Neighbor Roy & I attended an artists' reception at the Tucson Museum of Art recently. Here are two items I would like to share with you.
Ai Weiwei is a world-renowned contemporary Chinese artist and dissident. He was not even allowed to leave China between 2011 & 2015 because of his activism that called the world’s attention to the Chinese Communist Party’s dismal human rights record.Read More
These Zodiac figures were first exhibited in 2011 at the historic Pulitzer Fountain in New York City, and have since been shown in some of the world’s top museums, including the Tuileries Garden at the Louvre in Paris; the Alder Planetarium in Chicago; the Hirshhorn Museum in DC; Princeton University, NJ; the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Somerset House, London; and the 29th São Paulo Biennal, Brazil, among other international venues.
According to Dr. Julie Sasse, Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary and Modern Art, who organized this exhibition, “His work is monumental in importance because of his fearlessness in challenging Chinese authority and the status quo. Using art as a means of expression and resistance, Ai Weiwei addresses difficult issues with beauty, grace, and deep introspection.”
Into The Night: Modern and Contemporary Art and the Nocturne Tradition
T. Willet; Summer Storm, Lower Manhattan, 1990. Archival Pigment Inkjet Print. Courtesy of the Artist and Etherton Gallery, Tucson AZ.
This exhibit consists of the paintings and photography, sometimes indistinguishable, of 65 highly talented artists who have captured the mystery and drama of the night.
Dr. Julie Sasse tells us, “This exhibition will present a wide variety of imaginative ways that artists convey this natural phenomenon from rural to urban landscapes, and the hyper realistic to the abstract. Nocturnes can be provocative and mysterious—meditative and comforting, or brooding and threatening by the immensity and drama of the shroud of darkness. Images of the night can also represent a state of melancholy, the psychological recesses of the mind, and the cycle of life and death.”
Personally, I found these night scenes require a certain amount of contemplation to appreciate, so I would like to return and take my time wondering through this exhibit.
String Theory: Contemporary Art and the Fiber Legacy
Scott Ellegood: No Exit. 2007. Cotton on Linen Embroidery.
This exhibition is about weaving and other “fiber arts” of which I was totally ignorant. Fortunately, when I first saw it, I had Dr. Sasse as my docent. While I found the actual works of fiber art visually interesting, it wasn’t until Dr. Sasse explained the history of this art form and revealed the meaning behind many of the displayed pieces that I gained a genuine appreciation.
Big Skies/Hidden Stories: Ellen Wagener Pastels
Can’t say I have ever been a fan of pastel art … until now. I was blown away by Ellen Wagener’s large pastel representations of landscapes & cloudscapes. Stunningly beautiful! Standing back from the framed art maybe 12 or 15 feet, I often could not tell that the medium was pastels. Some are so amazingly intricate, that they appear as master photographs. Indeed, as I found out later, she often uses photographs as blueprints for her pastel art.
Water Flow: Under the Colorado River Photograms by Kathleen Velo
Under the Colorado River near Yuma.
I am not certain that this exhibit is strictly art. To me, it was almost a scientific experiment with illustrations. To get these pictures, the photographer sometimes had to tie one end of a rope to her body; the other end to a tree to keep from being taken down river by the current. Under water, she exposed a large sheet of film to a light from above the surface. Next to each image is a vile of Colorado River water from the location of the photogram and a scientific statement of the water's impurities. Interesting! But is it art?
Go. Enjoy. You can thank me later.
GUIDED TOURS
I wrote at the beginning that you will get a great deal more out of your visit to Tucson Museum of Art if you take one of their guided tours. HERE is the link to their public tour schedule. The Art Museum can also arrange private group tours with advance arrangements.
CRUSH GALA 2016
I should also mention that the Museum’s premier fundraiser, Crush Gala 2016, is Saturday March 5th. This event includes fine wine, fine art auction, and a gourmet dinner at Lowes Ventana Canyon Resort. Click Crush Gala for details.
Dining At The Art Museum
Café a la C’Art has been named one of the ten best museum restaurants in the country by Food & Wine Magazine. We at Southern Arizona Guide agree. Judy Michelet and her son Mark are true Tucson natives and take pride in presenting menu items based on traditional Southwest cuisine flavors. We dine here frequently and always have an enjoyable culinary experience. You want a really good burger? No. I mean REALLY GOOD. This is one of the best in Southern Arizona; right up there with Garden Bistro at Tohono Chul Park and Cayton's Burger Bistro at The Ritz.
