; Philip C. Curtis, My Studio (Mi estudio), 1935. Oil on board. Gift of Terese Greene Sterling.
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ON VIEW
Through Summer 2019 Greenbaum Lobby and Morrell Promenade
SELECTIONS FROM THE SCHORR COLLECTION Through 2019 Harnett and Ullman galleries
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EXHIBITIONS, VISIT PHXART.ORG/EXHIBITION/CURRENT
Mexico, Seen
T
hrough June 9, 2019, Phoenix Art Museum presents a dazzling array of photographs by 20th-century Mexican photographers, drawn exclusively from the collection of the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views showcases more than 60 works that explore Mexico’s shifting national identity through landscapes, portraits, and more. “The exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum invites viewers to see and experience 20th-century Mexico solely through the eyes of Mexican photographers,” said Rebecca Senf, PhD, the chief curator at the Center for Creative Photography and the Norton Family Curator of Photography at Phoenix Art Museum, who organized the exhibition. “Through their work, these artists have attempted to better know, understand, and represent what is considered authentically Mexican, offering Museum guests an important historical perspective of Mexico that would otherwise be lost.”
“I don’t pretend to make my photographs speak the truth of what Mexico is all about. But in its villages I can feel the way culture is changing, and it’s fascinating to live through it and try to capture it on camera.” – Graciela Iturbide
continued on page 14 EXHIBITION
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The Women of Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views Spanning the 1910s through the 1990s, the images on display in the Museum’s Norton Photography Gallery depict a range of subjects and techniques employed by artists who lived or were living in Mexico. Among the photographers are those who were émigrés, became citizens, and spent their lives working there. Together, they demonstrate how Mexican photographers of the 20th century viewed and attempted to define and present their country’s national identity.
Women photographers have played an important role in the development and history of Mexican photography. Of the 12 artists featured in Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views, five are women. Lola Álvarez Bravo (1903–1993) is considered one of Mexico’s most important photographers. She is known for her documentation of Mexico’s people, cities, and villages and often eschewed models and staged situations, instead preferring to photograph her subjects during informal moments of everyday life—at work, in the marketplace, in restaurants, and at leisure.
Photographs by Hugo Brehme (1882–1954), for example, helped to create a new visual mythology of Mexico. Made at a time when the country was turning away from a self-image fashioned after elite, European ideals toward a more locally rooted identity, Brehme’s photographs emphasize the natural beauty of the Mexican landscape and the country’s indigenous cultures. Works by contemporary photographers such as Graciela Iturbide (b. 1942) and Mariana Yampolsky (1925–2002), on the other hand, offer a complex portrait of a country defined by the convergence of indigenous practices, Catholic religious rituals, and contemporary customs. Their photographs in Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views document the particularities of modern life in Mexico, the smaller but distinct moments that often go unnoticed but, in fact, reveal something surprising and meaningful. A deep concern for humanity pervades their images, evoking a sense of empathy in viewers. Aside from presenting various subjects, the exhibition also showcases a range of techniques used by 20th-century Mexican photographers. Works by Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902–2002), considered one of the founders of modern photography and the first internationally celebrated photographer from Mexico, boast a modernist approach, with their sharp focus and angles, rich detail, and strong light effects. In contrast, street photographs made with a handheld camera by Pedro Meyer (b. 1935) feature “snapshot” characteristics, including informal framing, fractured compositions, and candid moments of his subjects smiling, slumping against a wall,
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EXHIBITION
Flor Garduño (b. 1957) photographs the landscapes of Central and South America and the peoples whose ancestors were indigenous to those regions. She blends nature and art through her photographs, and today, she is best known for her haunting images of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas, her symbolic nudes, and her still-life compositions. Graciela Iturbide (b. 1942) reveals the daily lives, customs, and rituals of Mexico’s indigenous cultures through her photographs. Her highcontrast, black-and-white prints convey the starkness of life for many of her subjects and attempt to understand Mexico in its totality. Colette Álvarez Urbajtel (b. 1934) is a FrenchMexican photographer who documents everyday life. Her tight compositions of tranquil scenes often depict plants, animals, insects, and her family.
or furrowing their brows. Works by Iturbide and Flor Garduño (b. 1957) instead reflect a magical realist approach. Viewers witness seemingly everyday scenes, but unexpected juxtapositions and symbolic elements make these works feel otherworldly, characterized by a mysticism that remains just out of view. Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views provides the Phoenix community with the opportunity to experience an important selection of 20th-century works. More than simply a survey of photographic techniques, the exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum offers extraordinary views of 20th-century Mexico, all of which were seen and captured in a way that only those who lived, explored, and made art there could do. Mexican Photographers, Mexican Views is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography. It is made possible through the generosity of donors to the Museum’s annual fund.
Mariana Yampolsky (1925–2002) was born in the United States but became a Mexican citizen in 1954. Considered one of the major figures of 20th-century Mexican photography, she is best known for her work documenting the beauty and desolation of Mexican culture through images of everyday life in the country’s rural areas.
image credits: (page 13) Graciela Iturbide, Mujer de cera, México, D.F., 1972. Center for Creative
Photography, The University of Arizona, Purchase © Graciela Iturbide. (page 14) Lola Álvarez Bravo, Rosaura Revueltas, ca. 1950. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona, Lola Álvarez Bravo Archive © Center for Creative Photography; Lola Álvarez Bravo, Carmen Marín de Barreda, 1940s. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona, Lola Álvarez Bravo Archive © Center for Creative Photography. (page 15) Graciela Iturbide, La Virgen de Guadalupe en la Frontera, Tijuana, Baja California, 1989. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona, Purchase © Graciela Iturbide; Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Retrato de Lola, ca. 1930. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona, Purchase © Archivo Manuel Álvarez Bravo S.C.; Lola Álvarez Bravo, De generación en generación, ca. 1950. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona, Lola Álvarez Bravo Archive © Center for Creative Photography.
Sources: Websites of the Center for Creative Photography, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Peter Fetterman Gallery, Etherton Gallery, International Center of Photography, Jewish Women’s Archive, and Vincent Price Art Museum.
EXHIBITION
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RAGNAR KJARTANSSON: SCANDINAVIAN PAIN AND OTHER MYTHS
Through April 14, 2019 Anderman, Marcus, and Marley galleries
FACT OR FICTION Ragnar Kjartansson creates art that’s nothing less than evocative. Viewers around the world have been known to smile, laugh, cry, even cringe when they encounter his performative installations and paintings that break with what is often perceived as the seriousness and severity of contemporary art. continued on page 18
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EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
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N
ow, thanks to an exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum, Valley residents have the opportunity to experience some of Kjartansson’s performance-based artworks, including his renowned video installation, The Visitors. On view through April 14, 2019, Ragnar Kjartansson: Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths showcases three artworks by the Icelandic artist, and although each represents a different facet of his practice, all are quintessentially Kjartansson, examining the myth of identity through performance, music, humor, and text. “We are excited to share works by Ragnar Kjartansson with our guests,” said Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family Chief Curator and the curator of the exhibition. “Ragnar is one of the most interesting performance artists working today, and The Visitors is considered one of the best video installations of the last 20 years.” Raised in the theater and a self-proclaimed fan of the blues, Kjartansson (b. 1976) uses performance and humor to interpret and convey larger-than-life emotions, including themes of sadness and solemnity. One of his favorite topics to explore through his art is the idea of Scandinavian pain. “There is something so sad about Scandinavia,” the artist said wryly in an interview with Louisiana Channel. “It’s like this ideal part of the world, but it is just so black. It’s Sad-inavia.” Kjartansson examines this contradiction in identity most directly in the exhibition’s aptly named Scandinavian Pain (2006– 2012). At 11 meters long, the bright pink neon sign was originally installed on a barn in Norway. Surrounded by trees and grass, and at times nearly engulfed by fog, it popped in an otherwise bleak and gloomy landscape, its sugary-sweet glow providing levity to a scene that could have easily inspired a painting by Edvard Munch (1863–1944). Now, the monumental object stretches diagonally across the floor of the Museum’s Anderman Gallery, welcoming guests to the eponymous exhibition. Installed in this way, it has been wholly decontextualized, removed from any roof, wall, or other outdoor space where neon signage is
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EXHIBITION
normally found. The sign explores identity and Scandinavian pain primarily through language and color, its energetic and upbeat hue contrasting sharply with the phrase it activates, its outward appearance dissonant with its subject. It represents an all-tooperfect interpretation of the Scandinavian condition—a region marked by intense gloom but often perceived as home to “the happiest people on Earth.” In contrast, The End – Venezia (2009) explores the myth of the artist, satirizing the artist’s identity and what it means, or should mean. The genesis of the 144-portrait installation was Kjartansson’s endurance art performance at the 2009 Venice Biennale. For six months, Kjartansson assumed the persona of a bohemian artist, smoking, drinking beer, and painting in a studio in an old palazzo on the Grand Canal. The space was open to the public, serving as both studio and stage set, and he created one portrait per day of his subject, friend and fellow Icelandic performance artist Páll Haukur Björnsson (b. 1981). Björnsson was required to wear a Speedo bathing suit throughout the Biennale, a droll detail in an otherwise romanticized scene of the artist working alone in a studio with a model. The resulting easel paintings stretch along the walls of the Museum’s Marcus Gallery, climbing toward the ceiling. Viewers are surrounded by images of Björnsson in various positions, from standing upright, to leaning against a wall, to reclining across two chairs. The multicolored installation of semi-abstract portraits may feel manic at first, but the paintings, when experienced together, offer a whimsical view into the life of one man (in a Speedo) across seasons. The exhibition’s final work is undoubtedly Kjartansson’s most famous to date. The Visitors (2012) explores how friendship, the ending of romantic love, solitude, and community can alter a person’s identity. The edition on view in Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths is co-owned by Phoenix Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, thanks to the generosity of the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation. Set on Rokeby Farm in New York’s Hudson Valley, the piece is structured as a visual musical session, consisting of nine screens
or channels. Each screen features one of Kjartansson’s eight friends, while the artist himself fills the ninth screen. Together, they perform a song with lyrics from a poem titled “Feminine Ways” by Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir (b. 1976), Kjartansson’s ex-wife. “It was recorded, in many ways, like you record music,” the artist said in a video produced by videorize.net. “It’s nine channels, and everybody had headphones to hear each other. And then we all played together, listening to each other through the headphones.” Kjartansson was moved to write music for the words in Gunnarsdóttir’s poem, which she wrote in the wake of their divorce, because of their intense sadness and profundity; they were, as Kjartansson described, “full of their common defeat.” The band members practiced the song for one week before the final video was filmed in a single take at sunset. The resulting audiovisual experience is haunting, melancholic, and cathartic in its repetition, a work of art that often moves viewers to tears. Kjartansson also drew inspiration for the video installation from pop-music sensation ABBA, who he calls a Scandinavian pain icon. In his interview with Louisiana Channel, he declared his fandom for the Swedish super group, praising their ability to channel their struggles with relationships into “bubblegum pop” songs. The artist named his installation after the band’s final album, also The Visitors, released in 1981. “The Visitors album is all about divorce,” said Kjartansson. “And this piece was related to that feeling, a period in one’s life ending.” Vicario said he also sees parallels between the composition of the album cover and that of Kjartansson’s installation. “On the album cover for ABBA’s The Visitors, the four band members are the most disconnected you’ve ever seen them,” he said. “There is a sense of alienation in their posture, each looking off into the distance, and that separation is mirrored in Ragnar’s installation, which is an interesting and contemporary approach to portraiture. It functions beautifully as a time-based portrait of each of the band members, but it’s not just about individuality—it’s also about
“There is something so sad about Scandinavia,” the artist said wryly in an interview with Louisiana Channel. “It’s like this ideal part of the world, but it is just so black. It’s Sad-inavia.” community and collaborating to create something together.” Despite showcasing only three of Kjartansson’s works, Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths offers the Phoenix community a contemplative and monumental experience that, at times, feels all consuming. The exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on how love and loss, community and solitude, beauty and pain shape their lives and identities. And then it asks them to consider whether those identities are merely myths, constructed in response to feelings and experiences that may, in the end, be meaningless. This nihilistic train of thought runs throughout Kjartansson’s art, including those works on view at Phoenix Art Museum. He takes an emotion and makes it so big that it’s rendered powerless, its very essence obliterated, and what viewers are left with is farce, or nothing at all. And according to Kjartansson, “nothing is, of course, the most interesting.” Ragnar Kjartansson: Scandinavian Pain and Other Myths is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family Chief Curator. It is made possible through the generosity of The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation.
SCANDINAVIAN PAIN FILM SERIES Explore Scandinavia through music and landscape. Tickets are free for Members and $5 for non-Members. All showings begin at 6 pm in Whiteman Hall. We Call It Skweee | December 19 Arctic Superstar | January 9 Fårö Document | February 27 Through a Glass Darkly | March 27
JANUARY FIRST FRIDAY AT PHOENIX ART MUSEUM FilmBar’s Big Gay Sing-A-Long: The Best of ABBA January 4 | 7 pm Visit our events calendar at phxart.org for details.
image credits: (page 16-17) 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; The Visitors (detail), 2012. Nine-channel video. Phoenix Art Museum, restricted gift of the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation to Phoenix Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. © 2012, Ragnar Kjartansson. All rights reserved. (page 18) Ragnar Kjartansson, The End – Venezia (detail), 2009. 144 Paintings. Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. © Ragnar Kjartansson; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik. Installation view, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 2018; (page 19) The Visitors (detail), 2012. Nine-channel video. Phoenix Art Museum, restricted gift of the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation to Phoenix Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. © 2012, Ragnar Kjartansson. All rights reserved. Installation view, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 2018.
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Islamic Art:
A GLOBAL VIEW
WONDROUS WORLDS: ART & ISLAM THROUGH TIME & PLACE January 26 – May 26, 2019 Asian Art galleries
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When the Newark Museum first conceived of an idea for a new exhibition exploring the intersections of art and Islam, the goal was to showcase the diversity of its own significant collection. As the global political climate shifted and as the collection yielded more and more extraordinary objects, the idea’s scope and scale expanded. The resulting exhibition spans a millennium and represents nearly every continent on the globe, with the hope that it helps to build awareness and create cultural common ground by celebrating love, faith, family, and creativity through art.
W
ondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place features more than 100 artworks, including handwritten texts, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, photographs, and paintings from across the Islamic world. On view from January 26 through May 26, 2019, it is the first exhibition on Islamic art presented at Phoenix Art Museum since the 1980s. “We are excited to welcome Wondrous Worlds to Phoenix,” said Janet Baker, PhD, the Museum’s curator of Asian art. “Because of its dramatic scope, this exhibition will offer our community a
global view of Islam and may help to redirect the national conversation.” Curated by a team led by Katherine Anne Paul, PhD, curator of the arts of Asia at the Newark Museum, Wondrous Worlds is organized around the Five Pillars of Islam—shahada (declaration of faith), salat (daily prayers), zakat (almsgiving, or charity), sawm (fasting for Ramadan), and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Each section of the exhibition features a range of artworks from various countries and centuries, illustrating how Islamic art transcends any one place and time to connect people. continued on page 23 EXHIBITION
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Shahada
Declaration of Faith
The Five Pillars of Islam Salat
Shahada is the basic statement of the Islamic faith. In Arabic, it is often translated as, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” Devout Muslims speak this phrase to welcome newborns into the world and to console loved ones at death. Converts to Islam recite it as an act of conversion.
Zakat
Daily Prayers
Almsgiving, or Charity
Salat is the obligatory prayers, recited by pious Muslims five times daily (near dawn, early afternoon, late afternoon, evening, and night). Worshippers pray in the direction of the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine located in Mecca, in a spiritually clean environment and ritually cleanse themselves before performing specific physical gestures while reciting corresponding prayers.
Zakat is the practice of charity or almsgiving—sharing with the needy. Literally, zakat means “purification” or “growth,” and thus provides an opportunity to improve one’s soul through generous acts.
Sawm
Hajj
Fasting for Ramadan
Pilgrimage to Mecca
Ramadan is the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar. During this month’s daylight hours, observant Muslims fast to celebrate God’s revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad. They do not eat or drink and abstain from smoking, marital relations, and sinful thoughts and actions. The breaking of the fast in the evening has evolved in many communities to a grand family banquet—a month of thanksgiving feasts that complement the sacred fast.
One of the Five Pillars of Islam is to accomplish (if possible) the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca (called hajj). Historically, pilgrims traveled by land and sea, and more recently, they travel by air.
Source: Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place exhibition catalogue.
According to Paul, this organizational strategy was a purposeful departure from the usual structure of Islamic art exhibitions she’s seen through the years. “Most special exhibitions and permanentcollection installations around the world have divided Islamic works of art by geography, material, or time period, but these categories are often divisive as viewers gravitate to areas they prefer,” she said. “We organized Wondrous Worlds to echo the Five Pillars to emphasize a holistic approach.” Objects on view hail from every continent (with the exception of Antarctica) and were created as early as the ninth century up through 2016. They include not only works created in the service of Islam—by Muslim artists for Muslim patrons—but also items created for purposes that are not explicitly religious. Additionally, there are works by non-Muslim artists created for both Muslim and non-Muslim patrons that demonstrate profound connections to aesthetics and techniques from the Islamic world. Intricately detailed pen stands and inkwells, illustrated poems and histories, and handwritten compilations of the Qur’an demonstrate the enduring artistic value of books and the written word. Ceramics from China, Iran, Morocco, Spain, and Turkey, on the other hand, suggest the importance of internationalism and demonstrate Islam’s role in global trade. The cobalt used to create the exhibition’s Chinese blue-andwhite wares, for example, was sourced from the Middle East, and the Spanish lusterwares on display provide evidence of Islamic influence in southern Europe (the technology that produced the iridescent effect on ceramics was popular from the 12th to the 17th century, beginning in Kashan, or present-day Iran).
Various garments, lustrous jewelry, and portraits of Muslim women from past centuries then offer alternative views of Islamic dress, challenging the misconception that all Muslims—but women especially—cover up completely to remain hidden from view. Although modesty of dress is encouraged in Islam, historic and modern paintings and photographs portray Muslim women dressed stylishly yet modestly; they don embroidered garments and jewelry made with pearls, gold, and diamonds, their faces fully exposed. The exhibition also showcases contemporary artworks that demonstrate the continued vibrancy found in the intersections of art and Islam. Works by Hassan Massoudy (b. 1944), Victor Ekpuk (b. 1964), and Afruz Amighi (b. 1974) illustrate how Islamic histories continue to inspire and inform artists today. Massoudy’s two calligraphed Sufi poems, for example, unite the contemporary and the historical through the artist’s brightblue letters that seem to undulate and evoke dancing winds. On the other hand in Ekpuk’s work, Should the moon meet us apart, may the sun find us together (2001), the artist features an ideographic script called nsibidi, found primarily in southeastern Nigeria, but formats it on prayer boards typically used to practice writing Arabic for memorizing the Qur’an. continued on page 24
The exhibition also showcases objects such as copper ewers and basins, vibrant cushions, luxurious textiles, and inscribed coffeepots and cups to illustrate Islam’s emphasis on hospitality and suggest the joy of eating together. A game board with geometric motifs and various musical instruments are also presented to underscore recreation and joyousness. Works that explore architecture and design, such as painted furniture, rich carpets, and vibrant ceramic tiles, suggest the lavishness of palaces, homes, and baths. Museum guests will also enjoy a video that allows them to virtually time-travel and explore 32 astonishing mosques from 26 countries that date from the last 1,500 years, beginning with the Kaaba in Mecca. As a result, they experience the beauty and diversity of these holy structures.
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In contrast, Afruz Amighi’s When Minarets Grew from Roman Arches: The Offering (2016) brings contemporary sculpture to Wondrous Worlds. Amighi created the work in reaction to the destruction of an ancient temple that predated Islam by ISIL (ISIS), and her sculptural pieces reference the minaret, the tower from which a mosque’s muezzin calls Muslims to pray five times a day. Suspended from chains, they cast shifting shadows, suggesting the ephemeral nature of even those structures we consider immovable and eternal. With its breadth of objects and artworks, Wondrous Worlds offers guests a global and dynamic view of Islam rarely seen in national or international exhibitions. “A global exhibition like Wondrous Worlds can connect and gather people rather than divide them,” Paul said. “It can help people understand where they stand in the continuum of global history and what diverse roles Islam plays throughout.” And the biggest surprise for guests of Phoenix Art Museum, she said, may be how deeply they connect with much of the material, whether it’s a coffee cup representing hospitality and friendship, or a decorative plate depicting two hunting falcons circling a sitting duck. In that way, the visiting exhibition does more than simply provide a global survey of Islamic art through the ages. It aspires to build bridges and remind viewers that regardless of background or faith, there is always more that unites than divides us. By displaying artworks that span centuries and continents, from Africa and Europe to Asia and the Americas, Wondrous Worlds reveals how faith and art can connect people across borders and generations, and how shared values—like love, friendship, charity, and community—can connect cultures that seem disparate to their core. Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time & Place is organized by the Newark Museum. Its premiere at Phoenix Art Museum is supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and APS, and made possible through the generosity of donors to the Museum’s annual fund.
image credits: (pages 20-21, left to right) Bowl with Foliate and Geometric Motifs, Iran, late 13th–early 14th century, Ilkhanid Period (1256–1353). White paste body with black slip and turquoise glaze. Newark Museum Gift of Bertha Hernstadt, 1961; Man’s Necklace with Crescent Moon Motif, Morocco, late 18th century. Gold, emeralds, sapphires, tourmalines, rubies, garnets, enamel inlay. Newark Museum Purchase; Molded Eight-Pointed Star Tile with Wild Ass (Onager) Leaping a Fishpond Surrounded by Calligraphic and Floral Motifs, Iran, late 13th– early 14th century. Molded fritware polychrome painted over white slip under transparent glaze. Newark Museum Purchase; Portrait of a Beauty (detail), India, late 19th century, late Mughal Period (1526–1857) or British Raj Period (1858–1947). Colors and gold on ivory (painting), ebony, copper, glass (frame). Newark Museum Gift of Dr. J. Ackerman Coles, 1920. (page 22, top to bottom) Khavar Shah Celebrates the Reunion of Mihr and Mah, Folio from a dispersed Romance of Mihr (detail), India, 1719, Muhammad Shah Reign (1719–48), late Mughal Period (1526–1857. Paper, gold, colors. Newark Museum Gift of Herman A. E. Jaehne and Paul C. Jaehne, 1941; Inscribed Islamic Prayer Board (Lawh) with Cypress, Fish, Jewels and Lotus Motifs, Algeria, early 20th century. Wood, paint. Newark Museum Gift of John Cotton Dana, 1928,Purchased by Newark Museum founder John Cotton Dana in Algeria, 1928; Reading the Miracle of Splitting of the Moon (Shaq-ul-Qamar) Deccan, India, ca. 1780, Mughal Period (1526–1857). Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper. Purchase 2015 Estate of Ellen Keely Hunniken. (page 23, top to bottom) Wall Tiles with Scalloped Arch, Lotus, Carnation, Iris, Daffodil and Other Floral and Geometric Motifs, Pakistan, 17th–18th century. White paste clay body with white, blue and turquoise glazes. Newark Museum Gift of Paul F. Walter, 1997; Inscribed Coffeepot and Cups, Algeria, before 1928. Brass, copper, silver. Newark Museum Purchase, 1928. (page 24-25, left to bright) Rosewater Sprinkler with Foliate Motifs, Malaysia, 19th century. Silver. Newark Museum Purchase 1924; Qur’an Written in Thuluth Script Colophons in Nashki and Thuluth Scripts, Al-Ghannamiyya, Ashmun Jaris, al-Manuffiyya, Egypt, 1789–1922. Leather, paper, ink, colors. Newark Museum Purchase; Samuel Bourne, India, 1863–1870 . Collodion process print on paper. Interior of Diwan-I Khas Palace [Audience Hall] of Red Fort, Delhi (1648). Newark Museum Anonymous gift.
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CIRCLES OF SUPPORT EXCLUSIVE EXHIBITION PREVIEW
WONDROUS WORLDS GALLERY TOUR
This event is an exclusive benefit for Circles of Support donors.
With Janet Baker, PhD, curator of Asian art at Phoenix Art Museum
January 24, 2019 | 6 pm
February 20, 2019 | noon
GETTING TO KNOW AMERICAN MUSLIMS AND THEIR FAITH
MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION PREVIEW DAY
March 2, 2019 | 2 pm
MEMBERS’ MORNING
March 30, 2019 | 10:30 am – noon 2 – 4 pm
January 25, 2019 | 10 am – 5 pm January 26, 2019 | 9:30 am
FAMILY WORKSHOP
These events are exclusive benefits for Members of Phoenix Art Museum.
Visit our events calendar at phxart.org for details. For information on Membership at Phoenix Art Museum, visit bit.ly/Membership_PhxArt. For information on Circles of Support, the Museum’s premier philanthropic group, visit bit.ly/Circles_PhxArt. EXHIBITION
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ULTRACONTEMPORARY
Through March 24, 2019 Ellman and Lewis galleries
HYPER-
T
he latest fashion exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum, on view through March 24, 2019, explores this idea of hyper-current fashion. Presenting garments by such designers as Comme des Garçons, Iris van Herpen, Yeohlee Teng, and Gucci, all of which are recent Museum acquisitions, ultracontemporary reveals how fashion is responding to an increasingly diverse and fluid global society through designs that reference and interpret various defining aspects of contemporary culture.
fashion
Contemporary fashion is the fashion of today. So what does Dennita Sewell, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum, mean when she describes a garment as ultracontemporary? “It means thoroughly modern and up-to-date,’” Sewell explained. “Ultracontemporary fashions are works that are the most representative of our culture right now.” 26
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For example, the four ensembles by Comme des Garçons, purchased with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute (ACI), a support group of Phoenix Art Museum, appropriate and combine a number of artworks into their varied silhouettes. Rei Kawakubo, the Japanese label’s founder and creative director, has called the collection “multidimensional graffiti,” as it showcases the collage, illustrative, and pixel art of Anne Marie Grgich (b. 1961), Serge Vollin (b. 1946), Macoto Takahashi (b. 1934), and German Internet art collective eBoy, along with the work of Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo (ca. 1526–1593), among others. The colorful, exuberant garments from the Spring/Summer 2018 collection, which include shoes made in collaboration with Nike, remove the artworks from their traditional spaces and instead place them
on bodies, in an open rejection of artistic norms and boundaries. They stand in stark contrast to the designer’s usual all-black ensembles, demonstrating how Kawakubo has discovered artistic inspirations and parallels across centuries and repurposed them to create ultracontemporary garments that redefine both the art and the wearer. The exhibition’s dress by Iris van Herpen, on the one hand, illustrates the disruptive force of technology. Hailed as one of fashion’s most forward-thinking creators, van Herpen was the first to send a 3D-printed dress down the runway, and the garment on view in ultracontemporary was created using the same cutting-edge technology. Featured in the designer’s Fall 2014 collection Biopiracy, in which she explored whether human beings are still the sole proprietors of their bodies in an age when patents on genes can be purchased, the dress was the first of van Herpen’s to demonstrate flexibility. Until that point, 3D-printing technology was capable of printing only rigid objects, but the piece on view in Lewis Gallery is made of TPU 92A-1, a thermoplastic polyurethane that exhibits strength, durability, and flexibility. The dress, which was also purchased with funds from ACI, represents a powerful example of a designer’s willingness to adopt technology into her craft to explore some of today’s most significant and controversial social issues.
“The works in ultracontemporary are head-to-toe looks that represent the purest expressions of the designers’ ideas as they were presented on the runway, but more than that, they are expressive of our current time.”
continued on page 28
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COMMISSION Among the fashions featured in ultracontemporary are designs by Yeohlee Teng, commissioned for the Museum’s fashion collection by long-time Museum supporter and former Trustee Doris Ong. We spoke with Teng to learn more about the commissioned garments and her creative process. The ensemble from Gucci, however, provides perhaps the most robust example of how a fashion house responds to shifts in the cultural ethos. At nearly 100 years old, the Italian label, founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, has withstood numerous evolutions since its beginnings as a luggage retailer. Embraced in the 1960s by jetsetters, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Princess Grace of Monaco, the label teetered on the edge of bankruptcy in the early ‘90s, until it was sold to Investcorp in 1993. Then in 1994, creative director Tom Ford remade Gucci through his re-interpretation of jet-set glamour for the modern age. His sleek designs carried the label until 2006, when Frida Giannini was appointed creative director. Under Giannini, Gucci continued to create glamorous garments with neat, clean lines. In 2015, the label again underwent a shift in creative direction, and the Gucci cape on view in ultracontemporary illustrates how the fashion institution has experienced a resurgence as a mega brand under the leadership of current creative director Alessandro Michele. In an interview with Vogue that same year, Michele described his fascination with uniting the past and the contemporary. “My apartment is full of antique pieces, but I put everything together like a modern installation,” he said. The whimsical garment of colorful wool felt with trompe l’oeil ruffle, acquired with funds from ACI,
reflects this multifaceted aesthetic as it seamlessly blends the old and the new, with a modern-artistic-vintage vibe that undoubtedly appeals to Michele’s ultracontemporary wearer.
EXHIBITION
Yeohlee Teng: The designs are a part of the Museum’s permanent collection, which is a terrific honor and privilege for which I am very grateful. When Dennita Sewell curated YEOHLEE | SERRA, she introduced me to Doris Ong at the exhibition opening in 2017. The garments are a Doris Ong commission, so the inspiration came from her. I found some connecting points with who she is, who I am, and the journeys we both took. Ours is an ultracontemporary story because we’re both immigrants and women striving within the context of the world of today.
Fashion, by its very nature, is always looking through the present toward the horizon, anticipating and responding to cultural shifts and keystones that transform how wearers view themselves and their clothes. The ultracontemporary garments on view at Phoenix Art Museum face the future—but they also blur the luxury, the commercial, and the street to appeal to today’s global society of wearers deeply influenced by an increasingly fluid and diverse world. “It’s an exciting time for the Museum to collect pieces for its permanent collection,” Sewell said upon reflection of the exhibition. “The works in ultracontemporary are head-to-toe looks that represent the purest expressions of the designers’ ideas as they were presented on the runway, but more than that, they are expressive of our current time. “And this moment in the history of fashion,” she continued,” will surely be looked back on as a time of change and disruption.” ultracontemporary is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generous support of Arizona Costume Institute and donors to the Museum’s annual fund.
image credits: (pages 26-27, left to right) Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçon, Coat, dress and shoes, spring/summer 2018 look #4. Inkjet printed polyester gabardine and polyester canvas, leather. Museum purchase with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute; Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçon, Coat, dress and shoes, spring/summer 2018 look #6. Multi fabric patchwork and inkjet printed polyester, leather. Museum purchase with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute; Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçon, Dress and shoes, spring/summer 2018 look #13. Inkjet printed polyester velvet, leather. Museum purchase with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute; Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçon, Coat, dress and shoes, spring/summer 2018 look #3. Inkjet printed polyester georgette and polyester canvas, leather. Museum purchase with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute. (page 28) Alessandro Michele for Gucci, Ensemble, Fall 2016. Wool, polyester, acetate, plastic, crystals, leather and metal. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum, purchase with funds provided by Arizona Costume Institute. (page 29) Yeohlee Teng, “Aviator” Jacket, “Yellowbird” Dress, “Scraps & Zero Waste One-Size-Fits-All” Sarong, Apron, Fall 2018. Water repellent printed and coated double sided nylon polymide, bonded stretch double-sided cotton, nylon polyamide, elastane, silk. Museum commission with funds provided by Doris Ong.
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Phoenix Art Museum: What was the impetus for the designs on view in ultracontemporary?
PhxArt: What are the fabrics you used to create the garments? YT: There’s a bonded stretch fabric in 70% cotton with elastane; it is pliable and really beautiful. The color is a saturated yellow. There is also a fabric that is crisp and glassy looking, in a very deep forest green. Both fabrics have a duality to them because both sides are usable, and the colors are different shades in contrast and opposition. PhxArt: How was creating commissioned pieces for the Museum different from creating designs for your label? YT: It was a unique experience because Doris is a unique person. Nothing ever repeats. You have to think about each process with its own parameters. You have to deal with them on an individual level without any assumptions and with an open mind. I considered the entire context of the commission, including the dimensions of the space within which the commission is displayed.
“If you own something of mine, it should be useful, comfortable, and fun, and you’ll probably be wearing it for a long time.”
PhxArt: In our increasingly diverse world, how have your designs and processes changed through the years? YT: I respond to the moment, and the way I work and think is rather fluid. There are some aspects of fashion that have become au courant, like zero waste, for instance. My work has always been about zero waste, starting with zero waste where the consumption of time is concerned. It’s a core philosophy. Beyond that, my designs have never adhered to the seasonal aspect. I really feel that to be fully functional, your clothes have to work under various conditions, and this idea of having a fully functional wardrobe has become more popular today. But I’m not adapting to that—I’ve always made designs to work in that way. If you own something of mine, it should be useful, comfortable, and fun, and you’ll probably be wearing it for a long time. PhxArt: Is there anything else viewers should consider when experiencing your garments in ultracontemporary?
Inspiration sketch by Yeohlee Teng.
YT: Duality and the shape of space. There is multifunctionality and duality in the fabrics, with two sides, two colors, two textures, and two grainlines. There is duality in the colors. Yellow has both positive and negative connotations— I'm on the sunny side. And there’s duality of country—Malaysia and America—as well as in space. I think about the interstitial space that is between you and the clothes you wear, and the silhouette of you within the space that you occupy.
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Gwendolyn Fernandez, the Museum’s family programs manager, said she noticed quick and astonishing growth in the girls as the workshop progressed. Those who at first seemed reluctant and resistant began to enjoy the process of making art. “You could see they felt really proud of what they had made by the end of our time together,” she said. On August 8, the girls were able to see their self-portraits on the walls of the Museum’s Children’s Gallery in the Wolfswinkel Education Center, in a special installation entitled To Be Me. SarahAnn and Autumn, both 17, were two of the girls who participated in the workshop and presented their artworks. SarahAnn’s portrait, entitled Haha Naru Shizen (Mother Nature), explored nature and included an outdoor scene with rolling hills and a cloudfilled blue sky.
Autumn (Age 17), Bold (Audaz), 2018. Mixed-media.
“You could see they felt really proud of what they had made by the end of our time together.”
me
to be
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EDUCATION
What does it mean to be you? Eight young artists answered this very question this past summer at Phoenix Art Museum through mixed-media portraits that told stories of their aspirations and shared their perceptions of the world around them.
SarahAnn (Age 17), Haha Naru Shizen (Mother Nature), 2018. Mixed-media.
F
or the third consecutive year, the Museum partnered with Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona for a painting workshop and special installation. The non-profit organization, which uses creative and therapeutic art programs to help abused and homeless children build resiliency and heal from trauma, selected local photographer Shelly Love as the teaching artist for the 2018 collaboration. Love worked with eight girls in the fostercare system, all of whom live together in a group home. “My goal was to open their eyes to how they could use art as a release, a way to process and express themselves, and a tool to help them manage their day-to-day stresses and emotions,” Love said. “To accomplish this, I not only taught them new techniques but also wove in activities that emphasized being present, being brave, being accepting of what develops out of the work itself, and being okay with wherever they were on each day.” Over six weeks, the girls, aged 10 to 18, created self-portraits inspired by To Be Thirteen: Photographs and Videos by Betsy Schneider. The exhibition, showcasing still portraits and video interviews with 13-yearolds from across the United States, reflects on the experience of young Americans coming of age in a tumultuous modern world.
“Mother Nature gives us so many gifts we normally don’t take time to recognize,” she said in her personal statement. “I want to show Mother Nature I appreciate her.” Her work also included a blurry capture of Carlos Amorales’ Black Cloud (2007), on view in the Museum’s Greenbaum Lobby, and a small circular mirror. The mirror was placed in such a way that viewers could see their own reflections, perhaps so they could find parts of themselves in the artwork of another. Autumn’s mixed-media portrait, on the other hand, was titled Bold (Audaz) and featured a flower motif. It also included an array of words such as “pain to strength,” “scary,” “achievement,” and “dreams,” ideas that characterize both the hopes and anxieties of many teens. “No matter where you come from you can make a good impact,” Autumn said in her personal statement. “I love expressing myself through art and telling my story in a fun way.” Reflecting on the impact of the Museum’s collaboration with Free Arts, Fernandez said the partnership continues to be profoundly valuable for young artists and the Valley community. “Free Arts has a connection to the most vulnerable population—young people who are experiencing trauma in their lives,” she said. “Through our work with Free Arts, these young people can experience the Museum as a positive place where they feel respected and supported. Then, hopefully, they become museum-goers for the rest of their lives.”
EDUCATION
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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 January
A GOOD LIFE IS ONE MADE UP OF SMALL, MEANINGFUL MOMENTS, AND THOSE MOMENTS HAPPEN IN THE PLACES WHERE FAMILIES— LARGE, SMALL, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN— COME TOGETHER. PLACES LIKE PHOENIX ART MUSEUM. WHEN YOU MAKE A PLANNED GIFT TO THE MUSEUM, YOU ENSURE THAT YOUR FAMILY HAS A PLACE TO DISCOVER, GROW, AND DREAM FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. YOUR LEGACY BECOMES SO MUCH MORE THAN A FINANCIAL GIFT. IT BECOMES A FUTURE. We’d love the opportunity to tell you more about our planned giving program and how gifts like a charitable IRA rollover can help Phoenix Art Museum remain a pillar of the arts in our community. If you have already 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
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PLANNED GIVING
CIRCLES OF SUPPORT $25,000+ °Roberta Aidem *Craig and Barbara Barrett Allison and Bob Bertrand *John and Bonnie Bouma *Jo and Bill Brandt Carol and *Larry Clemmensen Andrew and *Amy Cohn Lee and *Mike Cohn *Carter and Susan Emerson *Judy and Bill Goldberg Bud and Gerry Grout The *Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation *Mrs. Nancy Hanley *Ellen and Howard C. Katz Randy and *Ken Kendrick *Margot and Dennis Knight °Richard and *Sally Lehmann *Dawn and David Lenhardt Del and *Sharron Lewis *Rose and Harry Papp Pivotal Foundation, *Francis and Dionne Najafi *Blair and Lisa Portigal *Kim and Steve Robson *David Rousseau *Sue and Bud Selig Charles and *Meredith von Arentschildt $10,000+ Anonymous Jett and Julia Anderson *Matthew Boland and Christopher Greulich Ginger and *Don Brandt *Mr. and Mrs. Drew M. Brown Deborah G. Carstens *Amy S. Clague Gloria and Philip Cowen *Joan D. Cremin *Denise and Bob Delgado The Dorrance Family Foundation *Eileen Elliott and Frank Mauer *Mark and Diana Feldman *John and Kathleen Graham Heather and *Michael D. Greenbaum *Paul and Mary Beth Groves *Dr. and Mrs. Meryl Haber *Lila Harnett *Jon and Carrie Hulburd *Tim and Shannon Jones *Jane and Mal Jozoff *Dr. Parvinder Jit Singh Khanuja and Parveen Kaur Khanuja Judy and *Alan Kosloff Sam and *Judy Linhart Janis and *Dennis Lyon *Lori and Michael Massey *Garrett McKnight *Donald and Judith Opatrny *Mr. and Mrs. James S. Patterson, Jr.
*Deanna Salazar and Randy Voigt *Ms. Ann Siner *Angela and Leonard Singer Pam and *Ray Slomski $5,000+ Anonymous (2) Milena and °Tony Astorga Betsy and Kent Bro Richard and Ann Carr 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 °Andrew B. and Wan Kyun Rha Kim Jan and Tom Lewis °Paul and Merle Marcus Susan and Philip W. Matos Diane and Larry McComber 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 Nancy Swanson Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Tratt Mrs. Betty Van Denburgh Gilbert Waldman and Christy Vezolles °Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Weil III $2,500+ Anonymous Kathi Belfer Cypres Joan Benjamin and Larry Cherkis James T. Bialac °John and Oonagh Boppart Christen Castellano and Veronika Sufleta Jennifer and Bill Clark Edie and James Cloonan Robert and Vanne Cowie Betsy and Jim 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 Doris and Martin Hoffman Family Foundation Dr. Bill Howard and Iris Wigal Ellen and Bob Kant Dr. and Mrs. Jamie Kapner Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Lavinia Nancy Levin and Jeffrey Flora Dr. and Mrs. Robert F. Lorenzen Mrs. Herbert J. Louis Steve and Janice Marcus Cindy and °Don Martin Sandra Matteucci
1, 2018 and September 1, 2018.
Michael and Jane Murray The Maurice R. and Meta G. Gross Foundation, Fred and Linda Nachman Kay and Walter Oliver John J. Pappas Saltlick Family Trust Jacqueline Schenkein and Michael Schwimmer Mary and Stanley Seidler Charles and Rowena Simberg Iris and °Adam Singer Bud and Judy Stanley Miesha Stoute Barbara and Jim Sturdivant Sean Sweat °Mr. and Mrs. William G. Way William C. Weese, M.D. 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 Uta Monique Behrens Jim Belin and Jan Krulick-Belin David and Susan Berman Neil Berman Herb and Betty Bool °Donna and Gus Boss Nancy and Joe Braucher Linda H. Breuer 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 Rhett and Kay Butler Jerry and Stefanie Cargill Philip Carll Katherine and Charles Case Maureen and John Chestnut Marilee and David Clarke Julie and Wes Clelland The Clements Family Elaine and Sidney Cohen Deborah and Richard Cookson °Joyce Cooper Lattie and Elva Coor Sam Coppersmith °Bruce Covill and Lucia Renshaw Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Damico Mr. and Mrs. Michael DeBell Luino and Margaret Dell’Osso
Conrad Diven Robert M. Dixon JoAnne Doll Harold Dorenbecher and Mary Heiss Robert and Peggy Dunn 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 Cheryl and Jeffrey Fine George and Ann Fisher Amy Flood and Larry West Dr. Stephen and Madeleine Fortunoff Susie and Don Fowls Wendy Franz and Bob Wirthlin 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 Judy Gordon Peter and Wendy Gordon Victoria and Rod Granberry Karen and James Grande Stephen Green Mr. and Mrs. James E. Grier The Harold and Jean Grossman Family Foundation Peter and Sondra Grossman 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 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 Curtlin and Rachel Johnson, Esq. Gigi Jordan and Bob Patterson °Dr. Eric Jungermann Lynn and Larry Kahn Donald Karner and Kathryn Forbes Ruth R. Kaspar Draga S. Kellick Kathy and Fred Kenny continued on page 34 SUPPORT
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CIRCLES OF SUPPORT (continued) Eleanor and Bruce Knappenberger Carolyn Refsnes Kniazzeh Ravi and Sherry Koopot James and Ina Kort 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 °Mr. James Lundy and Dr. Michele Lundy Carol Ann and Harvey Mackay Matt Magee and Randall Seale Mr. and Mrs. Daniel G. Maloney Jeffrey and Tiia Mandell Roger and Victoria Marce Paul and Ann Markow Mr. and Mrs. James Marsh Martha Martin Mim J. McClennen Carol and °Howard McCrady
Tammy McLeod and John Hamilton Richard McMurray Janet and John Melamed James and Ana Melikian Arthur Messinger and Eugenie Harris Victoria and Anthony Miachika Sherrell Miller Doris and Eliot Minsker David and Judee Morrison Lynn S. Neuville 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 Leah Pallin-Hill and Bryan Hill Camerone Parker and Robert McCulloch, M.D. David and Mary Patino Stan Payton Drs. Richard and Carol Peairs Jody Pelusi Helen J. Pierson Mrs. Arnold Portigal Helene and Joseph Presutti Julie and Conrad Prusak Mrs. Maritom K. Pyron Donna Reining Mr. and Mrs. Richard Reitman Betsy Retchin
Ida Rhea Nancy Riegel Karen Riley Carol and Thomas Rogers 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 Sheila Schwartz Arlene and Morton Scult John and Patricia Seybolt Jenna and Danny Sharaby Mr. George F. Sheer and Linda Porter Diane L. Silver and James R. Condo °Diana E. and Paul B. Smith Donald and Dorothea Smith Lynne Smith Beth Cummings Solem Lou and Larry Stein Barbara Steiner Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Stern John and Ellen Stiteler
°Betsy and Bruce Stodola Margaret Stone and Jonathan Dee Paula and Jack Strickstein Rick and Lynda Strusiner Gustavo A. Tabares Janice Tekofsky Anne and Steve Thomas Fred and Gail Tieken Mark and Mary Timpany °Gary and Diane Tooker Dr. and Mrs. Richard Towbin Pat and Phil Turberg Jacquie and Merrill Tutton Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Vecchione Patricia Ann Walsh Annie Waters and Bob Ryan Susan and Chuck Watts Gerald Weiner Trudy and Steven Wiesenberger Mildred B. Williams Gretchen and Dick Wilson Ronald G. Wilson and Bonnie Naegle-Wilson Dr. Judith G. Wolf Amy Wood Stephen and Robin Woodworth Delwyn and Diana Worthington Pat and Barry Yellen °Judy Zuber
IN GRATITUDE
The Museum gratefully acknowledges those whose annual gifts support our exhibitions, educational programs, and services for the community. please note: This list recognizes those who have made a gift between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018. Institutional donors, 21st Century Society members, and Members at the Fellow Level will be listed once annually.
21ST CENTURY SOCIETY MEMBERS Anonymous (3) Alvan and Sara Adams Annie Allen Milena and Tony Astorga Linda and James K. Ballinger Dr. and Mrs. John A. Bamberl Pari and Peter Banko Jim and Alice Bazlen Uta Monique Behrens Viola F. Bernstein Ben Bethel Maria Ramos Martinez Bolster Oonagh and John Boppart Bonnie and John Bouma Linda Breuer LaVerne Beall Burhans Joe Bushong Iris Cashdan-Fishman Marc and Mary Ann Cavness Mr. Sandy Chamberlain and Dr. David Kest Jae and Diann Christensen Chad Christian Amy S. Clague Elaine W. and Sidney A. Cohen
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SUPPORT
George and Mandy Cohen Pat and Gary Cohen Lee and Mike Cohn Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Colangelo Charles Coronella Harry R. Courtright Bruce Covill and Lucia Renshaw Joan D. Cremin Dorothy and Herold Crume Joseph and Kathy D'Amico Denise and Robert Delgado A. J. Fleet Dickey Marnie Dietrich Gary J. Egan and Daniel A. Holterman Murray and Cecile Epstein Mark and Diana Feldman Sharon and Victor Figarelli Kate Forbes Sharyn and Stuart Frankel Mr. and Mrs. William Gardner Dr. Paul and Amy Gause Richard and Susan Goldsmith Heather and Michael Greenbaum Pamela Grieco Paul and Mary Beth Groves Stephen and Marcia Guerrant Rose O. Gustafson Meryl H. Haber
Mrs. Diane Cummings Halle Mrs. Lee T. Hanley Terrence M. Hanson Lila Harnett Myrna Harrison Mary Heiss and Harold Dorenbecher Lynette Heller Mary Beth Herbert Cheryl Hintzen-Gaines and Ira Gaines Dr. Bill Howard Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Husband Ray and Dee Isham Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. (Hank) Johnson Stanford S. Johnson Jane and Mal Jozoff Dr. Eric Jungermann Karen Justice Don Karner Ruth R. Kaspar Ellen Katz Mohammad and Vernita Khosti Dottie Kobik Dr. and Mrs. Ravi Koopot Joseph and Shawn Lampe Thomas and Julianne LaPorte Sally Lehmann Tochia and Stan Levine Sharron Lewis
Linda Ligon Dr. Dorothy Lincoln-Smith and Dr. Harvey Smith Judy and Sam Linhart James and Dr. Michele Lundy Janis and Dennis Lyon James and Dhira Mahoney Jeffrey Manley Paul and Merle Marcus Mrs. Jinx McCreary Glenda and Eugene Miller Dr. Herbert and Susan Miller Roy and Mary Miller John H. Morrell Mr. and Mrs. Edward Moses Susan and Mark Mulzet Steve and Dr. Kristen Nelson Robert and Mary Newstead The Nieto Family Patricia and Richard Nolan June Olson Harry and Rose Papp Jim and Anita Patterson Cecil W. Penn Mr. and Mrs. Manuel A. Perez Linda Peshkin Mr. and Mrs. John Phelps Kelly Puziss
Don L. Randolph Karen Randolph Georgia Ray and R. Stephen Wolfe Donna and Jonathan Reining Gail Rineberg Mr. and Mrs. Lew Robinson Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Robinson Valerie J. Rosenthal Mary Ell Ruffner Elaine and Timothy Ryan C. Angus Schaal Miriam Schaeuble Dawn and Jay Schlott Steve and Anita Schultz Barbara D. Shear Melanie D. and Richard I. Shear Betty and Robert Shoenhair Rowena Simberg Adam and Iris Singer Leonard and Angela Singer Albert Skorman Pamela and Raymond Slomski Dr. Jerry N. Smith and Vickie Hamilton-Smith Helen Spacek Becky Curtis Stevens Patricia Stillman Roxie Stouffer Joan and Roger Strand Paula Strickstein Betty Lou Summers V.T. and Vicky Tarulis Allyson J. Teply George Thiewes French Thompson Diane and Gary Tooker Betty W. Van Denburgh Irene H. Vasquez and Mildred B. Williams Abram C. Villegas Charles and Meredith von Arentschildt James von Germeten Joan von Germeten Ms. Susan von Hellens Mr. and Mrs. A. Linwood Waldrop, Jr. William G. and Mary Way Louis A. and Daryl G. Weil Naomi and Gerald Weiner Steve and Ann Wheeler Carol D. Whiteman Ronald Wilson and Bonnie Naegle-Wilson Robin and Stephen Woodworth Mares Jan Wright Judy and Sidney Zuber, M.D. REALIZED 21ST CENTURY SOCIETY MEMBERS Eleanor Ableson Dr. Robert Adami Joan and Lorenz Anderman Ruth and Hartley Barker George K. Baum II LeRoyce Bennett Lynne and Warren Brown Yvette Ward Bryant Pat Burney Mabel and James Cahill Spiro Cakos Susie Cakos Mary Moore Coughlin Mary Meeker Cramer Philip C. Curtis Ralph Dudley Daniel Paul Hyde Davies Barbara C. Dow Nancy L. Durham Lucille B. Earle Jeannette Shambaugh Elliott Darby and Herschel Epstein Carol and Harold Felton Arthur Fishman, M.D.
Nancy Gale Forrester Eunice Fort Margaret P. Gale George F. Getz, Jr. Marie Connor Girardin Ruth Gunston Bobbie Haas Delbert Harr Sybil Harrington Margareta Harris Kax and Bob Herberger Barbara Turner Hitchcock Hugh Hard Horner Margaret Iglauer Edward "Bud" Jacobson Vivienne B. Jennings Eva Jungermann Sharon Lee Ketai Margaret Kirkpatrick Helen M. Kollmeyer-Herzberg Betty M. La Fevers Helen Lawler Frances Leonard Orme Lewis Liese Lotte and Albert Eckstein Elizabeth B. MaGuire Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Miriam A. McKeown Maurine Mueller Gerald H. Myers Mary K. O'Malley Mr. and Mrs. L. Roy Papp Jane Pearson Collamer Herbert L. Pratt Margarite Mary Ramond Mildred E. Reed Ginger Renner Allan Richard Reznikoff Steve Rineberg Genevieve D. Roach Lucy Roca Margeurite Roll Robert R. Rosenbaum Betty and Newton Rosenzweig Jay S. Ruffner Evelyn and Ernest Sauer Jeanette and Bernard Schmidt Carolyn Schulte Frederick J. Schweitzer Charles A. Simberg Mary and Lee Slater Carolann Smurthwaite Marjorie and George Springer Frances Hover Stanley Mildred N. Starr Helen C. Tarbox Astrid L. Thomas Florence Van Norden Baroness Carl von Wrangell Ruth Bank Weil Florence Woolsey MEMBERS AT THE FELLOW LEVEL | $1,000+ Richard Banks and Cher Redmond Philip and Lydia Bell Karen and Gary Bethune Paul and Christine Branstad Brenna C. Brooks and Jon Gabrielson Walter and Patricia Cosand Jeanne Quan Damman Leslie Dashew and Jack Salisbury Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Denk Amanda and Dana Garmany Mary G. Hamilton Mary and Gates Hawn John and Martha Hayes Mr. and Mrs. David L. Higgins Mr. and Mrs. James D. Howard
Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Howard Dr. Norma F. Kafer and Mr. James Gordon Mr. and Mrs. John Lucking Tom Lyle Mr. and Mr. Theodore Montague Teresa K. Quale Ronald Sassano Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shull Dr. Kurt A. Slobodzian and Ms. Patricia A. Weegar Joe and Madonna Smyth Mr. and Mrs. Richard Snell Jean and Scott Spangler Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Spiegel Sandra Staehle and Keith G. Johnson Richard and Carolyn Szatkowski Mark and Mary Timpany Stephen and Jeanne Winograd Mr. and Mrs. Michael Zuieback
INSTITUTIONAL GIVING Anonymous AK Studio Ambassador Group American Society of Interior Designers, Arizona North Amy Strang Interiors LLC Angelica Henry Design Anthony Meier Fine Arts APS Arcadia Design Group Arizona Bank & Trust Arizona Commission on the Arts Arizona Community Foundation Arizona Technology Council Art Solutions & Installations, LLC Association of Art Museum Curators Foundation Avant-Garde Studio Bank of America Black Ink Interiors Bloomers of La Jolla Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Brady Gray LLC Britany Simon Design House Cain Design Studio, Inc. California Community Foundation E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation CeTerra Accents & Interiors Clyde Hardware Co., Inc. CoCo Milano's Cole-Belin Education Foundation The Collector's House Columbine Garden Club Consulate General of Canada Cornelia Park Corporate Presentation Network CVB Designs LLC Danielle Jacques Design DeCesare Design Group De Falco Family Foundation, Inc. Discount Tire Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation Edward Jones Esther Boivin Interiors Etherton Gallery Facings of America The Farm at Agritopia Flora Bella Ford Foundation Freeport-McMoRan Foundation The French Bee Friends of Mexican Art Galoops Hut I, LLC Gammage & Burnham, PLC Maurice R. and Meta G. Gross Foundation Guided Home Design The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation Hanley Living Trust Hayes Inc
William Randolph Hearst Foundation The Jeffrey Horvitz Foundation Hospice of the Valley IMI Design Studio John Brooks, Inc. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Juliet Le Fleur Floral Stylist Karen Rapp Interiors J.W. Kieckhefer Foundation The Kroger Company KT Tamm Inc Jane A. Lehman and Alan G. Lehman Foundation Lisa Sette Gallery Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. Macy's Inc. Main Dish Maricopa Community Colleges Michael Ferguson Interiors MJ Insurance MMB Studio Moreno Family Foundation Morgan Stanley Neiman Marcus Nelson Barnum Interiors The Norton Foundation Oh, Sugar! Event Design & Paperie P.S. Studios, Inc. The Papp Family Foundation Pawling Design Associates Phoenix Men's Arts Council Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Prest-O-Fit Ralph Lauren Biltmore RED Development, LLC Relics Architectural Home & Garden Roberts Projects ROUX Design Studio LLC Saks Fifth Avenue Samartzis Design Santa Barbara Catering Company Savale Flowers & Antiques Scottsdale Interior Design Group Seattle Foundation The Selz Foundation Inc. Sesshu Design Associates, Ltd. Sicardi Gallery SRP The Steele Foundation Studio V Interior Architecture & Interior Design Susan Hersker Interior Design Tennen Studio LLC UBS Business Solutions US LLC UMB Foundation Valerianne of Scottsdale Vallone Design, Inc The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Wells Fargo The Westin Phoenix Downtown Wiseman and Gale Interiors Yeohlee Zia Trust, Inc.
SUPPORT
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Shop PhxArt
Thank You
O
n November 3, Phoenix Art Museum hosted The pARTy in the Garden. The exclusive event revived the beloved pARTy, an annual Museum gala held from 2007–2015, to kick off the Museum’s 60th anniversary year and hosted its first-ever guest of honor, Dr. Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University. The pARTy in the Garden was a tremendous success and raised more than $1 million in support of exhibitions and education programs at Phoenix Art Museum. Thank you to all who attended, and a special thanks to The pARTy in the Garden co-chairs and our sponsors.
MEMBER ME GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP starting at $59*
Give the gift of world-class art this holiday season with a Membership to Phoenix Art Museum. Visit bit.ly/PhxArtGift, call 602.257.2124, or see Visitor Services. *Offer ends December 31, 2018. Call the Membership office at 602.257.2124 for discount codes.
METAL HEAD INKLESS PENS $36 (member) | $40 (non-member)
Crafted by metal sculptor, jewelry designer, and metal fabricator Jac Zagoory, these inkless, lead-tip pens won’t smudge and can write on most paper surfaces.
THE PARTY IN THE GARDEN CO-CHAIRS Amy Cohn Ellen Katz Margot Knight Meredith von Arentschildt
AVAILABLE IN ANODIZED ALUMINUM OR WARM CHERRY WOOD. NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN.
SPONSORS Código 1530 Arizona Distilling Co. Art Solutions & Installations, LLC
100% ORGANIC GROWN COTTON. HANDMADE IN NAGOYA, JAPAN. APPROXIMATELY 74” LONG.
BODY ART ANIMAL CAMOUFLAGE ORGANIC WEARABLE $27 (member) | $30 (non-member)
Ikue’s contemporary textile can be used as a blanket, swaddle cloth, or scarf for wearers of all ages.
DRINKS ON US PHOENIX ART MUSEUM ARCHITECTURE COASTER SET $18 (member) | $20 (non-member)
Bring home your favorite art museum with a locally made, laser-cut coaster set showcasing the distinct facade of Phoenix Art Museum. BALTIC BIRCH PLYWOOD. MADE IN GILBERT, ARIZONA. SET OF TWO. 4” X 4” EACH.
MEMBERS’ MONDAY
December 10 | 11 am — 6 pm Members enjoy 20% off and more at this exclusive shopping event. For more information, visit our events calendar at phxart.org.
Images courtesy of Haute Photography and Videography.
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THANK YOU
SHOP PHXART
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From the Vault
I
n 2006, Phoenix Art Museum presented an exhibition of minimal steel wall sculptures by Tempe-based sculptor George Thiewes (b. 1943). Zap (2008) was an outgrowth of that exhibition. The commissioned artwork, also a minimal steel wall sculpture, was created specifically for the southeast stairwell connecting the various floors of the Museum’s Katz Wing. Resembling an abstracted lightning strike, it stretches from the ceiling to the floor, dividing the wall into two equal parts. Because of its location and unassuming aesthetic, it is often mistaken for an architectural element of the building itself.
ART UNKNOWN
Fun fact: By the artist’s instruction, if Zap’s paint ever requires a touch up, the Museum must use SEM 39144 trim black, a shade of black found only at automobile paint shops. Automobile paint was a popular choice among many 20thcentury artists, including Donald Judd (1928–1994) and John Chamberlain (1927–2011).
Zap (2008)
Phoenix Art Museum is filled with countless artworks treasured by its community, from Yayoi Kusama’s infinity room to the avant-garde designs from the Museum’s fashion collection to the Philip C. Curtis paintings in the newly reopened North Wing. But some works, hung in stairwells, outlooks, or secret amphitheaters, escape the attention of new and seasoned guests alike. This season, explore every gallery, corner, and hidden space of the Museum to discover and experience the art on view that often goes unseen.
SIX DECADES. 20,000 WORKS. MILLIONS OF FRIENDS.
image credit: George Thiewes, Zap, 2008. Painted
In 2019, Phoenix Art Museum will celebrate 60 years at the heart of our city. As we seek to preserve the stories that have shaped our community and our Museum, what we most need is you.
steel. Museum purchase with funds provided by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Gail Adams and Jay Goodfarb, Stella and Gil Exler, and the Patricia Pallas Memorial Fund.
HOW TO VIEW ZAP* On the first floor, walk through Katz Wing toward the far left corner of the galleries to find a staircase. The bottom half of Zap is visible when looking up the stairs. On the third floor of Katz Wing, walk through Norton Photography Gallery to find a staircase next to Knight Overlook. The top half of Zap is visible when looking down the stairwell. Still need assistance? Ask one of our gallery attendants. They are always happy to help. *Please note: There is no elevator access to view this artwork up close in its current location.
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ART UNKNOWN
Y
ou see, through all the years of world-class exhibitions exploring ancient Egypt and the Far East, roaming through Monet’s gardens at Giverny, and reliving those ever-dazzling moments with Marilyn and Clark in old Hollywood, what mattered most were the experiences that you, our guests, enjoyed when you walked through the galleries, danced in Cummings Great Hall, or got lost in the enveloping darkness of our Kusama room, punctuated only by the brilliance of star-like fireflies. You make this Museum come to life, and your stories matter to us. Beginning January 1 through December 31, 2019, we invite you to submit your fondest memories of Phoenix Art Museum, including stories of your favorite exhibitions, your first visit, your most recent
visit, your first dates, and your school field trips. We want to hear all about those moments of your life spent here, in our Museum, at the heart of our city.
SUBMIT YOUR STORIES AND FAVORITE SNAPSHOTS
To phxart.org/60, or use #PhxArtx60 on Instagram and Twitter. If selected, your stories, memories, and photographs may be featured in our commemorative 60th anniversary issue of PhxArt Magazine and other promotional material.
60TH ANNIVERSARY
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Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Phoenix AZ Permit Number 402 Phoenix Art Museum 1625 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1685 phxart.org
MARCH 9 – SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 Explore the sometimes mysterious, always transcendent world of Agnes Pelton, and discover the artist’s contribution to American Modernism through more than 40 abstract works of light and landscapes, in the first survey on the obscure American painter in more than two decades. Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family Chief Curator. The exhibition is presented by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. image credit: Agnes Pelton, Messengers, 1920. Oil on Canvas. Collection of Phoenix Art Museum. Gift of The Melody S. Robidoux Foundation.
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