The Sedona Arts Center is presenting a special curated international exhibition exploring the theme of Surrealist influence in the contemporary art of women.
According to Vince Fazio, Executive Director of the center, “Over 220 women artists from 38 states and 8 countries responded to this unique ‘call to artists’. The work is stylistically diverse as the Surrealist influence goes well beyond traditional painting and sculpture having an impact on so many subsequent art movements like abstract expressionism, magical realism, collage, assemblage, film and photography.”
Sedona has significant roots associated with Surrealism due to the influential artists Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning who lived in Sedona intermittently for many productive years from 1943 – 1957. Surrealism was the prevailing modern art movement in 1943 when Peggy Guggenheim launched a special exhibition curated by Max Ernst entitled Exhibition by 31 Women at her Art of This Century gallery in NYC.
The Sedona Arts Center’s 31 Women Artists exhibition has been curated by Dr. Catriona McAra, University Curator at Leeds Arts University in England. She has published extensively on the art and literature of Dorothea Tanning and Leonora Carrington with a particular interest in feminist aesthetics and surrealist legacies in contemporary practice.
Dr. McAra selected 25 contemporary women artists who have applied to the exhibition. She will be presenting a Curators Talk at the Sedona Arts Center on January 23, 4 – 6pm “30+1: Dorothea Tanning, Sedona and Contemporary Art”
The exhibition will also include historically significant works by six of the women artists who were featured in the original NYC exhibition from the collection of local art historian Mark Rownd, including works by Leonora Carrington, Dorothea Tanning, Leonor Fini, Hedda Sterne, Sonja Sekula, and Hazel Guggenheim. According to Rownd, “In many ways women are the unsung heroes of contemporary art, creating artworks and actively participating in all aspects of modern art from early on.”
Fazio said, “We are grateful to announce that due to deep interest and enthusiasm for this exhibition, and thanks to funding from the Arizona Community Foundation and numerous individual donors, we have been able to award prizes, create a catalog representing the artists in the exhibition, and bring the curator to Sedona for a special presentation.”
Dr. McAra selected three works for awards including a 1st place award of $2000 to Jill Eberle of New Bern, North Carolina for a diptych mixed-media painting titled “Not This Time”, a 2nd place award of $1000 was chosen for Kelsey Ashe of White Gum Valley Australia for her film, “Pearls and Blackbirds” and a 3rd place award of $500.00 to Rose Moon of Sedona, AZ for her painting “The Flooding of Oak Creek.”
Debbie Winslow, Sedona Arts Center Development Director says, “We are excited to celebrate what we like to call the Year of the Woman in 2020. Not only are we celebrating women artists, both past and present, but 2020 coincides with the Centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.”
Sedona Arts Center is one of Northern Arizona’s most well-established cultural organizations and serves as the creative heart of Sedona. Founded in 1958, the nonprofit organization is based at the Art Barn in Uptown and offers year-round classes, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events that enhance the creative life of the Verde Valley. The Center’s Fine Art Gallery, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., promotes the original works of over 100 local artists and regularly offers special assistance for collectors and art buyers, offers private studio visits, and fosters hundreds of arts education opportunities each year.
Timeline of Events
January 3, 2020 – First Friday Opening Reception: 5–8 pm
January 17, 2020 – Presentation/Talk by Art Historian Mark Rownd: 4–6 pm
January 18, 2020 – Sedona Women’s March and Rally: 1–5:30 pm will start and end at the Sedona Arts Center
January 23, 2020 – Dr. Catriona McAra will be presenting a Curator’s Talk, at the Sedona Arts Center “30+1: Dorothea Tanning, Sedona and Contemporary Art” 4–6 pm
January 22 – 24, 2020 – “Allowing the Divine Feminine” 3-day painting workshop with Flora Aube
