Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Virginia McInnis | VirginiaM@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4663
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art Announces Fall Events
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) presents a wide range of insightful and original events this fall season.
Join the Museum for artist-led talks, including Squidsoup and pioneers in performance art; the return of fan-favorites Mystery at the Museum and Trivia Night and a new collaborative series with the Museum of Walking. These events offer guests the opportunity to engage with artists, the community and museumgoers to consider the questions and themes explored throughout the Museum and its 2019 exhibition and installation. All events take place in SMoCA Lounge unless noted otherwise. Free events at SMoCA fill quickly and are first come, first served; early arrival is encouraged. Visitors can RSVP and purchase tickets at SMoCA.org.
In anticipation of this multi-gallery exhibition, the galleries will be closed during installation. However, the Museum’s Shop@SMoCA and James Turrell Skyspace will be open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Oct. 15 until Oct. 24. The Museum will reopen to the public at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, for the fall opening celebration. Normal hours resume Saturday, Oct. 26.
Schedule of fall events (subject to change):
Roundtable Discussion: Glass in the Contemporary
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, 4 p.m.
“Divergent Materiality: Contemporary Glass Art” curator Lauren R. O’Connell will moderate a discussion on contemporary glass with artists Cassandria Blackmore, Peter Bremers, Steven Ciezki, and Lucy Lyon along with gallerist Corey Hampson, as well as audience members, including local artists and collectors.
Art Handlers Triathlon
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, 6:30 p.m.
Behind-the-scenes takes center stage in this fourth-annual showdown where art world professionals and museum workers step into the spotlight to compete for the coveted Golden Level trophy. Pick your favorite Valley institution, and cheer them on as they install, handle and package artwork with precision, tenacity and white gloves. Cash bar.
Artist Talk: Ana Teresa Fernández and Antonia Wright
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, 7 p.m.
Join “Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970s – Now” artists Ana Teresa Fernández and Antonia Wright for a lively discussion about performance and site-responsive works.
Fall Opening Celebration
Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, 7–9 p.m.
Join us to preview the exhibition and celebrate an exciting season at SMoCA! Be the first to explore the new show with artists and other art lovers. Cash bar.
Insight Art Tours
Nov. 1, 2019 – Jan. 17, 2020
Every first and third Friday of the month, 11:30 a.m.
SMoCA curatorial staff and guest artists lead insightful, 15-minute discussions
about works of art on view. Free with admission. Schedule may vary on holidays.
“Insight Tours will provide short and in-depth looks at an artwork, allowing visitors a chance to hear different perspectives, from the staff who work behind the scenes to an artist’s point of view on another artist’s work,” said Jennifer McCabe, SMoCA’s director and chief curator.
Museum of Walking @SMoCA
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, 9–11 a.m.
Join Angela Ellsworth and the Museum of Walking — an artist-led education resource — for a specially designed walk, starting at SMoCA and venturing out for an experience connecting people, land, action and site.
Artist Talk: Squidsoup
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019, 7 p.m.
Squidsoup returns to Scottsdale to speak about their installations “Murmuration”and “Standing Wave” at SMoCA and Canal Convergence. Learn the inspiration behind each artwork, and get unique insight into their creative process.
The Art of Mindfulness: Stress Free Living
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, 2 p.m.
$12
In this public talk and meditation, Buddhist monk Kelsang Tabkay explains how anxiety and stress have their roots in our state of mind. Tabkay will show participants how to reduce and eventually overcome these conditions by working on one’s mind with a combination of meditation and positive thinking.
Mystery in the Museum: The Curator’s Conundrum
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, 6 p.m.
Pair $30, Individual $20
Gather a group of your sharpest friends and join us for an evening filled with curious puzzles, brainteasers and riddles as another mystery unfolds in the Museum! Cash bar throughout the evening and light bites to follow.
Documentary Video
Art Festival
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, 7 p.m.
A showcase of experimental shorts highlighting social, cultural
and personal topics. These artworks were produced by students in Documentary
Video Art as part of the intermedia program of the School of Art, Herberger
Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University. Space is limited.
Seating is first come, first served.
Artist Talk: Radical Hope + Futurity/Indigenous Land + Lives
Maria Hupfield in conversation with Erin Joyce and Jennifer McCabe
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, 2 p.m.
Join “Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970s – Now” artist
Maria Hupfield in conversation with SMoCA Director and Chief Curator Jennifer
McCabe and Heard Museum Fine Arts Curator Erin Joyce to discuss Hupfield’s
artwork and her solo exhibition at the Heard, as well as issues of Indigenous
land and life.
Starry Night | An ARTrageous Gala
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, 5–10 p.m.
Please save the date for the annual ARTrageous Gala, where we will
celebrate 20 years of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Join us for a
fabulous evening looking back at the founding of SMoCA — a unique and vital
cultural resource for the Southwest — and exploring how its history will help
shape our future.
Proceeds from Starry Night go to support impactful programs at
Scottsdale Arts’ four branches: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts,
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and
Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation.
For more information and to purchase your tickets, please call Kelly Hicks at 480-874-4662.
Trivia Night @SMoCA
Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, 7 p.m.
$10 (Free drink included)
SMoCA celebrates trailblazing women in this edition of trivia! Comedian Anwar Newton hosts an evening of movie, TV and music references to test your pop culture IQ. Drop some knowledge on us to win prizes and become trivia champions of SMoCA. How could it possibly get better, you ask? Your first drink is on us! So, join us for a trivia night like no other!
Sunrise in the Skyspace
Friday, Dec. 20, 2019, 7 a.m.
$10
Bundle up and spend the shortest day of the year at SMoCA! Celebrate the winter solstice with us, watching the sunrise in James Turrell’s “Knight Rise” Skyspace. Refreshments included.
Artist Talk: Saskia Jordá and Beth Ames Swartz
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2019, 7 p.m.
Join “Counter-Landscapes: Performative
Actions from the 1970s – Now”artists Saskia Jordá and Beth Ames
Swartz for a unique discussion about their individual art practices and
influences.
Museum of Walking @SMoCA
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, 9–11 a.m.
Join Angela Ellsworth and the Museum of Walking — an artist-led education resource — for a specially designed walk, starting at SMoCA and venturing out for an experience connecting people, land, action and site.
SCOTTSDALE ARTS
Through its partnership with the
City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale
Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational
opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts.
Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and
nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an
exceptional variety of programs through four acclaimed branches — Scottsdale
Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA),
Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation — serving
more than 400,000 participants annually.
SCOTTSDALE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Founded
in 1999, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) explores the best of
contemporary art, architecture and design. Global in its focus, the Museum is a
unique and vital cultural resource for the Southwest, serving local audiences
as well as visitors from the United States and abroad. Designed by
award-winning architect Will Bruder, SMoCA’s minimalist building (an ingenious
renovation of a former movie theater) has four galleries for showcasing
changing exhibitions and works from the Museum’s collection, along with SMoCA
Lounge, a living, functional art installation and space for community
engagement. The Museum presents a wide variety of educational programs and
special events for adults and families, including lectures, readings,
performances, docent-led tours, workshops and classes. SMoCA also features an
outdoor sculpture garden housing James Turrell’s “Knight Rise,” one of the renowned artist’s public skyspaces, and
“Scrim Wall,” a monumental
curtain of translucent glass panels by James Carpenter Design Associates. The
Museum’s retail store, Shop@SMoCA, offers classic design objects and
furnishings, contemporary jewelry, art and architecture books, and imaginative
gifts for all occasions.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
7374 E. Second St., Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
www.SMoCA.org
480-874-4666
SMoCA@ScottsdaleArts.org
HOURS AND ADMISSION
Tuesday – Wednesday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays and major holidays
Admission: $10 adults, $7 students, seniors (65+) and veterans; free for members and children under 15
Free every Thursday and every second Saturday of the month
MEDIA: For interviews, digital images or additional information, please contact:
Virginia
McInnis
Public Relations Specialist
Scottsdale Arts
Phone:
480-874-4663
Email: VirginiaM@ScottsdaleArts.org
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