Press RoomPhoenix Art Museum to premiere new American art exhibition; hosts in-person programming inspired by exhibition Juan Francisco Elso: Por América in June
Phoenix Art Museum to premiere new American art exhibition; hosts in-person programming inspired by exhibition Juan Francisco Elso: Por América in June
May, 22, 2023
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Phoenix Art Museum to premiere new American art exhibition; hosts in-person programming inspired by exhibition Juan Francisco Elso: Por América in June
PHOENIX (May 22, 2023) – This June, Phoenix Art Museum will premiere new American art exhibition William Herbert “Buck” Dunton: A Mainer Goes West,memorializing the legacy of a Taos Society of Artists’ founding member, whose paintings helped popularize images of the Southwest across a global audience. The Museum will also host in person programming inspired by special-engagement exhibition Juan Francisco Elso: Por América, including Creative Saturday, an Exclusive Exhibition Tour with curator Olga Viso, Artist Talk with Sandra Ramos, and much more. The Art of Asia wing will close on May 28 in preparation of its upcoming fall rotation.
CLOSING SOON Art of Asia and Khanuja Family Sikh Heritage galleries Closing May 28, 2023 The Museum will close its Art of Asia wing on May 28 for summer renovation in preparation of the upcoming fall rotation. The following exhibitions will close during this time period:
OPENING SOON William Herbert “Buck” Dunton: A Mainer Goes West June 17, 2023 – June 30, 2024 William Herbert “Buck” Dunton: A Mainer Goes West celebrates the legacy of the Taos Society of Artists’ (TSA) resident “cowboy painter.” Founded in 1915, the TSA was the central group to create and popularize images of the Southwest. Dunton enjoyed commercial and critical success, exhibiting works at the National Academy of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the 1924 Venice Biennale, among other achievements. Featuring some of Dunton’s most significant works, the exhibition provides an intimate look at the American artist, including a selection of paintings drawn from the Museum’s collection, creating a dialogue between his own practice and those of his peers and collaborators.
William Herbert “Buck” Dunton: A Mainer Goes West is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Harwood Museum of Art. It is guest curated by Michael K. Komanecky, Independent Curator and Art Historian, and Betsy Fahlman, Adjunct Curator of American Art, Phoenix Art Museum, with additional curation by Nicole Dial-Kay, Harwood Curator of Exhibitions and Collections. The exhibition’s presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible through the generosity of Supporting Sponsors Men’s Arts Council and Carl and Marilynn Thoma, with additional support from Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
ON VIEW NOW Juan Francisco Elso: Por América Through September 17, 2023 Juan Francisco Elso: Por América explores the significant career of the late Cuban artist, whose sculptures and installations examine the complexities of contemporary Cuban, Caribbean, and Latin American identities. Fashioned from natural, organic materials, featured works draw influence from Indigenous traditions, Afro-Caribbean religious beliefs, and the traumas of colonial oppression and are placed in conversation with paintings, sculptures and more by a group of 30 multigenerational artists active in the Caribbean and throughout North, South, and Central America. Through this contextual approach, the traveling survey illuminates Elso’s legacy and articulates a more expansive idea of the Americas, free of geopolitical borders and boundaries.
Juan Francisco Elso: Por América is organized by El Museo del Barrio and guest curated by Olga Viso, curator-at-large at Phoenix Art Museum and senior advisor at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, in collaboration with Susanna V. Temkin, curator at El Museo del Barrio. The exhibition is made possible thanks to major support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Commissions are made possible by VIA Art Fund and the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation. Its presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible through the generosity of Partner Sponsors Sue and Bud Selig and Supporting Sponsors Men’s Arts Council, The Opatrny Family Foundation, the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Exhibition Endowment Fund, and the Joan Cremin Exhibition Endowment, with additional support from Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
Lo que es, es lo que ha sido/ What It Is, Is What Has Been: Selections from the ASU Art Museum’s Cuban Art Collection is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and ASU Art Museum and curated by Olga Viso, curator-at-large at PhxArt and senior advisor at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and Julio César Morales, executive director and co-chief curator of MoCA Tucson. The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of the Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members.
Reynier Leyva Novo: Methuselah Through October 1, 2023 Methuselah (2021–2022) by Cuban artist Reynier Leyva Novo is a mixed-reality artwork that follows a butterfly avatar along its journey from Mexico, across the United States, and into southern Canada as part of the species’ annual reproductive cycle. On-site visitors will experience the Monarch’s movements and behaviors in a shared environment using a holographic device. Additionally, Methuselah is hosted and reproduced in real-time on a dedicated website so that users across the world with internet access can experience the work at any time.
Methuselah is commissioned by El Museo del Barrio through the generous support of VIA Art Fund. The project is presented in relation to the exhibition Juan Francisco Elso: Por América, which is organized by El Museo del Barrio and made possible thanks to major support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
FEATURED JUNE EVENTS Creative Saturday June 10 | 11 – 2 pm Free for Members | Included with general admission to the general public Kick-off summer with art-making activities, performances, and hands-on experiences for visitors of all ages and abilities. Check out fashion-design exhibition MOVE: The Modern Art of Geoffrey Beene and create wearable fashion accessories with Phoenix-based artist Kyllan Maney. Discover mixed reality artwork Reynier Leyva Novo: Methuselah and investigate a monarch’s life cycle, migration journey, and wing patterns with biologist and Phoenix College professor Jon Douglas. Explore Juan Francisco Elso: Por América through music with live performances by Bolivian pianist Masaru Sakuma, featuring selections from Cuba and across Latin America. For more information, click here.
Creative Saturday is made possible in part by Carolyn Dunkin Schulte Educational Endowment Fund, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
Film Screening + Artist Talk: Sandra Ramos June 21 | 6 – 7:30 pm Free for Members | $5 for the general public Presented in Whiteman Hall Discover the life and practice of Cuban contemporary painter, printmaker, and installation artist Sandra Ramos, who explores nationality, gender, and identity in her work by drawing from her own experiences living in and migrating out of Cuba. Join PhxArt for viewings of five animated short films by Ramos that examine the complexities of daily life, migration, and gender politics in Cuba. Ramos created the series in the years leading up to her 2014 exile. In them, the protagonists imagine many pathways to survive and escape.
Following the screenings, hear from the artist in conversation with Olga Viso, exhibition curator of Juan Francisco Elso: Por América and PhxArt curator-at-large and senior advisor on curatorial affairs, and Julio César Morales, executive director and co-chief curator of Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson. Tickets are available for reservation here.
Performing Arts Programming at Phoenix Art Museum is made possible in part by the generosity of the Angela and Leonard Singer Endowment for Performing Arts.
OTHER EVENTS Object of the Month: Isla jugando a la Guerra (Island Playing at Way)by José Bedia June 1, 15, 22, 29 | 11:30 am Free for Members | Included with general admission for the general public Cuban artist José Media’s circular canvas represents a female figure as an island, surrounded by an ocean of concentric circles and comments on encounters between cultures and Cuba’s geopolitical position in the world. Join Charlotte Quinney, Interpretation Manager at PhxArt, to explore how this work juxtaposes the past and present, natural and human-made, mythological and real, on view in Migration Stories: Arizona Collects Cuban Art. For more information, click here.
Weekly Virtual Mindfulness Sessions June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | Noon Free for Members | $5 suggested donation for the general public Scientific studies show the art of mindfulness can relieve anxiety, depression, pain, and stress and actually change the way we feel, think, work, and play by opening new pathways in the brain. Presented in collaboration with Hospice of the Valley, this free, 30-minute, at-home mindfulness session promotes living in the present. This session is hosted live on Zoom, a video-conference platform. For more information, click here.
Lemon Art Research LibraryBook Club: Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico and Traditional African Designs June 17 | 1:30 pm Free for Members and the general public Presented in the Lemon Art Research Library Join librarian Jesse Lopez for the next installment of the Lemon Art Research Library Book Club, Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico by Jorge Encisco and Traditional African Designs by Gregory Mirow. The selection of this book is inspired by special-engagement exhibition Juan Francisco Elso: Por Américaand will discuss how these Dover Publications illustrated art books can be a resourceful tool for royalty free images and references. For more information, click here.
FREE-ACCESS PROGRAMS Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays Every Wednesday | 3 – 9 pm Voluntary-donation general admission SPECIAL-EXHIBITION TICKETS: $6 for adults | FREE for Museum Members, Maricopa County Community College students*, and ASU students** From 3 – 9 pm every Wednesday, the Museum offers voluntary-donation general admission and reduced rates to view special-engagement exhibitions.
Pay-What-You-Wish Wednesdays are made possible by SRP and City of Phoenix. *The Maricopa County Community College District program at Phoenix Art Museum (MC3@PAM) is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council. **Arizona State University Students will enjoy free general admission to PhxArt from May 6 through September 17, 2023, including admission into special-engagement exhibitions. Visitors must present an active student ID at the time of admission.
PhxArt AfterHours September 1 /// December 1, 2023 5 – 9 pmComplimentary admission | Free-access eventAt select times throughout the year, Phoenix Art Museum opens for free after dark for PhxArt AfterHours, activated by live music, art-making workshops, specialty food and drink experiences, and other performances and entertainment. Visit the Museum during an AfterHours event to expand the way you interact with art.
PhxArt AfterHours are made possible through the generosity of Partner Sponsor APS.
PhxArt Family Fundays July 30 /// October 29 10 am – 5 pmComplimentary admission | Free-access dayAt select times throughout the year, Phoenix Art Museum hosts PhxArt Family Fundays, an all-ages, free-access day with complimentary admission to every gallery and exhibition and arts-engagement programming suitable for visitors of all ages, interests, and abilities.
PhxArt Family Fundays are made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council.
Free Admission for Maricopa County Community Colleges Students Through the MC3@PAM program at PhxArt, all Maricopa County Community Colleges students who attend any of the 10 colleges or affiliated skill centers will enjoy free general admission to PhxArt, including admission into special-engagement exhibitions. Visitors must present an active student ID at the time of admission.
The Maricopa County Community College District program at Phoenix Art Museum (MC3@PAM) is made possible through the generosity of Presenting Sponsor Men’s Arts Council.
Educator Arts Day August 26 9 am – 4 pmComplimentary admission for Arizona educatorsJoin us for a free day of celebrating arts integrated learning at Phoenix Art Museum’s Educator Arts Day + Cultural Resource Fair. We are thrilled to welcome educators back on campus for this beloved event. Tickets include engaging professional development workshops, access to a cultural resource fair featuring more than 30 organizations, opportunities to network with educators across Arizona, continuing education credit certificate, and much more! More information available soon at phxart.org.
SCHOOL AND ADULT TOURS On-site school and adult tours have returned to Phoenix Art Museum. To learn more about school-tour offerings and planning a school visit, click here. For adult and college group tour requests, click here.
In addition, Phoenix Art Museum offers live virtual presentations for school classrooms and community organizations. For more information on Virtual Classroom Visits, click here. For more information on Virtual Presentations for Adults, click here.
School Tours and Virtual Classroom Visits are made possible in part by Carolyn Dunkin Schulte Educational Endowment Fund, The Discount Tire Endowment for Children’s Art Programs the and William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs.
PHXARTIST SPOTLIGHTS Presented by Phoenix Art Museum, PhxArtist Spotlight is a monthly series that explores what inspires and motivates Valley creatives, while leveraging the Museum’s reach in its community to support and expand awareness of working artists. Each month, the Museum highlights a different artist working in Arizona, posting a Q&A with the artist and images of their work on the Museum’s Instagram and Facebook channels and on the Museum’s bilingual blog. The artist is also highlighted in a monthly email sent to Museum Members, Circles of Support donors, and a subscriber list of more than 65,000 followers.For more information on the series, click here. For recent spotlights on Safwat Saleem and Selina A. Scott, click here.
About Phoenix Art Museum Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum has provided millions of guests with access to world-class art and experiences in an effort to ignite imaginations, create meaningful connections, and serve as a brave space for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, the Museum is a vibrant destination for the visual arts and the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. Each year, more than 300,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 20,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents a comprehensive film program, live performances, and educational programs designed for visitors of all ages, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.
