Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019

MEDIA CONTACT: Virginia McInnis | [email protected] | 480-874-4663

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art Announces Upcoming 2020 Exhibition Schedule

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ­– Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) announces six new exhibitions on view during 2020.

Early in the year, the Museum presents an exhibition of international designers that  position environmental concerns and sustainability at the center of their process and a yearlong collection show that highlights powerful works by women artists in conjunction with the national platform Feminist Art Coalition (FAC). Summer at the Museum debuts a new light and space installation by Phillip K. Smith III and a group exhibition of Iranian photography and video that introduces viewers to the often-hidden experience of life in Iran. During the fall, an installation of ceramic sculptures by Nathan Lynch sets a stage for performances about varying viewpoints in a Post-Truth Era and an exhibition by Brad Kahlhamer presents new works in a variety of mediums that offer a meditation on the nomadic and intersectional contemporary condition that involves a social network of individuals of different ages, residency status, class and race.

Each new exhibition will kick off with an opening party that includes free admission for the public to preview the galleries with curators, artists and the community. The first opening will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, a fitting final celebration of 20 years of SMoCA.

Design Transfigured/Waste Reimagined

Feb. 1, 2020 – May 17, 2020

“Design Transfigured/Waste Reimagined” is the first exhibition to recognize designers using extreme and inventive upcycling to address the current state of our depleted and polluted environment. Waste produced by humans is so abundant that it is disrupting natural resources. In order to reduce our footprint on earth, these 30 international designers and studios — from Asia, Latin America and Europe — are pioneering a new direction in design by radically transforming waste into useful products. Many of the designers are recent graduates or faculty of design academies and universities, noting a shift in the world of design and design education, from function at the service of aesthetic considerations to socially responsible, environmental remediation.

Organized by Maria & Alberto de la Cruz Art Gallery at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. and curated by c2-curatorsquared, a partnership between Ginger Gregg Duggan and Judith Hoos Fox. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art presentation organized by Lauren R. O’Connell, assistant curator.

Unapologetic: All Women, All Year

Feb. 15, 2020 – Dec. 6, 2020

Historically, women make up less than 15% of artists in museum collections nationally. In response to this lack of inclusion, “Unapologetic: All Women, All Year” takes an in-depth look at works from SMoCA’s collection, highlighting diverse women artists whose work boldly and unapologetically addresses identity, beauty, violence and equality. This exhibition’s title conveys a sense of strength, calling for systemic change within culture, where individuals of all gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, age and ability see themselves represented within museums. On view during the 100th anniversary of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the United States, “Unapologetic” aims to create a space that recognizes the importance of equality within cultural institutions.

Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Lauren R. O’Connell, assistant curator, with Keshia Turley, curatorial assistant. The exhibition is part of Feminist Art Coalition (FAC), a national platform for art projects informed by feminisms. For more information, visit www.feministartcoalition.com.

Phillip K. Smith III (working title)

June 6, 2020 – Oct. 4, 2020

Southern California artist Phillip K. Smith III creates experiential art that highlights changes in perception as related to light, color, time and space. Using mirrors, aluminum and LEDs, the artist’s interior installations provide richly hued environments that respond to the architecture. As with other artists of the Light and Space movement, Smith transforms spaces to expand the sensorial experience of viewers. This exhibition presents new large-scale works that incorporate a precisely paced program of changing colors.

Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Jennifer McCabe, director and chief curator. The new works are commissioned by SMoCA for this exhibition.

Urban Mapping: Public Space Through the Lens of Contemporary Iranian Artists

June 13 – Sept. 20, 2020

“Urban Mapping: Public Space Through the Lens of Contemporary Iranian Artists” shines a light on aspects of the Iranian experience normally hidden from the outside world by focusing on public and private spaces. Comprised of 40 photographs and four video installations, the exhibition features the work of 10 essential voices in contemporary Iranian art who explore the notion of urban space as a nexus of social communication and political transformation; a place where personal and collective identity converge.

Organized by Allison Nance, Director of International Arts and Artists at Hillyer, and curated by Gohar Dashti. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art presentation organized by Julie Ganas, curator of programming. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog.

Nathan Lynch: Truthiness (working title)

Oct. 3, 2020 – Jan. 17, 2021

The sculptor and performance artist Nathan Lynch shapes objects and situations that are focused on formal qualities of sculpture, as well as satirical and philosophical observations about human nature. In “Truthiness” (working title), Lynch’s installation of handmade ceramic sculptures foster awkward, semi-public interactions between individuals, highlighting a shared experience of vulnerability. The abstract sculptures obscure the boundary between fact and fiction, presenting a physical metaphor to contradictory messages shared through the media about current political events. The forms appear malleable, almost shifting, and refer to the confusion created by the elastic nature of truth in contemporary American culture. The exhibition is accompanied by a variety show with storytellers, singer/songwriters, comedians and political scientists who create new works based on the same prompt in order to further consider the range in which truth can exist.

Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Lauren R. O’Connell, assistant curator. The exhibition and performances will take place leading up to, during and after the 2020 election.

Brad Kahlhamer: Swap Meet

Oct. 17, 2020 – Jan. 31, 2021

New York City-based Native American artist Brad Kahlhamer first exhibited at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) in 2004 with the hugely successful exhibition “Let’s Walk West.” For his second SMoCA exhibition, over 15 years later, Kahlhamer draws his inspiration from the ethnographic experience of “field-work” at swap meets throughout the Southwest, which he has engaged with since his childhood in Arizona. The social and cultural space of the swap meet models and fuels Kahlhamer’s artistic practice in varying mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, performance and music, as well as a new commission. At the cross-section of Native American cultures and his own culture as an artist, “Swap Meet” becomes Kahlhamer’s meditation on a nomadic and intersectional contemporary condition that involves a social network of individuals of different ages, residency status, class and race.

Guest curated by Natasha Boas, Ph.D. The exhibition is accompanied by a series of performances, a catalog and a new major commission by SMoCA.

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 600,000 participants annually. In conjunction with the City of Scottsdale, we also host more than 200,000 people annually on our campus through a robust rentals program.

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
[email protected]

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: [email protected]

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