JMG Artblog

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art ("SMOCA")

SMOCA10, originally uploaded by jmgphoto.

For lovers of contemporary art the SMOCA is a must see. Located in a redesigned cineplex facility beside the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and near downtown Scottsdale, the museum has the perfect space for sharing its exhibitions to the public. The SMOCA was founded in 1999 and is committed to modern art, design and architecture.

Strangely Familiar: Design and Everyday Life is a brilliant display of how designers influence our life everyday. Parts of the exhibit went one step further and showed how designers can use/reuse everyday items for different and even critical uses. My favorite was how temporary housing for disaster relief victims was made from cardboard rolls, wood and canvas. I will review several of the artists work on a later post.

Visit the the SMOCA's website for an overview of the various current and future exhibitions.

Jacques Lipchitz at the University of Arizona Museum of Art ("UAMA")

Entrance UA art museum, originally uploaded by jmgphoto.

UAMA is a jewel in the desert. Don't let the non-descript entrance fool you into thinking that there is nothing to see. I mentioned in an earlier post that my favorite part of the exhibit was the Jacques Lipchitz: Sketches and Models. His wife donated the work to the UAMA.

Jacques Lipchitz, 1891-1973, was Lithuanian born, studied in France and later emigrated to the USA. He was most notably recognized as a major artist in the Cubist movement. The exhibit at the UAMA is especially important since many of his works and models were destroyed in a fire at his New York studio in 1952.

The exhibit contains a broad spectrum of his sketches and models that seen together give one some insight into Lipchitz's progression as a sculptor. The collection also includes several of his sculptures including my favorite the 'Bather'-1922-23.

Directions and visiting information can be found on the UAMA web site.

Saguaro National Park

Desert Plants, originally uploaded by jmgphoto.

Photograph taken on the way to Sagauro National Park near Tucson. Click on the photograph to see various shots from the trip.

University of Arizona Art Museum

The University of Arizona's Art Museum was better than expected and is free to the public. Especially interesting was the exhibit about Christo concerning projects such as "Running Fence, Surrounded Islands, The Pont Neuf Wrapped and Wrapped Reichstag among many others". 

The museum also had a fascinating exhibit of plaster and clay models created by the sculptor Jacques Lipchitz during the course of his career.

A pleasant surprise was seeing the museum owned ZINGERS: Important Works from the 20th Century exhibit. Works from a selection of European and American 20th century luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Reginald Marsh and Isabel Bishop.

Tucson: Winter

Tucson: Winter, originally uploaded by jmgphoto.

It seems like a dream. We are finally in Tucson for our long awaited visit.  Kathleen Connally's photographs have challenged me to rekindle my love of photography. This is one of my first shots using a Nikon D70 and processed with Adobe Photoshop CS and NeatImage. I will post some of my shots periodically.

"Polles Creek" by Peter Reginato

Artwork by Peter Reginato, originally uploaded by jmgphoto.

Polles Creek (closeup photo)
2' x 12' x 11', steel, Insl-tron paint
2003

On a recent visit to Peter Reginato's studio in SOHO, I listened to Peter describe to my son the process of making his metal sculpture art. I was amazed. I had no idea of the time, effort, engineering, inspiration and perspiration that went into creating one of his master works. This close up photo of Peter Reginato's 'Polles Creek' sculpture shows the craftsmanship in constructing the Miro like shapes out of metal. I was fascinated hearing him tell  how he would take various metal objects and weld them together and/or cut them up in order to craft the shape he needed to make his art. And that was only the beginning. Next came the buffing, polishing, cleaning, priming, rewelding, assembling and finally painting of this creation. Incredible and beautiful!

ART CHICAGO 2005: Press Release

ART CHICAGO RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS WITH ART CHICAGO IN THE PARK,  APRIL 29 – MAY 2, 2005

13TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR TO BE STAGED IN DRAMATIC 125,000 SQUARE-FOOT TENT NEAR CHICAGO’S NEW MILLENNIUM PARK

2005 – For its 13th annual presentation, Art Chicago, the acclaimed international contemporary art fair produced by Thomas Blackman Associates, will be reinvented as Art Chicago in the Park and staged in a dramatic 125,000-square-foot tent overlooking Lake Michigan at Butler Field, adjacent to the new Millennium Park, from April 29 – May 2, 2005. First produced as Art Chicago in 1993 in a tent structure along Chicago’s lakefront, this year’s Art Chicago in the Park returns to its grassy “roots” with the largest exhibition structure of its kind ever erected for a contemporary art fair. The exposition will also feature an open-to-the-public sculpture garden on the surrounding grounds and roundtable forums with new and established artists throughout the four-day fair. “This year’s show will signal a re-birth of Art Chicago,” enthused Thomas Blackman, the show’s veteran producer. “The city has hosted one of the world’s top art fairs for over a quarter of a century and I am confident that the 2005 Art Chicago in the Park, with its exciting new outdoor dynamic and proximity to Chicago’s stunning new Millennium Park, will rank among the most exciting to date.” Art Chicago in the Park will feature some of the world’s most important fine arts galleries and the work of more than 2,000 individual artists. Showcasing paintings, drawings, sculpture, mixed media, film, video and installations, there will be something for practically every aesthetic and sensibility. Art Chicago had most recently been staged at Navy Pier since 1995.

Art Chicago in the Park event specifics:
Dates: Friday, April 29 – Monday, May 2, 2005
Times: Friday, April 29: 12 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 30: 12 – 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 1: 12 – 6 p.m.
Monday, May 2: 12 - 6 p.m.
[Thursday, April 28: 5 – 10 p.m. Opening Night celebration]
Location: Butler Field in Grant Park at Lake Shore Drive and Monroe Street, Chicago (adjacent to Millennium Park)
Tickets: $15.00 for adults, $12 for students and seniors
Information: www.artchicago.com or 312.226.4700

Thomas Blackman Associates (TBA) annually produces Art Chicago, The San Francisco International Art Exposition and exhibitions in the TBA Exhibition Space. TBA was founded in 1992 to showcase the finest offerings of contemporary and modern art to attract a diverse group of private collectors, museums and foundation curators to its exhibitors.

Exhibitors

Emilio Vedova Art

I had the chance to drop by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Chicago yesterday to see the Art Show of paintings by Vedova. The gallery was in a small room at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Chicago and was not crowded at all. I was the only person to view the work during the time that I was there which was a real treat. I could take my time and enjoy the work at my pace. 

Before I went to the showing I did not know much at all about this great Italian artist. Fortunately I was given a very nice book by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Chicago describing the art of Vedova being shown that added immensely to the experience. One quote in the book helped give some background to the art work I was viewing: "To me he is more like a whirling Dervish, inspired, exhilirating, in relentless motion, in contact with a superior message, but with feet well grounded on earth...a great Master." wrote Francesca Casidio, Art Institute of Chicago. In additon  you can read the review by Alan G. Artner of the Chicago Tribune (you may need to register for free if you don't have access) that will give some historical context to this great artist.

If you go to see the exhibit I would encourage you to do some homework so that you can truly appreciate the work that you are seeing.

Painting on Yupo: Daniel Smith

"Water Lily"
by Maureen E. Kerstein
Watercolor on Paper

Daniel Smith has an excellent article by Maureen Kerstein about painting on yupo that includes step-by-step instructions (includes a material list).

The Armory Show 05: New York City

For more complete coverage and for some different viewpoints on The Armory Show 05 visit:

ArtsJournal.com (Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes)
Artnet: More, More, More! by Charlie Finch
bloggy (several posts)
ARTFORUM: News
New York Times
Thinking About Art
New York Observer
jameswagner.com (several posts)
Josse Ford (several posts)

I was in New York for business and was able to get about an hour to drop by The Armory Show 05. Unfortunately I could only make it to the Pier 90 portion of the show but what I did see was somewhat interesting, a little bit confusing and not what I was expecting. There didn't seem to be any artists or themes that energized me (although being on a tight time schedule and seeing only half the show could have tainted my view). There were crowds of people at the exhibits and from my observation and conversations I expect the 40,000+ in expected attendance to be attained.

There is an interesting online slideshow showcasing Young German Art  sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour and the German-Pavilion.com.