Phoenix Art Museum Magazine: Spring 2020

SPRING 2020

T ERE SITA FERN Á NDE Z: EL EMEN TA L / A NSEL A DA M S / INDIA : FA SHION’S MUSE phxart.org

T H E W OR L D I S B E F OR E Y OU A N D Y OU N E E D NO T TA K E I T OR L E AV E I T A S I T WA S W H E N Y OU C A M E IN .”

— JAMES BALDWIN

Our country is a big place, taking up nearly 4 million miles of space on our planet, occupied by more than 300 million people. Whether we’re collected in cities or spread across rural regions, our differences are amplified by the ways in which we categorize and segment, other and ostracize. Sometimes it feels that we no longer see each other, failing to recognize our unique faces, our stories, the complexity of who we are, seeing only the binaries of or: red or blue, pro or anti, east or west. It makes for a great epidemic of loneliness, one that consumes us in increasingly tech-based, people-free lives.

But what if, in 2020, a year that calls to mind the idea of clear-eyed vision, we chose to really look.

To see our world not only as it is, but as it could be.

To see ourselves and each other as equal, equitable, valuable, and absolutely necessary parts of a whole.

What if this year we opened our hearts and our minds, and we really tried to see?

image credit: Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, 1960. Gelatin silver print. Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Ansel Adams Archive. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

2

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

3

CON T EN T S

FROM THE DIRECTOR

5 7 8

Letter from the Director Letter from the Co-chairs Museum News

E X HIBI T IO N S

14

13 14 17 18 22 28

On View Art of Asia Still Life: Ordinary Pleasures India: Fashion’s Muse Teresita Fernández: Elemental Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art 32 Ansel Adams: Performing the Print

35

A

s we continue to embrace our way forward as a museum, including numerous strategic initiatives, I am pleased to mark the historic unveiling of the Museum’s new website, designed in collaboration with Kitchen Sink Studios, on March 10. Not only will the new site be more user friendly, providing comprehensive information to help you plan your visit, discover new programs, and explore the depth of our collection, but it will prioritize access in a whole new way. It will be the first fully bilingual website in the Museum’s history and features customized translations on each page to ensure that those in our community for whom Spanish is their first or preferred language can enjoy equity of access and take full advantage of all that the Museum has to offer.

35 Education 36 Acknowledgment | Circles of Support 38 ACI Holiday Luncheon 39 In Memory | Raymond J. Slomski 40 In Memory | Dennis Lyon 41 The pARTy in the Garden 42 New Year, New Memberships 42 Be Our Guest 44 The Museum Store 18

E DI T O R I A L S TA F F Executive Editor | Nikki DeLeon Martin Managing Editor | Samantha Andreacchi Creative Director | Michael Bartley Photography Editor | Airi Katsuta Editorial Intern | Gabriella Revilla SPRING 2020

Mark Koenig Interim Sybil Harrington Director and Chief Financial Officer Carter Emerson Co-chair of the Board of Trustees Mark Feldman Co-chair of the Board of Trustees

C O N T RI BU T I N G E DI TO R S

Linda Alvarez, Teen Programs Coordinator Janet Baker, PhD, Curator of Asian Art Amada Cruz, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO, Seattle Art Museum Betsy Fahlman, PhD, Adjunct Curator of American Art Helen Jean, Interim Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design Kaela Sáenz Oriti, Gerry Grout Education Director

Rebecca A. Senf, PhD, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona Gilbert Vicario, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and the Selig Family Chief Curator Rachel Sadvary Zebro, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art

CO N N E C T W I T H U S @phxart

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

We are deeply proud of our new site, and on behalf of all of us at Phoenix Art Museum, I am especially grateful to the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, who, along with The Steele Foundation, contributed more than $1 million in M A R K K O E NIG support for major initiatives at the Interim Sybil Harrington Director and Museum designed to grow our audiences, Chief Financial Officer including our new site. Through their Phoenix Art Museum profound generosity, the Piper Trust and Steele Foundation made it possible for us to create new staff positions that oversee our new website; develop creative media such as collection photography and videography; provide design assistance; and manage the maintenance and implementation of the Museum’s digital ticketing platforms, as well as our constituent data centers. In addition, this transformative grant made it possible to update key software systems, improve our Wi-Fi capabilities, and develop three beautiful and compelling films about Phoenix Art Museum, which will soon be released to the public.

Without the support of locally based foundations such as the Piper Trust and Steele Foundation, as well as those such as Arizona Community Foundation, the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, and many others, the Museum would not be able to present ambitious annual exhibitions, implement major improvements to infrastructure, acquire new works of art, or accomplish other key initiatives that help position Phoenix Art Museum for long-term success. We are so grateful for the commitment of these organizations to improve the communities they serve. At Phoenix Art Museum, we truly consider each of our local foundations to be visionary “masterpieces.”

24-Hour Information Membership Office Volunteer Office Circles of Support

image credits: (front cover) Teresita Fernández, Fire (United States of the Americas) 2, 2018. Charcoal. Installation view, Fire (United States of the Americas) 2, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX, 2018.

Courtesy the artist; Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and McNay Art Museum. (above) Irene Rice Pereira, Six Black Squares, 1937. Oil on canvas. Gift of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation. (right, from top) Unknown, Scholar’s rock, Qing dynasty, 1644-1911. Dark grey ying limestone with brown inclusions. Gift of Asian Arts Council; Alexander McQueen, Peacock Dress, Fall/Winter 2008-2009. Courtesy of the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles. Commissioned 2010: Funds donated by Karen Coombs-Jordan; Sergio Vega, Shanty Nucleus After Derrida 2, 2011-2013.

Installation, Inkjet vinyl prints mounted on syntra. Gift of Nicholas Pardon. Image courtesy Nicholas Pardon; Photo by Haute Photography.

4

28

1625 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1685 phxart.org 602.257.1222 602.257.2124 602.257.2173 602.257.2115

DE A R FRIENDS,

With gratitude,

41

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

5

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES P H O E NI X A R T M U S E U M 2 019 – 2 0 2 0 BOARD OF TRUSTEES CO - CH A IR S Carter Emerson and Mark Feldman

V ICE CH A IR S David Lenhardt and Meredith von Arentschildt

T R E A S U R E R Mark Feldman

S E CR E TA R Y John W. Graham Ruben E. Alvarez Donald Brandt Jo Brandt Drew M. Brown* Amy S. Clague* Mike Cohn Harold C. Dorenbecher Jacquie Dorrance* Robert Faver David Garcia Judy Goldberg Michael Greenbaum* Nancy Hanley Eriksson Lila Harnett* Jon Hulburd Jane Jozoff Ellen Katz* Parvinder Khanuja MD Don Kile Alan W. Kosloff Sally Lehmann Sally A. Odegard Donald Opatrny Rose Papp Blair J. Portigal Kimberly F. Robson Paige Rothermel David Rousseau Sue Selig Ann Siner *Honorary Trustee

FROM T HE CO-CH AIRS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES D E A R F R IE N D S ,

A

t the beginning of a new decade, Phoenix Art Museum continues to move forward in its search for the next Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. We are grateful to all of the local artists, Museum Members, Circles of Support, Docents, and Trustees who participated in our executive-search survey. Those results have helped to guide the direction of our search and to select a pool of candidates who reflect the values of our community and can lead our organization into the future.

The search committee, led by Trustees Donald C. Opatrny, Jr. and Meredith von Arentschildt serving as its co-chairs, is made up of a varied group of members of the Board of Trustees, as well as civic and community leaders who bring unique perspectives on the community that the Museum serves. Each member of the committee is a volunteer, donating their time and energy to support this comprehensive search, reflecting their desire to positively impact the future of the institution.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

Co-chair Phoenix Art Museum Board of Trustees

In November 2019, the committee selected Koya Leadership Partners to guide the search process. Koya initiated the search for an individual who could lead the Museum to achieve success in its priorities, including long-term financial stability, a commitment to increased access for all people, a rigorous lifelong-learning program dedicated to growing visual-arts literacy for our broadest community, and the continued development of a robust permanent collection and annual exhibition schedule that elevates our city and the Museum.

The search committee has completed an initial round of interviews from a pool of highly qualified candidates and has narrowed this pool for a second round of interviews. In the final stages of the search process, two to three final candidates will return to Phoenix for a series of interviews with additional Museum staff, Board members, volunteers, and community members who can also provide feedback on our finalists.

The Museum will continue to update our constituents on each step of the search process. We look forward to appointing a new Sybil Harrington Director and CEO who both represents our institution as it is today and has the vision, strategy, and imagination to lead Phoenix Art Museum into its next stage of growth and development, serving as a Museum for all people within our diverse community.

We are grateful to all of our volunteers who give so freely of themselves in service to Phoenix Art Museum, and we are deeply grateful to our Museum Members and Circles of Support who, each year, continue to provide vital support for the arts in Arizona.

With gratitude,

6

CARTER EMERSON

MARK FELDMAN

Co-chair Phoenix Art Museum Board of Trustees

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

7

MUSEUM NE WS

MUSEUM NEWS

Terri Gaines has joined the Museum as its development officer. Previously, Gaines served as business development consultant at Verizon Connect and major gifts officer at The Phoenix Symphony.

S AV E T H E D AT E LENHARDT LECTURE: TERESITA FERN Á NDEZ MARCH 21 | 1 PM

image credit:

Ann Morton, The Collective Cover Project, full collection. Photo: Bill Timmerman.

CE L E B R AT IN G A R IZ O N A A R T I S T S

E

ach year, Phoenix Art Museum offers two significant opportunities for contemporary artists based in Arizona. The Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award is presented to a mid-career artist whose work demonstrates a sustained degree of excellence and commitment to contemporary art, while the Artists’ Grants are designed to support emerging contemporary artists.

In October, Ann Morton was named the 2019 Scult Artist Award recipient, and Christina Gednalske, Danielle Hacche, Lena Klett, Nazafarin Lotfi, and Kimberly Lyle were selected as the 2019 Artists’ Grants recipients. In September 2020, Morton’s work will be featured in a solo exhibition at the Museum, while works by Gednalske, Hacche, Klett, Lotfi, and Lyle will be presented in a group exhibition.

Join us for the third annual Dawn and David Lenhardt Lecture, featuring Teresita Fernández.

Based in New York, Fernández is renowned for her experiential sculptures, mixed-media wall works, and public installations that manipulate light and space to create immersive and intimate experiences. She will discuss her mid-career retrospective, Teresita Fernández: Elemental, on view at Phoenix Art Museum from March 21 through July 26, 2020.

TO PURCH ASE TICK E T S OR FOR MORE INFORM ATION, VISIT PHXART.ORG .

P E R F O R M A N CE A R T On November 6, Phoenix Art Museum welcomed renowned British artist Martin Creed. Creed performed his new one-person show, Getting Changed, which explores themes such as personal and national borders, communication in the form of clothes, and words as clothes for feelings.

IN CR E A S IN G A CCE S S The Museum now offers free admission for visitors 17 and younger during the last Saturday of each month as part of Free Under 18: Creative Saturdays, featuring interactive, intergenerational programming from noon to 4 pm.

8

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

CO MIN G S OO N The Museum’s new, fully bilingual website, made possible through the profound generosity of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust and The Steele Foundation, will go live on March 10 at phxart.org.

Helen Jean has joined the Museum as its interim curator of fashion design. Jean also currently serves as college representative at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

Previously, she served as lead instructor at The Art Institute of Phoenix and curatorial assistant for fashion design at Phoenix Art Museum.

Jessica Martin has joined the Museum as its development information services coordinator.

Previously, Martin served as development intern at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and member services representative at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Steve Taylor has joined the Museum as its financial data analyst. Previously, Taylor served as senior financial analyst at Casino Arizona/ Talking Stick Resort.

P R O M O T IO N S Renee Aguilar has been promoted to a new role as Membership engagement specialist.

Previously, Aguilar served as development events coordinator.

Daniel Baele has been promoted to a new role as security officer. Previously, Baele served as a gallery attendant.

Jeff Blain has been promoted to a new role as director of security. Previously, Blain served as security manager.

Christina Brown has been promoted to a new role as director of Membership programs.

Previously, Brown served as Membership manager. Her new role has expanded to include the oversight of Circles of Support and affiliate groups.

Kali Caldwell has been promoted to a new role as senior Membership specialist. Previously, Caldwell served as Membership and group sales coordinator.

Tomás Johnson has been promoted to a new role as audience development specialist. Previously, Johnson served as external affairs assistant.

Allora McChesney has been promoted to a new role as development coordinator. Previously, McChesney served as development information services assistant.

Mark Morales has been promoted to a new role as security officer. Previously, Morales served as a gallery attendant.

Sara Simmons has been promoted to a new role as event operations manager. Previously, Simmons served as events coordinator.

N E W HIR E S VISITOR SERVICES ASSOCIAT ES

Amy Axelrod Lisa Corridan Stephon Preston Kayla Rogalcheck Grant Stanford Kaylee Weyrauch G A LLERY AT T ENDA N T S

Yessica Chaparro Austin Cottle Kristin Deacon Marisa Fimbres Marisol Garcia Sophie Huard Julie Joe Marissa Madalfino Domonic Martinez Sarahi Munoz Perez Sarah Ray Karen Santos Lindsey Saya RE TAIL SA LES ASSOCIAT ES

Teresa Andreno FACILITIES T E A M MEMBERS

Billy De La Cruz Veronica Garcia Adela Niebla Janitzia Rochin Fonseca Llani Salgado Alvarez

Grant Goodman has been promoted to a new role as lead retail sales associate. Previously, Goodman served as retail sales associate.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

9

MUSEUM NEWS

RECEN T ACQUISITIONS A M E R IC A N A R T W PA (19 4 0 ) B Y M I N É O K U B O Japanese-American artist Miné Okubo is renowned for her works documenting her experiences in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. Before she was incarcerated, she worked as a New-Deal artist under the Federal Art Project, during which time she created WPA. The painting, purchased with funds provided by Men’s Arts Council, is one of the few works by Okubo that remain from that time. It is the first work in the Museum’s American art collection by a JapaneseAmerican woman.

ASIAN ART STA N D I N G B U D D H A (18 T H C E N T U R Y ) , K A N D YA N P E R I O D This small-scale Sri Lankan stone sculpture, from Barry Fernando MD and Coleene Fernando MD, represents a rare example of classic Kandyan period style, with its wavy lines of drapery, static pose, and fierce facial expression. It is the first of its kind in the Museum’s Asian art collection, which houses a significant collection of Sri Lankan art that rivals the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

FA S HIO N D E S IGN GEOFFRE Y BEENE COL LECTION

image credits: ( background)

Geoffrey Beene: Trapeze. Installation view. Phoenix Art Museum, 2009. (right) Unknown, Standing Buddha, Sri Lanka, 18th century.

Stone with pigement. Gift of Barry Fernando MD and Coleene Fernando MD.

10

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

Phoenix Art Museum has accepted a significant gift of more than 350 Geoffrey Beene garments and accessories from Patsy Tarr. Considered one of the most whimsical designers in American history, Beene created ensembles that showcase contrasting details and clean, geometric designs.

He often drew from his early training as a tailor to create his womenswear lines, which were modern and practical in terms of wearability and comfort.

His work can be found in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, de Young Museum,

Fashion Institute of Technology, and Victoria and Albert Museum, among others.

The gift from Tarr, president of the 2wice Arts Foundation and founder and publisher of 2wice magazines and books, includes jumpsuits, vests, boleros, gowns, collars, and more spanning the 1980s through the 1990s. It also features more than 30 garments that were previously featured in the Museum’s exhibition Geoffrey Beene: Trapeze, which profiled Tarr’s fanciful custom-made wardrobe and CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

11

MUSEUM NEWS

E X HIBI T IO N S + I N S TA L L AT IO N S

L E GE N D S O F S P E E D THROUGH MARCH 22, 2020 STEELE GALLERY

A M E R IC A N S CE N E S /A M E R IC A S S E E N THROUGH JUNE 14, 2020 AMERICAN ART GALLERIES

J O S E P H CO R N E L L : T HIN G S U N S E E N THROUGH JULY 12, 2020 ORME LEWIS GALLERY

[ R E ] P U R P O S E D / [ R E ] U T IL IZ A DO THROUGH AUGUST 30, 2020 THE HUB: JAMES K. BALLINGER INTERACTIVE GALLERY

C L AY A N D B A M B O O : J A PA N E S E CE R A MIC S A N D F L O W E R B A S K E T S THROUGH NOVEMBER 8, 2020 ART OF ASIA GALLERIES

GU R U N A N A K : 5 5 0 T H BIR T H A N NI V E R S A R Y O F S IK HI S M ’ S F O U N D E R image credit: Arcmanoro Niles, Does a Broken Home Become a Broken Family, 2019. Oil, acrylic and glitter on canvas. Purchased with funds provided by the Dawn and David Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund.

opened in 2009. It was during that time when Tarr realized the value she could add to the Museum’s collection.

“When I was in Phoenix for the exhibition, I visited the vaults and saw some of the wonderful Beene pieces the Museum already had, including evening gowns and some very early Beene daywear,” she said. “But I understood that the designs I could donate, such as my jumpsuits, boleros, and even some of my own gowns, would provide the Museum’s collection with greater range and greater depth.”

According to Helen Jean, the Museum’s Interim Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design, Tarr’s gift has done just that.

“Until now, the Museum’s collection of Geoffrey Beene’s work dated primarily from the 1960s and ’70s, so we are very excited to add these garments and accessories from the latter part of the 20th century to our holdings,” she said. “With their playful imagery, bold colors, modern silhouettes, and exquisite tailoring, they are iconic examples of Beene’s work and represent an extraordinary opportunity to better explore this important American designer. Many of these garments have appeared in catalogues and exhibitions, and now we get to share them with our visitors. We are truly grateful to Patsy Tarr for this generous donation.”

12

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

M O DE R N A N D CO N T E M P O R A R Y A R T D O ES A B R O K EN H O M E B ECO M E A B R O K EN FA M I LY ( 2 0 19 )

BY ARCM ANORO NILES A classically trained figurative painter, Arcmanoro Niles is best known for his saturated portraits within domestic settings. Does a Broken Home Become a Broken Family features Niles’ signature palette of oranges, blues, and purples, as well as subjects with faces framed in halos of glitter. It is the Museum’s second artwork purchased with funds provided by the Dawn and David Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund. On November 13, the Museum also presented Niles as the speaker for the second annual Lenhardt Emerging Artist Lecture.

TH R EE FI G U R ES (19 2 8) B Y J A C Q U E S V I L L O N

The older brother of Marcel Duchamp, Jacques Villon (born Emile Méry Frédéric Gaston Duchamp) studied law before receiving his father’s permission to study art. Early in his career, he was influenced

by Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec but later participated in the Fauvist, Cubist, and Abstract Impressionist movements. A gift of Carole I. Binswanger, Three Figures is a rare example of work from Villon’s Cubist period.

THROUGH NOVEMBER 8, 2020 KHANUJA FAMILY SIKH HERITAGE GALLERY

P HIL IP C. CU R T I S A N D T H E L A N D S C A P E S O F A R IZ O N A THROUGH NOVEMBER 15, 2020 AMERICAN ART GALLERIES

SELECTIONS FROM THE SCHORR COLLECTION THROUGH 2020 ULLMAN GALLERY

S U B L IM E L A N D S C A P E S THROUGH JUNE 20, 2021 AMERICAN ART GALLERIES

A M E R IC A N A B S T R A C T IO N F R O M T H E T HIR T IE S A N D F O R T IE S THROUGH JUNE 12, 2022 AMERICAN ART GALLERIES FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EXHIBITIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS, VISIT PHXART.ORG/EXHIBITIONS. image credit: Miguel Palma, Action Plan (detail), 2009. Mixed media. Gift of the artist.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

13

S P ECI A L I N S TA L L AT IO N S

C

reated across multiple millennia, featured objects offer Arizona audiences the opportunity to discover classical Chinese landscapes, contemplate Victorian perspectives of 19th-century India, and experience outstanding selections of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain and ceramic artifacts from ancestral tombs across eastern Asia.

A R T O F A S I A IN S TA L L AT IO N S APRIL 18 – NOVEMBER 8, 2020 ART OF ASIA GALLERIES

A SIA A NE W Beginning in April, four new installations in the Art of Asia galleries at Phoenix Art Museum will present historic and contemporary artworks exploring traditions and lifestyles in Korea, China, Japan, and India.

14

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS, FLOWERS AND BIRDS: GIFTS FROM THE PAPP FAMILY FOUNDATION Featuring gifts from The Papp Family Foundation, this installation explores how classical Chinese ink paintings sought to reflect and show reverence to the beauty of the natural world. Hanging and horizontal scrolls, albums, and fans depict mountains, trees, rocks, and clouds, or birds, flowers, insects, and fruit through structured compositions suffused with a meditative rhythm.

CO L O R S O F S K Y A N D C L O U D S : CHIN E S E B L U E- A N D -W HI T E P O R CE L A IN From the 1960s to the 1980s, Phoenix Art Museum received many gifts of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain from Dr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Wong, which served as the genesis of the Museum’s Asian art collection. This installation showcases more than 10 white, hard-bodied porcelain objects enhanced with cobalt-blue illustrations. Featured works are presented in pairs and showcase motifs such as flowers and gardens, natural landscapes, and narrative scenes of demons, monsters, and dragons drawn from Chinese literature.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

E MILY E D E N : P O R T R A I T S O F T H E P R IN CE S A N D P E O P L E O F IN DI A

image credits: ( left to right) Guan Xining, Remembrance of Su Dongpo (detail), 1775. Ink and color on paper. Gift of Marilyn and Roy Papp; Jiang Tingxi, Peonies, Morning Glories, Cherries, and Chinese Cotton, late 17th-early 18th century. Ink and color on gold paper, mounted as fan on original staves inlaid with mother-ofpearl. Gift of Marilyn and Roy Papp in Honor of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary; Unknown, Cocoon-shaped pottery jar, Western Han dynasty, 1st century BCE–26 CE. Ceramic with pigments.

Gift of Richard J. Faletti; Emily Eden, Akalees or Immortals, 1844. Hand-painted chromolithograph on paper. The Khanuja Family; Unknown, Large vase with deer, pine and lingzhi fungus motifs, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, 1662-1722. Porcelain with underglazing. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Wong.

Through more than 20 hand-painted lithographs on loan to the Museum from The Khanuja Family Collection, this installation offers a view of 19th-century India through the eyes of British novelist and artist Emily Eden. Eden traveled to India in 1836 with her brother, Lord Auckland, who served as Governor-General of India from 1836–42 and whose status provided Eden with unusual access to Indian royalty and the country’s remote regions. She documented her travels through both extensive letters, which she later published as a travel book, and detailed sketches, which she had privately printed as a set of lithographs upon her return to England in 1842. These works depict a range of subjects, from maharajas and servants, to camel drivers and the Sikh rulers of the Punjab, in exquisite detail through the eyes of an outsider.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

15

Through March 29, 2020 | Art of Asia galleries

The ancient Chinese phrase “mind landscapes” describes a mental state by which humans can conjure renewed creativity just as nature regenerates itself. This concept of rejuvenation, of starting fresh yet recalling what once was, can also apply to identity, as exemplified by the life of C.C. Wang.

A painter, collector, and art dealer, Wang deepened his knowledge of classical Chinese painting as a young man by studying the imperial collection at the Palace Museum in Beijing and living in Suzhou and Shanghai, two of China’s great art capitals. In 1949, however, intrigued by the individualism and personal freedom available in the West, he moved to New York City, where he enrolled at the Art Students League. At that time, Manhattan was a rising global center of art and culture; the Abstract Expressionists, an avant-garde group of artists, were redefining artistic expression, and the city’s cultural renaissance offered new philosophies that Wang freely integrated into his practice. In particular, he was inspired by the improvisational qualities and multicultural influences of jazz.

Striving to reconcile his pursuit of a contemporary identity with his cultural heritage, Wang began conjuring visionary scenes that relied on his knowledge of historical works but existed only in his mind.

He found common ground between traditional Chinese artists and the Abstract Expressionists, who both believed in the brushstroke’s power to express an artist’s personality, and incorporated random ink patterns into his work to yield images with a musical quality.

Wang often created landscapes by pressing crinkled paper coated with ink onto a colored wash. The result was works marked by webbed lines suggestive of mountains, mist, trees, water, and other established elements within Chinese painting. Although an unconventional approach, Wang’s goal was equal to that of classical Chinese ink paintings: to immortalize nature’s splendor. For instance, the most colorful of the landscapes in the Museum’s installation, dated 1987, conveys bluish grey mountaintops crowned with lush golden vegetation, all rising out of milky mist against a stormy sky.

This scene likely does not exist on Earth but rather was forged through Wang’s imagination and skill.

Mind landscapes such as those in Landscape Paintings illuminate Wang’s duality as a Chinese and American artist who embodied a globalized perspective and exemplified the ability of artists to make— and then remake—themselves in hopes of leaving their mark upon the world. Through this special installation, viewers discover Wang’s valuable contribution to both Chinese and American art history through modern works that combine traditional Chinese painting with abstraction and improvisation in a harmonious melding of past traditions and contemporary considerations.

Emily Eden: Portraits of the Princes and People of India is made possible through the generosity of the Sikh Heritage Fund. Mountains and Rivers, Flowers and Birds: Gifts from The Papp Family Foundation features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by The Papp Family Foundation. Colors of Sky and Clouds: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by Dr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Wong. Seeking Immortality: Ancient Asian Artifacts features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by Gail and Stephen Rineberg, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew B. and Wankyun R. Kim, Richard J. Faletti, and Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter, and purchased with funds provided by Asian Arts Council.

Landscape Paintings by C.C. Wang, 1907–2003 features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by Jeannette Shambaugh Elliott. All installations and exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are made possible, in part, through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.

16

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

I

n Elena Climent’s Cocina con vista al viaducto (Kitchen with View of the Viaduct) (1995), the main subjects are items sure to be recognized by any person from anywhere—brightly colored soda bottles, ears of unhusked corn, bulbous yellow onions, and a calendar hung with hopeful purpose but without clearly marked intentions. The scene is one of quietude, a comfortable feeling of home. This essence is what most intrigued Betsy Fahlman, PhD, the adjunct curator of American art at Phoenix Art Museum, when she discovered the work.

“I was struck by the ordinariness of it,” Fahlman said.

“The bottles, the vegetables, the views outside. It could be anybody’s kitchen.”

Inspired, she curated Still Life: Ordinary Pleasures, featuring still-life paintings drawn from across the Museum’s American, Latin American, and European art collections. On view through November 27, 2022, the installation places Climent’s painting in conversation with those by Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Odilon Redon, Helen Torr, and others, all of which feature classic still-life subjects such as fruit, flowers, and domestic objects.

Gabriel Laderman’s Still Life #6 (1967), for example, offers a subdued painted scene of bottles, mugs, and water pitchers on a shelf, while Alacena (Cupboard) (1974) by Mariana Yampolsky, the installation’s sole example of a photographic still life, depicts a cluttered-but-orderly scene of various kitchenware.

S T IL L L IF E : O R DIN A R Y P L E A S U R E S

L A N D S C A P E PA IN T IN G S B Y C. C. WA N G , 19 0 7– 2 0 0 3

THROUGH NOVEMBER 27, 2022 AMERICAN ART GALLERIES

During ancient times, the deceased throughout Asia were often buried in tombs filled with objects meant to accompany them into the afterlife. This installation showcases ceramic replicas of servants and animals, figures meant to protect the dead from malevolent spirits, and more, all hailing from China, Japan, and Korea and gifted to the Museum by Gail and Stephen Rineberg, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew B. and Wankyun R. Kim, Richard J. Faletti, and Drs. Thomas and Martha Carter, or purchased with funds from Asian Arts Council, a former support group of Phoenix Art Museum.

Not all artworks in the installation, however, are representational in nature. Instead of attempting to accurately capture the slight nature of shadows and a surface’s straight lines, Randall Davey’s Flowers in Vase and O’Keeffe’s The Apple (1920–1922) lean toward abstraction, with O’Keeffe’s soft lines and pastel palette yielding an organic shape that, to some, may more closely resemble a yellow peach than the apple named as the work’s subject.

This variety of approaches showcased throughout the installation illuminates an important characteristic of the genre, which dates as far back as 15th-century Egypt: that although a still life may be realistic, it isn’t always truthful.

A view of an object or setting is a filtered interpretation, as seen through the eyes of the artist at that specific moment. In addition, Fahlman said, artists often constructed scenes from objects they had on hand, either to practice new techniques or convey a pointed meaning.

Despite these differences in style or intention, however, still-life paintings from every era and across the installation invariably elicit the same transformation: before them, the viewer becomes the voyeur, a close looker striving to uncover the rhythm of the painter’s brushstrokes or the similarities that unite them with those of a time long past. In this way, all Museum visitors are sure to discover something appealing, surprising, or affirming as they delight in the contemplative works of Still Life: Ordinary Pleasures.

Still Life: Ordinary Pleasures is made possible through the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation.

image credit: Elena Climent, Cocina con vista al viaducto (Kitchen with View of the Viaduct), 1995. Oil on canvas and panel. Museum purchase in honor of Clayton Kirking with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. L. Gene Lemon. © Elena Climent.

FA MILIA R FORMS

S E E K IN G IM M O R TA L I T Y: A N CIE N T A S I A N A R T IFA C T S

A scholar born at the end of the Qing Dynasty who grew to become a pupil of contemporary aesthetic, Wang forged a distinct style that merged the traditions of East and West, old and new, to create mind landscapes of otherworldly, yet familiar, scenes. Through March 29, 2020, visitors to Phoenix Art Museum can experience this imaginative confluence of Wang ’s inspirations in Landscape Paintings by C.C. Wang, 1907–2003, on view in the Art of Asia galleries.

S P ECI A L I N S TA L L AT IO N S

image credit: C. C. Wang, Landscape, 1970. Ink, Light (color), paper. Bequest of Jeannette Shambaugh Elliott.

S P ECI A L I N S TA L L AT IO N S

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

17

IN DI A : FA S HIO N ’ S M U S E THROUGH JUNE 21, 2020 ELLMAN AND HARNETT GALLERIES

EXPLORING THE W ES T ’S LOV E A F FA IR WITH INDIA

In an increasingly global society, few countries have inspired and influenced the West more than India, one of the world’s oldest human civilizations characterized by deeply diverse, highly complex regional cultures.

I

ndian traditions have impacted Western languages, diets, and spiritual and health practices, while also profoundly influencing the tastes and trends of Western fashion, as illustrated

by Empress Josephine’s love of the paisley shawl to Dior’s 2020 menswear collection.

More than 200 years of this centuries-long adoration of Indian aesthetics, textiles, silhouettes, and palettes come to life in India: Fashion’s Muse, the latest exhibition of fashion design at Phoenix Art Museum. Spanning the 18th through the 21st centuries, the exhibition showcases more than 50 ensembles and accessories, including gowns by Indian fashion designer Anamika Khanna, vintage and contemporary saris, a Nehru jacket previously owned by John Lennon, and designs

by Alexander McQueen, Pierre Balmain, Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, and more. Through this vast array of works, Fashion’s Muse offers deep insight into the ways in which historical and contemporary Indian designs have influenced everything from Western jewelry to haute couture.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

18

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

19

Jean was inspired to curate Fashion’s Muse, her first exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum not only because of objects in the Museum’s collection, but because of the current, complex dialogue within the fashion world that seeks to distinguish between thoughtfully infusing elements from other cultures and appropriating traditional garments and styles into Western fashion. In late 2018, Jean noted, Gucci faced significant criticism for dressing models in cobalt-blue turbans for its runway show, as the design of the headpiece, which is worn by followers of Sikhism as a profession of faith and for which many have been subjected to violent attacks, was not contextualized within the history or culture from which it was derived. The outcry over Gucci’s lack of cultural sensitivity was not, however, the first—nor the last—time that Indian fashions or styles have been incorporated into Western designs for profit and without proper due. In 2010, Louis Vuitton introduced a Diwali collection, named after the Hindu festival of lights, while in 2015, models trekked down the runway at Givenchy’s Paris Fashion Week show in jeweled bindis, ornaments placed on the sixth chakra (sometimes called the third eye) by those who practice Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism to increase access to their inner wisdom and intuition.

Most recently, the fall 2020 menswear collections of Etro, JW Anderson, Paco Rabanne, and Kiko Kostadinov featured paisley and the Nehru jacket.

With deep awareness of the long and sordid history of the Western world’s absorption of Indian traditions, advancements, and even articles of faith without acknowledgment of their origin or meaning, the exhibition makes a point to share the history of various designs so visitors learn to whom particular styles, forms, or patterns should be attributed. The exhibition’s section on paisley, for example, features an 1820s ensemble adorned with a brilliantly decorated chartreuse and emerald shawl made not in India but in Western Europe. The shawl is similar to those made in Paisley, located in Scotland’s Renfrewshire region, and through Fashion’s Muse, audiences discover that although the popular motif originated in Persia and India, it was named for the Scottish town, where, thanks to the Jacquard loom, the shawl could be woven more affordably and en masse to meet the West’s intense demand for the beloved accessory during the height of British colonialism. As a result, the pattern’s Indian and Persian roots were obliviated.

A major section of the exhibition dedicated to the sari, for example, examines the ways in which the dress, one of the most common traditional garments of India, has inspired Western designers through the decades.

Visitors experience saris made in India displayed alongside Western gowns drawing influence from the design either subtly or directly—as seen in a 1960s, one-shoulder gown by Givenchy adorned with cascading silver-lame paisley, or the paisley-print and bold emerald and gold palette of a 1980s-era Jean Louis jumpsuit.

In a section dedicated to menswear fashion, the exhibition features a Nehru jacket, a hip-length coat with a characteristic band collar (sometimes referred to as a mandarin collar), previously owned by John Lennon. The coat was named for India’s first prime minister following independence, Jawaharlal Nehru, who often wore an achkan, a historic knee-length coat from Northern Indian primarily reserved for Indian nobility that closely resembles the Nehru jacket’s silhouette. Although the garment retains the name of Minister Nehru, it grew in Western popularity in the 1960s, when members of iconic rock band The Beatles donned the jackets for a 1965 concert in New York’s Shea Stadium.

More than just a display of exquisite ensembles and accessories, including a stunning array of gold jewelry and Judith Leiber purses, however, Fashion’s Muse also seeks to sensitively confront the West’s often problematic relationship with cultural appropriation, rooted in its colonial past.

“My intention with this exhibition is not only to celebrate and honor the vast diversity of Indian style, but also to create a conversation,” said Helen Jean, the Museum’s Interim Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design. “How do we appreciate the inspiring influence of Indian aesthetics on global fashion trends while also acknowledging the West’s distillation of those designs and their meaning to suit Western consumers?”

20

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

It is this, the tension between the West’s celebration of Indian designs and its erasure of their origin and original meaning, around which Fashion’s Muse seeks to create increased awareness. The exhibition continually asks visitors to challenge their preconceptions about Indian fashion and consider their complicity in the appropriation and absorption of such designs, in turning tradition into transaction.

S A R A S WAT I: IN DI A’ S M U S E The title India: Fashion’s Muse takes its name from the nine Greek goddesses of contested origin, who provided a divine spark of inspiration for artists, musicians, writers, and other creative pursuits, the root of the word “museum.” In the Hindu tradition, however, the source of creative inspiration is Saraswati, a consort of Brahma and the Hindu goddess of aesthetics, music, learning, wisdom, and speech. In many ways, then, Saraswati provides the inspiration for creative expression. Although she is most often depicted as dressed in pure white, celebrants of Saraswati Puja, the springtime festival of the goddess, often dress in brilliant yellow saris and other garments. The color, which is drawn from mustard blooms, is believed to be Saraswati’s favorite. image credit: Raja Ravi Varma, Goddess Saraswathi, 1896.

Oil on canvas. Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, Lakshmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara, Gujarat.

“The world is a very big place, and yet we are so connected,” said Jean, reflecting on what she hopes audiences take away from India: Fashion’s Muse. “Each of us has in our closets garments and accessories that were inspired by an entirely different part of the world, with India most likely represented. I hope that in seeing this show, we are all encouraged to look in our own closets, to wonder where things came from, to learn more, and to be more aware of the stories and origins of the objects with which we choose to surround ourselves.”

image credits: (page 19) Anamika Khanna, courtesy of the designer. (above, left to right) Unknown, Dress, 1820s. Cotton eyelet lace. Arizona Costume Institute Purchase; Alexander McQueen, Peacock Dress, Fall/Winter 2008-9. Commissioned 2010. FIDM Museum Commission.

Funds provided by Karen Coombs-Jordan. Image courtesy of Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles.

India: Fashion’s Muse is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible through the generosity of Arizona Costume Institute, The Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance, Ellman Foundation, Ellen and Howard C. Katz, Opatrny Family Foundation, Janet and Chip Glaser, and Meredith and Charles von Arentschildt. It is also made possible through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

21

THE ALCHEMY O F T ERESI TA F ERN Á N DE Z

BY WAT ER

BY FIRE To use beauty and pleasure to seduce viewers into engaging with a social issue is an effective strategy.

To extend that approach to enable connections and interactions between disparate communities makes it powerful and important.”

AMADA CRUZ

IN “ T ERESITA FERN Á NDEZ A ND FELIX GONZ A LEZ-TORRES: SOME T HING PERSON A L” FROM T HE E XHIBITION CATA LOGUE TERESITA FERNÁNDEZ: ELEMENTAL

22

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

T E R E S I TA F E R N Á N DE Z : E L E M E N TA L MARCH 21 – JULY 26, 2020 ANDERMAN, MARCUS, MARLEY, LENHARDT, MARSHALL, AND HENDLER GALLERIES

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

23

LEARN MORE Paper-over-board hardcover with gloss laminate, metallic gold foil stamped text on front and spine, no jacket, matte black edge tinting on book block

Untitled (1997), for example, is a mirrored floor sculpture that evokes the pool from the myth of Narcissus. A straightforward interpretation of water, the work references voyeurism but encourages self-reflection, asking viewers to activate the piece by looking, both down into the artwork and into themselves. In doing so, they are led to contemplate the relationship between art observer and art object, between human and nature. Can one hold meaning without the other?

Fire (2005) similarly relies on audience activation. A suspended sculpture made of thousands of hand-dyed silk threads, its flame patterns stand at ease until they are animated by light and air as viewers move around them. Like Untitled (1997), it presents an interpretation of a physical element, but its essence, its magic cannot be revealed without those who encounter it.

Teresita Fernández: Elemental brings to life the myriad experiential and luminous works from Teresita Fernández’s career of more than twenty years. Images of her visually alluring, monumental sculptures and installations reveal how one of America’s most compelling contemporary artists investigates the intersection of culture and landscape. This catalogue captures the powerful nature of a creative practice that draws connections between landscape, history, place, and materiality. Included essays and interviews shed light on Fernández’s sculptural and conceptual approaches, as well as her references to land, geology, and social order. Accompanying this monograph, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and Phoenix Art Museum have co-organized the retrospective Teresita Fernández: Elemental, the first midcareer survey of the 2005 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

Is a Spanish translation forthcoming?

US $50.00

CAN $66.00

GBP £39.99

ISBN 978-3-7913-5884-0

Nocturnal (Horizon Line) pivots and takes a different approach. In the 2010 work, graphite is both Fernández’s material and subject. Inspired by the history of Borrowdale in Cumbria, England, where graphite was first mined, the work is an interpretation of the same natural resource from which it was derived.

T

he dazzling and luminous works of Teresita Fernández often leave audiences breathless, in awe of their shimmering surfaces, undulating lines, and monumental stature. But the artist’s sculptures, installations, and mixed-media wall works illuminate more than the galleries in which they inhabit, ask more of their audiences than mere admiration. They are spaces through which Fernández, a 2005 MacArthur Foundation Fellow, has redefined the landscape entirely, presenting it as a site of collaboration and conflict, introspection and interrogation—as something far beyond just a pretty view.

From March 21 through July 26, 2020, Teresita Fernández: Elemental at Phoenix Art Museum presents nearly 60 large-scale works that expand on notions of landscape and the psychology of looking and reinterpret the relationship between material, history, nature, and the sociopolitical references tied to place. The first major traveling exhibition and retrospective of Fernández’s work—and the first exhibition co-organized by Phoenix Art Museum and Pérez Art Museum Miami—Elemental spans the mid-1990s to the present, showcasing immersive artworks and environments made from materials such as silk, glass, graphite, mirrors, onyx, and charcoal that contemplate the landscape as a natural setting, a place for social interaction, and a canvas for political violence.

In an interview with Cultured, Fernández, who was born in 1968 in Miami to Cuban parents and is based in New York, explained her fascination with the word chosen as the exhibition’s subtitle: “Elemental” means the powers of nature: atmospheric, environmental.

But it also means essential—the raw core of something that can’t be reduced. The word encompasses the physicality of natural elements themselves—fire, water, earth—but also the hidden, underlying core of a substance, which is more elusive. It’s this quality that’s harder to pinpoint or to name; it’s so often rendered invisible on purpose.

24

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

“Graphite has been a popular art-making material since the 16th century,” said Melissa Hendrickson in an online article on Elemental for Smithsonian Magazine. “It was a favorite of Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, who used graphite to create some of the earliest ‘landscapes’ in Western art history.”

Fernández, however, does more than use graphite to passively sketch a landscape, Hendrickson points out. Instead, she sculpts with it and transforms the graphite itself into a landscape, one which viewers are free to consider or onto which they may project their own meaning. What the striated and marbled gray panels mean to them is not for Fernández to say.

Fernández’s landscapes have, however, transitioned in recent years, still referencing the elements, still searching for their essential, irreducible cores and the human relationship to them, but now with a greater political edge. Without apology and with crystal clarity, Fernández examines the landscape as a convergent space, where physical and social meet, where the aggression and violence of the colonizers and the disenfranchisement and resistance of the colonized define every reality. And she considers this topic—interrogates it, even—with fire.

The story of Fire (United States of the Americas) 3 (2017/2019) is a harrowing one. Made from charcoal elements arranged in the shape of the United States, it presents a nation smoldering at every edge, its ashes floating to the feet of those who stand before it. With an ominous outline of Mexico extending from the country’s West Coast, it demands silent contemplation on a U.S.-Mexico history marked by the destructive forces of Western expansion.

“Since the 19th century, when the United States invaded Mexico and devised a treaty that claimed more than half of Mexico’s territory, the United States has consistently backed coups throughout Latin America,” Fernández said in an article for The New York Times. “It has militarized right-wing groups; intervened in elections, civil wars and revolutions; and ignited wars, massacres and gang violence that have left deep scars, forcing the impoverished and imperiled to move north seeking asylum. In the 1930s, President Herbert Hoover started a mass deportation program that expelled 1.8 million Mexicans from the United States, 60 percent of whom were legal citizens. Such stories of American history are largely unknown to a great many United States citizens.”

Fire (America) 5 (2017) similarly exposes—enlightens—with flames. The work again suggests a national landscape ablaze, this time with the harsh and uncomfortable realities of America, as articulated through the polarizing political rhetoric of the tumultuous 2016 CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

CRUZ ORTIZ SIRMANS

Teresita Fernández

Teresita Fernández Elemental

For more than two decades, Fernández has conjured images of natural elements and created with earthen materials, perhaps in an effort to solve the mystery of this raw, underlying core, this elemental essence. Her works of fire, water, and earth, however, are never meant to serve as standalone objects, stagnant artworks in white-walled galleries. They are, instead, sites of participation, intimate and unpredictable spaces in which viewers are encouraged to consider the elements separately, as well as their relationship to them.

Elemental

PÉREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI PHOENIX ART MUSEUM DELMONICO • PRESTEL

SHOP E ARTH, WIND, AND FIRE $ 4 5 . 0 0 ( M E M B E R) | $ 5 0 . 0 0 ( N O N - M E M B E R)

This exhibition catalogue reveals how one of America’s most exciting installation artists investigates the intersection of history, identity, and natural landscapes.

AVAILABLE IN THE MUSEUM STORE. HARDCOVER. 224 PAGES.

E X P E R IE N CE LENHARDT LECTURE: TERESITA FERN Á NDEZ MARCH 21 | 1 PM

Join us for the third annual Lenhardt Lecture, featuring Teresita Fernández, as she discuss her mid-career survey, Teresita Fernández: Elemental.

CI R C L E S O F S U P P O R T E XHIBITION PRE VIE W M A R C H 19 | 6 P M

Circles of Support donors are invited to a private reception and viewing of Teresita Fernández: Elemental before it opens to the public. The evening will feature remarks by Teresita Fernández.

MEMBER-E XCLUSIV E ACCES S MEMBERS’ PREVIEW DAY MARCH 20 | 10 AM – 5 PM MEMBERS’ MORNING MARCH 21 | 10 AM – NOON

PhxArt Members enjoy two opportunities to preview the exhibition before it opens to the public.

FOR MORE E VEN T INFORM ATION, OR TO BECOME A CIRCLES OF SUPPORT DONOR OR PHX A RT MEMBER, VISIT PHXART.ORG .

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

25

REVIEWS OF E LE M E N T A L “Obras cuyos recorridos ‘acogen’ al espectador dentro de una especie de enviroment, invitándole a pensar sobre su existencia y realidad, bajo coordenadas espacios temporales trazadas por estas obras. En esa experiencia afloran dudas y certezas.”

DEN N YS M ATOS, EL NUEVO HERALD

“The work of the New York-based artist Teresita Fernández engages with two of the most pressing issues of the day—environmental catastrophe and political instability—while also holding personal significance.”

OSM A N CA N YEREBA K A N, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Fernández subverts traditional genres of landscape painting and Land art to provoke dire narratives.”

N ATASH A GUR A L, FORBES

“Fernández’s work draws from the natural world, though in her hands, it becomes refracted and lambent, less simulacrum than experience. Her images of fire seem hot; her materials— onyx, glass, mirrors—earthen. Her world is dreamlike: the landscape rhetorical. Or its own kind of body.”

MONICA USZEROWICZ, CULTURED

U.S. presidential election. It also serves as a warning of the repercussions of destructive environmental practices, such as deforestation, offshore drilling, fracking, water and air pollution, and the like, that continue to devastate the Earth. Yet it may also call to mind how indigenous peoples have for centuries used controlled burns to modify the landscape. In this way, the work elicits contemplation on the destructive yet regenerative powers of the natural element.

With its astounding variety of materials, works, and subjects, Teresita Fernández: Elemental provides countless opportunities for meaningful interaction and contemplation, its stunning showcase of experiential and intimate creations powerful enough to hold the attention of even the most nascent art-museum visitor with its beauty.

In correspondence with Amada Cruz, the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO of Seattle Art Museum and the former Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum, who co-curated the exhibition,* Fernández offers insight into the role beauty can play in art and political work: There is a sidestepping that beauty employs. It’s not that the work is ‘about’ social justice. . . . It’s that the beauty in an artwork can be used as a springboard to attach other urgencies. Beauty seduces, it holds attention, it creates a space and a pause where other messages can be lodged gently, subtly placed to linger. The word ‘aesthetic’ in its original form actually means ‘to make aware’ . . . artists in turn enable [people] to feel palpably connected.

But connected to what? To art? To themselves and each other? To history, the Earth, and the universe? With consideration for Teresita Fernández: Elemental, the answer is likely, “All of the above.”

26

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

Teresita Fernández: Elemental is co-organized by Phoenix Art Museum and Pérez Art Museum Miami. Its premiere at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible through the generosity of the Ford Foundation, The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Exhibition Endowment Fund, Meredith and Charles von Arentschildt, and National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Lee and Mike Cohn. It is also made possible through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members. *Teresita Fernández: Elemental was also co-curated by Franklin Sirmans, Director of Pérez Art Museum Miami, and María Elena Ortiz, Associate Curator of Pérez Art Museum Miami, with Gilbert Vicario, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and the Selig Family Chief Curator of Phoenix Art Museum. image credits: (page 22-23) Teresita Fernández, Fire, 2005. Silk yarn, steel armature and epoxy. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Accessions Committee Fund purchase. (Created in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia) © Teresita Fernández; Teresita Fernández, Charred Landscape (America), 2019. Charcoal. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul.

Installation view: Teresita Fernández: Elemental, Pérez Art Museum Miami, 2019–20. Photo: Oriol Tarridas. (page 24, top to bottom) Teresita Fernández, Viñales (Subterranean), 2015. Glazed ceramic. Photo: Elisabeth Bernstein. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; Teresita Fernández, Borrowed Landscape, 1998. Wood, fabric, oculus light, pencil, paint. Originally commissioned at Artpace, A Foundation for Contemporary Art/San Antonio, TX. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; Teresita Fernández, Charred Landscape (America) (detail). (above) Teresita Fernández, Night Writing (Wittelsbach Graff), 2011. Colored and shaped paper pulp with inkjet assembled with mirror. Courtesy of the artist; Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and Singapore Tyler Print Insitute; ( below) Teresita Fernández, Charred Landscape (America) (detail); ( left) Teresita Fernández, Fire (United States of the Americas) 2, 2018. Charcoal. Installation view, Fire (United States of the Americas) 2, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX, 2018. Courtesy the artist; Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong and Seoul; and McNay Art Museum.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

27

As an evocative visual language, abstraction has, for more than a century, provided artists with a space through which to explore and articulate complex human emotions and narratives.

B

eginning May 2, Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art at Phoenix Art Museum pays particular attention to post-1990s abstract art from Latin America to uncover how abstraction in the region has served as both a powerful vehicle to examine key social issues and a critical tool of examination, participation, and reckoning.

Featuring more than 40 rarely seen works drawn from a 2018 gift to Phoenix Art Museum from Nicholas Pardon, co-founder of the former SPACE Collection—the largest collection of post-1990s abstract Latin American art in the United States—the exhibition in the Museum’s Steele Gallery showcases installations, paintings, and mixed-media wall works by 25 of the most innovative artists working in the region today while offering profound insights into contemporary Latin American culture and politics.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

S T O R IE S O F A B S T R A C T IO N : CO N T E M P O R A R Y L AT IN A M E R IC A N A R T MAY 2 – SEPTEMBER 20, 2020 STEELE GALLERY

image credit:

28

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

Marta Chilindrón, Blue Cube 48, 2006. Twin wall polycarbonate. Gift of Nicholas Pardon. Image courtesy Nicholas Pardon.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

29

“Stories of Abstraction encourages our Arizona audiences to discover how artists from Latin America use abstraction as an entry point to explore form, color, and space, while critiquing, reacting to, or recasting sometimes radical social and political discourse,” said Gilbert Vicario, the Museum’s Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and the Selig Family Chief Curator who curated the exhibition. “This exhibition is an important opportunity to foster new dialogues in the Phoenix community and beyond about the significant achievements of abstract artists from Latin America.”

Stories of Abstraction features artworks from Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, and Guatemala. Despite their varied origins, however, all works in the exhibition illuminate the intention of post-1990s abstract Latin American art to comment on real events and ideologies through locally sourced objects or materials that elevate the everyday to art.

Espectacular telón (2013) by Mexican artist Pia Camil, for example, is made of hand-dyed and stitched canvas and serves as an abstract interpretation of the used, recycled, and abandoned billboards that line Mexican cities and highways. The work, which is effectively a three-dimensional painting without the need for paint, is indicative of Camil’s continued interest in highlighting the ruinous impact of commercialism on the urban landscape.

LEARN MORE E X P E R IE N CE PHX ART AFTERHOURS: STO RI ES O F A B STRA CTI O N & ELEM ENTA L M AY 14 | 6 P M Join us for an evening of contemporary Latin American and Latinx art, inspired by the exhibitions Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art and Teresita Fernández: Elemental.

FOR MORE INFORM ATION, VISIT PHXART.ORG .

Gabriel Sierra’s Sin título (siete conejos) (2001-2013) also examines humanity’s relationship to constructed environments. The Colombian artist’s sculptural installation consists of bricks made of straw and glue arranged in ascending or descending size depending on interpretation, continuing Sierra’s exploration of the languages of design and architecture through manipulated organic materials.

Much like Sierra’s work, Nine Triangles (2009) and Blue Cube 48 (2006) by Argentina’s Marta Chilindrón also play with perspective through the application of simple materials. Made of acrylic and polycarbonate, respectively, the sculptures layer colors within geometric forms to present minimalist works that offer compelling and varied views from every angle, encouraging viewers to walk around them and observe. In this way, the works do not call attention to a particular social or political topic, but rather explore the interactive relationship between the human body and its physical environment.

Viewers are encouraged to consider their own interpretations and perceptions and ask, “Can I really believe what I see?”

In addition to highlighting works by many of Latin America’s foremost abstract artists, Stories of Abstraction sheds light on the history of abstraction in the region. Works from Pardon’s gift are displayed alongside key historical works from the Museum’s American and European art collections by artists such as Alexander Calder, Pedro Friedeberg, Carlos Mérida, Bridget Riley, Frank Stella, and Jesús Rafael Soto. Through this juxtapositon, the exhibition seeks to illustrate how Latin American abstraction has often drawn from previous abstract movements around the world.

With its wide range of evocative, conceptual, and experimental works by contemporary Latin American artists, placed in conversation with those from Europe and the United States, Stories of Abstraction introduces new narratives surrounding the relevance and significance of abstract Latin American art. As a result, audiences are challenged to reconsider their preconceptions of contemporary Latin American art and, within that context, to reflect on how artwork lacking figuration or recognizable characters can generate insightful commentary and even political change.

Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and made possible through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members. The exhibition features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by Nicholas Pardon.

30

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

image credits: (clockwise from top left) Horacio Zabala, Hipótesis para una ecuación (amrillo, azul, marron, verde, rojo) (Hypothesis for an Equation [Yellow, Blue, Brown, Green, and Red]), 2012. Acrylic on canvas,

enamel on wood. Gift of Nicholas Pardon. Image courtesy of Nicholas Pardon; Darío Escobar, Broken Circle VIII (detail), 2013. Plastic and steel. Gift of Nicholas Pardon. Image Courtesy of the artist and Nils Steerk, Copenhagen. Photograph: Andres Asturias; Sergio Vega, Shanty Nucleus After Derrida 2, 2011-2013. Installation, Inkjet vinyl prints mounted on syntra. Gift of Nicholas Pardon. Image courtesy Nicholas Pardon.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

31

Long before Ansel Adams became a household name, known for his iconic photographs of sweeping Western American landscapes and sun-drenched snow blanketing the soaring Sierra Nevadas, he dreamed of becoming a classical pianist. With dogged devotion, he taught himself at the age of 12 to play and read music and plied his hands at this craft, determined to succeed in his musical pursuits.

He would, however, ultimately give it up for what would become his life’s work: photography.

P

erhaps it was this foundational love of piano that inspired Adams to liken the photographic process to music. “The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score,” he once said, “and the print is the performance.” This observation, of the performative nature of photography, was the inspiration for the new exhibition in the Norton Gallery at Phoenix Art Museum. Featuring some of Adams’ most renowned images, Ansel Adams: Performing the Print explores the iterative nature of Adams’ process through the display of multiple prints he created from a single negative, proving that the art really is in the details.

The exhibition showcases more than 60 photographs spanning the artist’s career and drawn from the Ansel Adams Archive housed at the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) in Tucson, which Adams co-founded in 1975 in collaboration with then-University of Arizona president John P. Schaefer. The Museum’s final exhibition curated by Rebecca A. Senf, PhD, the chief curator at CCP who served as the Museum’s Norton Family Curator of Photography for more than a decade, Performing the Print dives deeply into the specific nuances of Adams’ performative approach to photography.

To illuminate how Adams thought through each step of an image’s lifecycle, from capturing the negative (the original “score”) to editing it down to express a unique character or quality (the performance), Senf pairs multiple prints of the same image, allowing viewers to see how Adams regularly explored various interpretations of his images.

“Being able to show multiple versions of prints from the same negatives helps the audience understand what Ansel Adams was doing,” said Senf. “You can tell someone about what Adams was thinking or what he was doing, but it’s ideal to be able to show them. To see, for instance, two prints from the same negative that are printed at different sizes, or to see how the dodging and burning caused one print to be darker or lighter, more subtle or more dramatic. Those are things you can see when you can compare the prints side by side.”

For an artist like Adams, the idea of performing the print began before each photographic negative was even exposed. Although he once modestly joked, “Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter,” Adams was never simply pointing, clicking, and printing.

His method was deeply thoughtful, beginning with an imagined artwork—what he desired the final print to be—and from there, he planned his approach, first considering where he might stand to capture the initial image and ending with attempting multiple prints in the darkroom.

“The whole printing process is full of decision making, of trial and error,” said Senf. “You put the negative in the enlarger, you create a print, and then you look at that product and say, ‘Well, this is not what I wanted….’ Then you go back into the darkroom and try it again.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

ANSEL ADAMS: P E R F O R MIN G T H E P R IN T THROUGH JUNE 7, 2020 NORTON GALLERY

PERFORMING A R T ILLUMINATING THE CRAFT OF ANSEL ADAMS 32

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

33

LEARN MORE

EDUCAT IO N

Each year, the Teen Art Council (TAC) at Phoenix Art Museum offers 15 Valley teens the opportunity to learn about careers in the arts and museums by connecting them with local artists and Museum staff and empowering them to create community-oriented events geared toward their peers.

SHOP E A R LY R I S E R $45.00 (MEMBER) | $50.00 (NON-MEMBER)

Written by Rebecca A. Senf, PhD, the chief curator at the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Making a Photographer: The Early Work of Ansel Adams provides an unprecedented and eyeopening examination of the early career of one of America’s mostcelebrated photographers.

AVA IL A BL E AT T HE MUSEUM S TORE. H A RDCOV ER. 288 PAGES.

E X P E R IE N CE M A K I N G A PH OTO G RA PH ER : THE EARLY WORK OF ANSEL ADAMS MARCH 28 | 1 PM Rebecca A. Senf, PhD, chief curator at the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, and curator of Ansel Adams: Performing the Print will discuss and sign copies of her new book, Making a Photographer: The Early Work of Ansel Adams.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT PHXART.ORG.

image credits: (page 24) Ansel Adams, Winter Sunrise, the Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, California, 1944. (page 25) Ansel Adams, Arches, North Court, Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson, Arizona, 1968. (above) Ansel Adams, Spanish-American Youth, Chama Valley, New Mexico, ca. 1937. Gelatin silver prints. Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Ansel Adams Archive. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

34

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

Each of the groupings featured in the exhibition illuminate this intentionality of process, as some showcase works that differ quite distinctly, while others have only subtle variations between them. One pairing, for example, presents two noticeably different approaches to the portrait Spanish-American Youth, Chama Valley, New Mexico (ca. 1937). In one performance of the image, the subject is at a slight distance from the viewer, flooding him in light as he rests his arms on a wooden fence, cumulonimbus clouds rolling in the sky behind him, his hat tilted to one side. In the second version of the portrait, the image is cropped, bringing the subject more intimately into view, his face partially obscured by shadow.

“Adams mounted and signed both of these prints,” Senf said, “which means he considered them both finished works. It’s not that one or the other was better or worse—they’re just different ways of seeing the same view.”

In other pairings, the nuances between prints are much more subtle, particularly in three examples of one of Adams’ most famous works, Aspens, Northern New Mexico (1958). Adams captured the original negative of the trees after observing them during an autumn drive with his wife and two photography assistants. Although the black-and-white print did not retain the brilliant golden hue of the trees, it did capture their vertical, nearly bonelike quality set against the darkness of the forest.

The differences among the three prints of this single image are a study in darkroom techniques.

“They’re each dodged and burned differently,” Senf explained, referring to how photographers can manipulate the exposure of an image. (Dodging reduces exposure to lighten parts of the image, while burning increases exposure to darken areas of a photograph.) “These are lovely examples of the kind of subtle and typical differences that can be achieved when making prints in the darkroom and a great way for viewers to appreciate the nuanced differences from print to print, because each one is a handmade object.”

This unique, bespoke quality of Adams’ images differentiates them from those created through digital processing today, by which many identical copies of a single image can be produced. His works, instead, speak to a time when photography, still a young artform, relied as much on the skills of the photographer’s hands as it did his eye.

The works on view in Performing the Print, the otherworldly moonrises, the intimacy of homecoming depicted by a single ranch house on a snowy plain, reveal much about the interests, aesthetic, and vision of Ansel Adams the composer. But it is the near imperceptibility of their differences, the shifts in light and shadow, the details that appear and disappear in each print, that illuminate Ansel Adams the performer. Through these pairings, the viewer can experience the work of the photographer’s hands, the painstaking effort to bring to life his creative vision.

Ansel Adams: Performing the Print is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Center for Creative Photography.

It is made possible through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.

S

ince its inception in 2017, TAC has hosted public programs such as a fashion sustainability workshop, various events presented for free on the Museum’s Teen Nights, and Teen Art Gathering, a professional development opportunity that brings together youth and educators from five organizations to talk about youth art education.

Now, for the first time, the Council has added a curatorial project to its portfolio. Through July 19, 2020, Color Vibrations, the Museum’s first special installation curated by TAC, presents nearly 20 abstract artworks by Alice Trumbull Mason, Hans Hofmann, and Agnes Martin, among others. Drawing from the Museum’s modern and contemporary art collections, the installation examines how the vibrant, expressive colors and forms of abstract art reflect human emotion, from the chaotic to the serene.

TAC began conceptualizing the project in September 2019 after it was proposed by Marissa Del Toro, the Museum’s DAMLI* curatorial fellow.

Over six months, the council received guidance from Museum staff, including Del Toro, interpretation and accessibility manager Gwendolyn Fernandez, and Linda Alvarez, the Museum’s teen programs coordinator.

“TAC has met curators in the past, but this opportunity provided a deeper level of understanding about the curatorial process,” said Alvarez, who advises the teens year-round. “They learned about everything from selecting and researching artworks, to laying out and installing an exhibition.”

The council also learned about interpretation, or how museums present exhibitions to the public in accessible ways. As part of that process, members were tasked with writing object labels for

featured artworks, using the Gene and Cathie Lemon Art Research Library as a valuable resource.

About Paradox #7, Low Key Spectroscope (1969) by Alice Trumbull Mason, for example, one council member described Mason’s desire to convey human emotion through non-objective artwork and contextualized the installation’s work within that history. “This painting,” the label states, “created sometime after the sudden death of her son, is part of a more muted period of Mason’s work. The sharper and more angular style reflects her emotional state at that time.”

In addition to researching and writing interpretative wall text, TAC is also creating special programming to encourage deeper engagement with the installation. Teen workshops on March 14 and 25 will explore techniques and concepts related to the artworks, allowing participants to experiment with specific art processes.

“These events will allow the teens to develop teaching goals and public speaking skills,” Alvarez said. “In its totality, however, this experience of curating an installation from start to finish has been an invaluable, hands-on opportunity for them to learn about collaboration and consensus-building in the museum workplace.”

Teen programs are made possible through the generosity of the Carstens Family Funds.

They are made possible, in part, through The Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and supported by Thunderbirds Charities. For more information on Color Vibrations or to apply to the Teen Art Council at Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org. The application deadline for the 2020–2021 cohort is May 1, 2020. *DAMLI is an acronym for The Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, a partnership between the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation that helps fund the Museum’s Teen Art Council, paid internships, and a curatorial fellowship focused on Latinx art.

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

35

CIRCLES OF SUPPORT

CIRCLES OF SUPPORT

T H A NK YOU

Phoenix Art Museum gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our Circles of Support donors, whose annual gifts benefit our exhibitions, educational programs, and services for the community.

Please Note: This list recognizes those Circles donors who have made a gift between July 1, 2019 and February 29, 2020. Beginning July 2020, Circles of Support donors, institutional donors, 21st Century Society members, Corporate Council members, and Museum Members at the Fellow level will be mentioned in each issue of PhxArt Magazine.

DIR E C T O R ’ S CIR CL E $25,0 0 0 Allison and Robert Bertrand Bud and Gerry Grout °F. Francis and Dionne Najafi

T R U S T E E ’ S CIR CL E $10,0 0 0 Anonymous (2) *Ruben and Shelley Alvarez Andrew and °Amy Cohn °Craig and Barbara Barrett Ginger and *Don Brandt Laurie and *Drew Brown Carl and Marilynn Thoma *Amy S. Clague °Larry Clemmensen Lee and *Mike Cohn Deborah G. Carstens *Harold Dorenbecher and Mary Heiss *The Dorrance Family Foundation *Carter and Susan Emerson *Robert and Micheline Faver *Mark and Diana Feldman *David and Caroline Garcia *Judy and Bill Goldberg *John and Kathleen Graham Heather and *Michael D. Greenbaum *Mrs. Nancy Hanley Eriksson & Mr. Ronald J. Eriksson *Lila Harnett °Maria Harper-Marinick and Michael Marinick *Jon and Carrie Hulburd Jan and Tom Lewis Jett and Julia Anderson *Jane and Mal Jozoff *Ellen and Howard C. Katz *Dr. Parvinder Jit Singh Khanuja and Parveen Kaur Khanuja *Don Kile Judy and *Alan Kosloff °Richard and *Sally Lehmann *David and Dawn Lenhardt Janis and °Dennis Lyon *Sally A. Odegard *Opatrny Family Foundation *Rose and Harry Papp *Blair and Lisa Portigal

°Roberta Aidem *Kim and Steve Robson *Paige Rothermel *David Rousseau *Sue and Bud Selig *Ms. Ann Siner Pam and °Ray Slomski Charles and *Meredith von Arentschildt

CU R AT O R ’ S CIR CL E $5,0 0 0 Anonymous °Alice and Jim Bazlen Betsy and Kent Bro Richard and Ann Carr Katherine and Charles Case Gloria and Philip Cowen Pam Del Duca Larry Donelson Beverly N. Grossman °Dr. and Mrs. Meryl Haber Judith Hardes Jeanne and °Gary Herberger Carol and Kenneth Kasses Amy Koch Sheldon & Marianne Lubar Charitable Fund Susan and Philip W. Matos Diane and Larry McComber Pat and Keith McKennon Dr. and °Mrs. Hong-Kee Ong Matthew and Mary Palenica Timothy Schwimer Iris and °Adam Singer °Angela and Leonard Singer Nancy Swanson °Gary and Diane Tooker °Gilbert Waldman and Christy Vezolles °Mr. and Mrs. William G. Way °Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Weil III

B E N E FA C T O R ’ S CIR CL E $2,50 0 Anonymous Milena and °Tony Astorga °John and Oonagh Boppart Mr. and Mrs. Tom Chauncey, II Edie and James Cloonan Robert M. Dixon

Jim and Betsy Donley Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Donnelley, III Bill and Beth McRae Dougherty Jane and Andrew Evans Paul Giancola and Carrie Lynn Richardson Kenneth and Janet Glaser Victoria and Rod Granberry Dean and Taylor Griffin Cheryl J. Hintzen-Gaines and Ira J. Gaines Doris and Martin Hoffman Family Foundation Ellen and Bob Kant Dr. and Mrs. Jamie Kapner °Andrew B. and Wan Kyun Rha Kim *Margot and Dennis Knight James and Ina Kort Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Lavinia Thomas S. and Sheri A. Levin Cheryl Londen Tess Loo Dr. and Mrs. Robert F. Lorenzen Dr. and Mrs. Herbert J. Louis Sheldon & Marianne Lubar Charitable Fund °Paul and Merle Marcus Steve and Janice Marcus Cindy and °Don Martin Michael and Jane Murray John J. Pappas Jody Pelusi Gail Rineberg Lois and John Rogers Sheila Schwartz Jacqueline Schenkein and Michael Schwimmer Mr. George F. Sheer and Linda Porter Donna Stone Paula and Jack Strickstein Barbara and Jim Sturdivant °Miriam and Yefim Sukhman Mollie C. Trivers and Shelley Cohn Charles and Vonnie Wanner Dr. and Mrs. William Weese Daniel and Joy Wilhelm Paul and Katherine Wolfehagen

PAT R O N ’ S CIR CL E $1,50 0 Anonymous (4) Judy Ackerman and Richard Epstein

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 Linda and Jim Ballinger °Carol Barmore Matt D. Bedwell and Lindsay A. Mehrtens-Bedwell Uta Monique Behrens David and Susan Berman Neil Berman Karen and Gary Bethune James T. Bialac °Donna and Gus Boss Nancy and Joe Braucher Linda H. Breuer Eric and Dorothy Bron Sumner Brown and Lyn Bailey Julia and Robert Bruck Sue Bunch Ray and Mona Buse

Kay Butler Jerry and Stefanie Cargill Sandy Chamberlain and David Kest Jennifer and Bill Clark Marilee and David Clarke The Clements Family Elaine and Sidney Cohen Deborah and Richard Cookson °Joyce Cooper Lattie and Elva Coor Sam Coppersmith °Joan D. Cremin Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Damico Mr. and Mrs. Alfred D’Ancona Leslie Dashew and Jack Salisbury Mr. and Mrs. Michael DeBell Luino and Margaret Dell’Osso Conrad Diven JoAnne Doll Sydney D. Dye and L. Michael Dye Gary Egan Judith and John Ellerman Maureen and Tom Eye

Richard and Suzanne Felker Katalin Festy-Sandor Noel and Anne Fidel George and Ann Fisher Amy Flood and Larry West Dr. Stephen and Madeleine Fortunoff Susie and Don Fowls Dr. and Mrs. Jack A. Friedland Dr. Paul and Amy Gause Allison Gee Elton Gilbert Angela and Jeffrey Glosser °Richard and Susan Goldsmith Laurie and Charles Goldstein Shawn and John Goodman Karen and James Grande Barbara Graves Kate Groves and Warren Meyer Sharon Halliday and Joseph Lee Ashley Harder Karen and Lawrence Harris Josh and Cat Hartmann CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

M AY T HE JOY S OF T OD AY BE T HO S E OF T OMOR RO W. We’d love the opportunity to tell you more about our planned giving program and how gifts like a charitable IRA rollover can help the Museum remain a place where all people are welcome to discover, grow, and dream.

If you already have included Phoenix Art Museum in your estate plans, please let us know so we may thank you for your generosity and recognize you as a member of our 21st Century Society.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT PLANNEDGIVING@PHXART.ORG. image credit: Maynard Dixon, Home of the Desert Rat, 1944-1945. Oil on canvas. Bequest of Leon H. Woolsey.

 Arizona Five Arts Circle * Current Trustee ° Past Trustee

36

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

37

SUPPORT

IN MEMORY

2 019 A CI HOL IDAY L UNCHEON O

n December 9, Arizona Costume Institute (ACI) hosted its 2019 Holiday Luncheon, presented by To Be Continued, at Phoenix Art Museum. The beloved annual event featured keynote speaker Tonne Goodman, former Vogue fashion director and author of Point of View. The luncheon grossed more than $170,000 in support of education programs and acquisitions for the fashion-design department of Phoenix Art Museum. Thank you to all who attended, with special thanks to the Holiday Luncheon chair, Jennifer Carmer, and honorary chair, Priscilla Nicholas, along with the Holiday Luncheon committee and sponsor.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ACI, VISIT ARIZONACOSTUMEINSTITUTE.ORG. image credit: Haute Photography.

CIRCLES OF SUPPORT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Hauser William Hawking Michael Hawksworth and Anna Sokolova Maxine and Ralph Henig Ms. Mary Beth Herbert and Mr. Cecil Penn Linda Herman Paul and Yinglu Hermanson Lori and Howard Hirsch Amber Hodge and Johnny Perez Lynda and Arthur Horlick Mimi and David Horwitz Betty Hum Nancy Husband Jeff and Sarah Joerres Gigi Jordan and Bob Patterson °Dr. Eric Jungermann Ruth R. Kaspar Elise Kausen Kathy and Fred Kenny Eleanor and Bruce Knappenberger Carolyn Refsnes Kniazzeh Susan Kovarik and Brian Schneider Judy Krolikowski °Carolyn R. Laflin Bruce and Jane Lawson Cathie Lemon Benjamin and Lucinda Lenhardt Jerry and Shirley Lewis Dr. Dorothy Lincoln-Smith and Dr. Harvey Smith °K. David and Ann Lindner Michael and Susan Little Don and Debra Luke Mr. and Mrs. Daniel G. Maloney Roger and Victoria Marce

38

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

Paul and Ann Markow Wally and Martha Martin Henkel Sandra Matteucci Carol Davidson McCrady Tammy McLeod and John Hamilton °Jim and Jean Meenaghan Arthur Messinger and Eugenie Harris Victoria and Anthony Miachika Sherrell Miller Doris and Eliot Minsker David and Judee Morrison Gene and Connie Nicholas Richard B. and °Patricia E. Nolan Mr. and Mrs. Michael Norton Kenneth O’Connor and Deedee Rowe Kay and Walter Oliver Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Ottosen Robert and Myra Page Camerone Parker McCulloch and Robert McCulloch, M.D. David and Mary Patino Stan Payton James and Karrie Pierson Mrs. Arnold Portigal Mrs. Maritom K. Pyron Ida Rhea Nancy Riegel Karen Riley Carol and Thomas Rogers Merle and Steve Rosskam Betsy Retchin Sandra and Earl Rusnak Vincent and Janie Russo Val and Ray Sachs Mary and Tom Sadvary Jana and Charles Sample

CO M MI T T E E CH A IR Jennifer Carmer

H O N O R A R Y CH A IR Priscilla Nicholas

CO M MI T T E E Perrine Adams | Ronna Beeson | Libby Cohen Kathy Emery | Amanda Garmany | Janet Henrich Glaser Jan Herwick | Donna Johnson | Kathie May Mary Ellen McKee | Patti Oleson | Nancy Pendleton Elodee Portigal | Shirley Prest | Helene Presutti Dennita Sewell | Lisa Shapiro | Carol Shriber Khamsone Sirimanivong | Amy Slethaug Joy Sprink | Vicki Vaughn

SPONSOR To Be Continued

Stella and Mark Saperstein Laura and Gary Saterbak James and Linda Saunders Carol and Randy Schilling Fred and Arleen Schwartz Arlene and Morton Scult Mary and Stanley Seidler Charles and Rowena Simberg Donald and Dorothea Smith Lynne Smith Jean and Scott Spangler Woody and Nancy Spivey Judy and Bud Stanley Barbara Steiner Rosemary and George Stelmach °Betsy and Bruce Stodola Rick and Lynda Strusiner Richard and Carolyn Szatkowski Gustavo A. Tabares Allyson J. Teply Dr. and Mrs. Richard Towbin Pat and Phil Turberg Jacquie and Merrill Tutton Mrs. Betty Van Denburgh Mildred B. Williams Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Vecchione Susan and Chuck Watts Gerald Weiner Sherry Wilcop Marilyn W. Harris Gretchen and Dick Wilson Ronald G. Wilson and Bonnie Naegle-Wilson Georgia Ray and R. Stephen Wolfe Stephen and Robin Woodworth Delwyn and Diana Worthington Pat and Barry Yellen

I

n a letter to his brother, Theo, Vincent van Gogh once wrote, “Those who love much do much and accomplish much, and whatever is done with love is done well.”

Raymond J. Slomski, a Trustee of Phoenix Art Museum, lived those words throughout his life until his untimely passing on December 26, 2019.

A native of Chicago’s South Side, Ray was the only child of working-class parents who modeled for him the generosity, kindness, and authenticity that would define his life. They devoted themselves to his education, and Ray would ultimately go on to graduate from law school at Northwestern University, fulfilling an early dream of practicing law. In the early 1980s, Ray relocated to Arizona, where he met and married his beloved wife, Pam, beginning an adventurous life together during which they raised their two children, Whitney and Bucky. He also established his legal career in Arizona, first working as a defense attorney with Jennings, Strouss, & Salmon, PC, until beginning his own firm with a focus on advocating for the victims of catastrophic injuries. Ray devoted his life as an attorney to being a voice for vulnerable people. Through his dedication to his clients, his tenacity as a legal strategist and laser-focused litigator, and his unrelenting care and compassion for those who most needed him, Ray built one of the most successful and respected medical malpractice firms in the state of Arizona.

But Ray also sought to make the lives of those in his community better in other ways, primarily through his volunteerism in behalf of education and arts and culture. He played an active role in supporting educational institutions both in the Valley and his native Illinois, and at Phoenix Art Museum, Ray served as a dedicated and devoted Trustee since 2011. As a Trustee, he was a steadying presence whose thoughtful consideration for those around him—and for the community in which he lived—made him an invaluable asset to the Museum. Jon Hulburd, his longtime friend and fellow Trustee, recalled: “Ray was not only a long-standing Trustee but an active one.

Even with a busy trial schedule, he made meaningful time for what mattered most to him, his family, his friends, and his community. Many of us who served with him at the Museum sought his wise and tempered counsel. He was thoughtful and unfailingly kind and he never missed a chance to make us laugh.”

In the end, however, it is not the professional or honorary leadership titles that he held that most defined Ray. The hallmark of Ray Slomski’s life was his uncanny ability to be fully present for those who needed him most and to be unfailingly true to himself. Always kind, always funny, and always devoted to his family, Ray left a model of compassion and grace—and a spirit of adventure—that can never be forgotten. As a man who knew how to enjoy and get the most out of all that life had to offer, he was as equally determined to help all people find joy, comfort, and healing in their own lives.

To have known Ray in this life, to have had the rare privilege to count him as a friend and colleague, is to have been inspired by his determination to stand up for those who most needed it, to accord all people with dignity and respect. As employees and volunteers of Phoenix Art Museum, we count ourselves lucky to have served alongside him.

R E ME MBE RING R AY MOND J. S L OM S K I NOVEMBER 18, 1956 – DECEMBER 26, 2019

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

39

IN MEMORY

SUPPORT

I

n reflection on a life well-lived, the American writer Diane Ackerman once wrote, “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” Few words, perhaps, better sum up the life of Dennis Lyon, who served as an Honorary Trustee of Phoenix Art Museum and who was beloved by friends and family alike for his zeal for living the width and length of his nearly 84 years.

For Denny, as he was known by loved ones, a great joy of his life (besides delicious food, great wine, Southwestern art, Wildcats football, and Suns basketball) was being a community leader in the region he called home. Denny grew up in the Southwest after his family moved in 1947 from Great Neck, New York.

Upon earning his degree in finance in 1957 from the University of Arizona, he joined Russ Lyon Realty, which was founded by his father. As Denny increased his knowledge of and experience in Arizona real estate, he sought to help other real-estate professionals increase their skills as well, serving as the founding president of the Arizona Real Estate Institute, which would prepare future business leaders for success by modeling Denny’s own brand of honesty, quality service, kindness, compassion, and integrity.

R E ME MBERING DE NNIS LYON MARCH 17, 1935 – OCTOBER 9, 2019

Phoenix Art Museum was made better by the presence of Denny. His infectious laugh and deep knowledge of art provided the ingredients for the perfect Trustee. His wisdom, knowledge of Arizona, and undying loyalty to making our community a richer and better place was only surpassed by the twinkle in his eye when talking about his family. Denny is a person who will be missed but long remembered.”

W I L L I A M WAY

CH AIR OF T HE BOA RD OF T RUST EES, 2010 –13 PHOENIX A RT MUSEUM

Denny’s professional success was amplified by his kindness and whole-hearted desire to make everyone he met feel welcomed and included. It is this generosity of spirit that no doubt inspired his desire to make a difference in his community by supporting arts and cultural institutions, seeking to help each grow and thrive. Inspired by his own love of art, particularly of Southwestern paintings and pottery crafted by indigenous artists, Denny became a volunteer leader of organizations such as Phoenix Art Museum, the Heard Museum, and the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos.

He gave generously not only of his resources through transformative gifts and donations of incomparable works of art, but also of his time. At Phoenix Art Museum, he served on the Board of Trustees since 1993 and helped guide the Museum’s successful capital campaigns. He also helped to steward the growth of the Museum’s art collections through his longtime service on the collections committee.

Today, Denny’s name, along with that of his wife of nearly 50 years, Janis, are forever commemorated on a wall of the Museum’s Janis and Dennis Lyon Gallery. But Denny’s impact on this Museum and the community it serves is not limited to a gallery name. In the end, the open-handed width of Denny’s profound, generous spirit could never be contained in any one gallery, in any one museum, in any one memory.

FALL GALA CELEBRATED 60TH ANNIVERSARY, HONORED ELLEN AND HOWARD KATZ

O

n November 2, Phoenix Art Museum hosted The pARTy in the Garden. The elegant event honored longtime Museum supporters Ellen and Howard Katz and welcomed Mayor Kate Gallego, who named November 18, 2019 “Phoenix Art Museum Day” in honor of the Museum’s 60th anniversary. In addition, guests enjoyed exclusive access to Legends of Speed, the Museum’s first exhibition of vintage racing cars, before it opened to the public on November 3. The annual gala grossed more than $750,000 in support of exhibitions and education programs at Phoenix Art Museum.

Thank you to all who attended, with special thanks to The pARTy in the Garden co-chairs, committee, and sponsors.

T H E PA R T Y IN T H E G A R D E N CO M MI T T E E Susan Emerson, Co-chair Laurie Florkiewicz, Co-chair Margot Knight Meredith von Arentschildt

SPONSORS Arizona Distilling Co. Código 1530 Tequila PHX BEER Co Saks Fifth Avenue Wines underwritten by Denise and Bob Delgado

left: Teddy Schwarzman, Ellen Katz, and Howard Katz. image credits: Haute Photography.

40

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

41

MEMBERSHIP

NE W Y E A R, NE W WAY S T O JOIN

J

ust in time for the new year (and the new decade), Phoenix Art Museum is pleased to offer monthly Membership subscriptions. For less than $10 per month, you, your plus-one, or your entire family can enjoy unlimited access to the Museum you love, as well as invitations to exclusive Members’ events, exciting discounts at The Museum Store and Palette Restaurant, and more.

J U S T M E | $ 6 M O N T H LY

PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR ONE ADULT

Y O U A N D M E | $ 8 M O N T H LY

PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR TWO ADULTS

A L L O F U S | $ 9 M O N T H LY

PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR TWO ADULTS AND CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN AGED 17 AND YOUNGER All monthly Membership subscriptions include the following: • Unlimited admission to Phoenix Art Museum, including special-engagement exhibitions • 10% discount at The Museum Store and Palette, the Museum’s on-site restaurant • Invitations to exclusive exhibition viewings and other Members’ events* • Free or discounted tickets to films, lectures, and other Museum programs* FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO PURCHASE A MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION, CALL THE MEMBERSHIP OFFICE AT 602.257.2124 OR VISIT PHXART.ORG/MEMBERSHIP. *For restrictions and exclusions, please visit phxart.org.

42

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

BE OUR GUE S T At Phoenix Art Museum, we want all of our guests to feel welcomed to explore our galleries.

On your next visit, here are just a few of our frontline team members who will greet and help you discover all that is new and exciting at PhxArt. “The arts have always been important to me. I love working with our Museum Members, specifically our Friends of Contemporary Art and Arizona Costume Institute affiliate-group members, to connect them with the art in our collections in a meaningful way.”

“I want people to feel inspired and curious when they visit the Museum. This is a creative and educational space, which is why I’m happy to help guests discover different galleries and types of art and answer any questions they may have.”

RENEE AGUIL AR

MARK MORALES

“For me, art is so much more than paintings on a wall—art has the power to lift you out of the everyday.

When our guests visit, I want them to feel welcomed the moment they walk through our doors so they can enjoy that break from reality.”

“Working at Phoenix Art Museum makes me feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself, and I want our guests to discover what makes the Museum great, too. I make sure they have fun and feel safe, and that all our visitors, families especially, experience the Yayoi Kusama installation.”

MEMBER ENG AGEMEN T SPECIA LIST

SAR AH GAUGHAN

VISITOR SERVICES ASSISTA N T SUPERVISOR

SECURIT Y OFFICER

TERESA CONTRER AS G A LLERY AT T ENDA N T

“I love to talk with visitors about the artworks in the galleries so they can discover things they might not otherwise see. Next time you walk around Anish Kapoor’s Upside Down, Inside Out, for example, try to count the number of ways your reflection changes.”

C A R LY VA N D O X VOLUN T EER

“There are few things in the world that can bring people together, and art is one of them. I enjoy meeting people of different races, ages, and economic statuses who visit the Museum, and I am always ready to greet them with a smile and listen to what interests them to help ensure they have a positive experience.”

STEPHON PRESTON

VISITOR SERVICES ASSOCIAT E

SPRING 2020 / PHXART.ORG

43

SPRING IN T O SUMMER BEAD DAZZLED

Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Phoenix AZ Permit Number 402

Shop PhxArt for design-inspired gifts, and support the arts in your community.

Phoenix Art Museum 1625 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1685 phxart.org

THE MUSEUM STORE

$ 37. 8 0 ( M E M B E R) | $ 4 2 . 0 0 ( N O N - M E M B E R )

Made from recycled Kantha textiles, these colorful, beaded collar necklaces are all one-of-a-kind.

16” LO N G W I T H 3” E X T EN DER. SUS TA IN A BLY H A N DM A DE BY WO M EN A RT IS A NS IN IN DI A .

H OO P ( T H E R E I T I S) $17. 9 9 ( M E M B E R) | $19. 9 9 ( N O N - M E M B E R )

Brighten up any outfit with these graduated Kantha hoops perfect for every creative occasion.

2” W IDE. F INISHED W I T H NICK EL A N D L E A D - F REE F REN CH E A R W IRES. SUS TA IN A BLY H A N DM A DE BY WO M EN A RT IS A NS IN IN DI A .

W E H AV E D R IF T O F F $ 4 0 . 5 0 ( M E M B E R) | $ 4 5 . 0 0 ( N O N - M E M B E R)

Enjoy sweet dreams in style with this hand-embellished sleep mask.

SIL K , EL A S T IC, SEQUINS, A N D BE A DS. DRY CL E A N O N LY. A DJUS TA BL E EL A S T IC S T R A P. H A N DM A DE IN IN DI A .

PA P E R V IE W $ 2 6 . 9 9 ( M E M B E R) | $ 2 9. 9 9 ( N O N - M E M B E R)

No joke—this book is a working paper camera, complete with guidelines on basic photography principles, a lightproof bag, five sheets of photo paper, and development instructions.

CA M ER A DIM ENSIO NS: 4” X 5”.

44

SPRING 2020 / PHXART MAGAZINE

MEMBERS GE T M OR E! R E CE I V E A 10 % DI S CO U N T O N M O S T M E R CH A N DI S E AT T H E M U S E U M S T O R E , E V E R Y D AY. Certain restrictions may apply.

SHOP ONLINE FOR THESE PRODUCTS + MORE AT P H X A RT. O R G.