Artistic Tucson » Tucson Museum of Art

Eric Firestone Gallery Presents: WARHOL: FROM DYLAN TO DUCHAMP Opening February 27th

Charles Spillar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:32:00 +0000

Andy With Ten Gallon Hat PHOTO: Bob Broder 1968

“Warhol: From Dylan to Duchamp,” the unseen work of Tucson photographer Bob Broder, will be on exhibition at the Eric Firestone Downtown Gallery starting February 27^th.

Eric Kroll, a TASCHEN photo book editor, and gallery owner Eric Firestone, curated the exhibition. The show combines 28 of the greatest photographers of our time – – Dennis Hopper, Helmut Newton, Nat Finkelstein, Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe, Billy Name, Bob Broder, Bob Adelman, Gerard Malanga, Anton Perich, Michael Tighe, Patrick McMullan and others. This inside look into the wonderful Age of Warhol showcases a rare assemblage of color, and black-and-white original prints, including a prestigious body of work on loan from the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection.

Kroll, who also lives in Tucson, recently discovered Broder’s Mother lode of Sixties Warhol images — never-before-seen, black-and-whites of the artist filming his Underground sex-Western, “Lonesome Cowboys.” The film was shot in 1968 at Old Tucson Studios and Rancho Linda Vista in the city of Oracle. Critics consider “Cowboys” the precursor to “Brokeback Mountain.”

Broder, a former chief photographer of the University of Arizona stated: “I haven’t looked at those negatives in over 40 years. I was a stringer for The Arizona Republic back in the sixties. I drove my ’65 Mustang with the white, vinyl top to the Old Tucson set. It was a non-union production, so I didn’t get booted out…besides, I knew the sheriff. I remember [Warhol] didn’t say much. And, he had high heels. He didn’t bother me, and I didn’t bother him.”

In tandem, Eric Firestone Gallery presents a continuous viewing of “Warhol Out West,” a docu-pic on “Cowboys” by late Tucson artist, Charles Littler, a founder of the Rancho Linda Vista artist community who invited Warhol to film there.

Soon, Tucson will be raining Warhols. The Tucson Museum of Art on February 27-July 3 presents “Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends,” an exhibition of his photo silk-screens, as part of Bank of America’s Art in Our Communities Program.

ANDY Photo by Nat Finklestein 1964-1966

Showing Thursdays this March, the Loft Cinema screens Warhol classics as the Edie Sedgwick double feature, “Poor Little Rich Girl”/ “Kitchen,” “The Hustler,” and, of course, “Lonesome Cowboys.”

Warhol was a magician. He turned his “in” crowd into superstars – Edie Sedgwick, Ultraviolet, Viva, Joe Dallesandro, Holly Woodlawn. He made commerce an art form by parlaying fame into currency with his iconic celebrity portraits of Marilyn, Jackie, Blondie, Liz, and Elvis. Warhol minted money with his silk-screens of the dollar bill. When his 1963 canvas of Eight Elvises sold privately for $100 million in 2008, he was coined the “bellwether of the art market.”

The public is invited to attend the “Warhol: From Dylan to Duchamp” opening exhibition party February 27, 6:00 PM – MIDNIGHT at the Eric Firestone Gallery located at 403 North 6^th Avenue. The exhibition runs from February 27- April 25, 2010. Phone: 520-882-2616 EMAIL: efg@ericfirestonegallery.com

Arizona Biennial…cool stuff

Charles Spillar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:20:06 +0000

The 2009 Arizona Biennial is up at the Tucson Museum of Art through September 26th. As usual this is a show not to be missed due to its eclectic mix of styles, subject matter and materials. I have been attending biennials for as long as I can remember, and in fact am represented in the show this time, the first time since 1995. As with any juried show, the viewer will agree and disagree with some selections, as well as some omissions given the depth and breadth of Arizona talent in the arts. The show presents an interesting mix of mediums with: 2 video works, 18 paintings, 10 photographs, 5 sculptures, 9 mixed media works, 1 installation and 3 prints. This, all from 44 artists who all are currently residing in Arizona.

Upon entering the gallery one is immeadiately drawn to the sole installation work in the show, Gwyneth Scally’s “Museum of Dying Giants”, which is composed of a fur-like tent stuffed with a scene of the great northwest complete with pine odors and mountain vista. Across the room from Gwyneth’s work is a pair of Angela Ellsworth sculptures entitled “Seer Bonnet III & IV” which are composed entirely of pins which display their heads looking like elegant beads, only to reveal the sharp pins underneath which would pierce anyone who would try to wear such a chapeau. What does this say about the dangers of vision?

Dominic Miller’s work on paper which appears at first to be a time-lapse photo of the heavens is in fact a pin-pricked, ink-covered geometric exercise which channels map-making, topography, astronomy and perhaps obsession – a curious companion to the Ellsworth piece just a few feet away. Further down the ramp at the museum the glowing red cub-like panel by Carrie Seid entitled “Full Scale” which sucks the viewer inside its translucent interior. Seid’s works beg to be touched, but don’t…please. Simon Donovan’s video work, “Lament of the mediocre regional mid-career artist” is a playful, self mocking monologue where the artist’s head is floating in a sky as the central sun/star element bemoaning his failure to make it big in the art world. Another sculptural work, Marco Rosichelli’s “Spring Fetus”, reminds us that art can be funny and stylish at the same time. Modeled after a playground kids toy, the giant spring is topped off with a fiberglass fetus shape straight out of a biology textbook – inviting the viewer to climb on board – but again please do not touch.

What does al of this mean? Guest curator Tim Rodgers, chief Curator of the New Mexico Museum Museum of art offers a brief intro at the shows start urging viewers to look at what they like and don’t like together to perhaps gain a better understanding of the range of work being created. Sometimes opposites make more sense in the context of each other. Thought provoking work is always better than the work that is numbingly bland. Be sure to check out this show to for your own opinion.

Who needs help? Almost everybody….

Charles Spillar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:24:43 +0000

In these trying times, most of our local non-profit arts organizations could use a hand. Everyone from downtown non-profit artspaces (Dinnerware gallery for one) to the “major’s” are looking to stretch their funds a bit. With the collapse of endowments (for those lucky enough to have them) and the decrease in discretionary income, many fine arts organizations are barely hanging on. While it is easy to forget that the arts are a vital part of our lives, we will miss them in greatly if they cease to exist during these trying times. From their economic impact on the community, to the richness they bring to our lives, the arts are an important element in our daily lives. Please take the time to think how you may support one of the following arts organizations either by attending an event, mailing a check, or even by volunteering to help during this rough time. I have listed the websites of many groups below, but this is not a complete list – please support your favorite, or poke around and find a few to try to help.

azopera.org

arizonatheatrecompany.org

tucsonsymphony.org

tucsonmuseumofart.org

moca-tucson.org

dinnerwarearts.com

ballettucson.org

foxtucsontheatre.org

rialtotheatre.com

Handouts for the Arts, or investment in our Cultural “Bank”

Charles Spillar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:56:49 +0000

Recent media accounts of the proposed development deal downtown raised the usual hue and cry of the taxpayer voices against “handouts” for artists. Why were the two selected arts-related groups scheduled to get funds from the Stiteler/Martin deal? Due to the location of the proposed development, these two groups were poised to both benefit from the development and also potentially be harmed by the deal. WAMO (Wharehouse Area Management Organization) and Skrappy’s were potential partners in support, which I believe the developers sought to engage as part of a grass-roots groundswell of warm-fuzzies. WAMO was also at the table as the original development agreement included master planning of much of the warehouse district just north of downtown. Skrappy’s has been in search of a home for some time now after vacating their space at the rear of the Rialto block on Broadway and this deal would have given them some security for the near future. (I am omitting the Rialto Theatre in this post as I believe that angle of the story has already been covered in many places).

How, as a community, can we support the things that help define us and enrich our lives? Can we support specific artists whose work we all agree is significant? No, not likely. It is not possible to get any large group of people to agree on anything, art especially. Can we find ways to support places which are dedicated to presenting the arts, and places which allow artists to continue to work – at a reasonable cost? Yes. We support the Tucson Museum of Art, music, dance and theatre venues in many ways (government grants, etc.). I believe supporting the conservation of the warehouse district is one way to ensure that artists are still a part of the urban experience.

Disclaimer – I worked for the Tucson Arts District Partnership when that group established the warehouse district – late 1990′s – and am familiar ,and friends with, a number of artists currently working in this area. I also watched downtown lose a lot of character when early adopters (pre-Rio Nuevo) thought downtown was hip & cool but were forced to leave. We lost great businesses and arts spaces due to greedy landlords (Yikes, Berta Wright, The Arts District Bookstore, Cafe Magritte, etc.). While I will admit market forces and other elements had a hand in some losses, I would love to have these ghosts of downtown back today. If we lose the warehouse district in the near future we will lose another barrio – an arts barrio waiting to be CAREFULLY brought to fruition, and one that we cannot replace easily anytime soon. Let’s hope other developers can recognize a value in this gem that is awaiting support.

Arizona Biennial 2009…

Charles Spillar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:20:00 +0000

Well its almost Biennial time at the Tucson Museum of Art. This every-other-year exhibit (hence the name) showcases the best in Arizona contemporary art. Drawn state-wide from submissions, and guest curated by a prominent juror, the show promises to let the public get a sense of contemporary art being created by Arizona artists. Full disclosure – I am in the Biennial this year after a 14-year dry spell, but I am just one of 44 selected artists, several hundred applied. It is important to remember that this is one juror’s show/vision of contemporary art in Arizona. There are mnay more artist working than are represented at the Biennial. Support your local artist – even if they are not in the show!

The show opens Friday July 10th and runs through September 26th and is a must view for art fans in Tucson and Southern Arizona. This year’s guest juror is Tim Rodgers, the Chief Curator at the New Mexico Museum of Art.

Look for good work from artists including; Carrie Sied, Ken Rosenthal, Gwyneth Scally, David Elliot, Moria Geoffrion, Simon Donovan, Matt Cotton and many others in the show. I will post after the opening with my favorites and report on the response the show is getting.