Events & Activities
Lectures and Talks
Learn more about the Museum's collection and exhibitions through our lectures and half-hour informal ArtBreak Gallery Talks.
Lectures
Edward Weston in Mexico
Tuesday, September 2, 7pm
Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography Rebecca Senf gives an overview of Weston’s Mexican sojourn from 1923 to 1926 in Whiteman Hall. Then, move to the gallery with a pair of diverse experts to discuss the Mexican Renaissance and to analyze the artist’s handwriting.
José Cárdenas, chairman of Lewis & Roca LLP, collector and Mexican art advocate, speaks on the Mexican Renaissance
Heidi Harralson, board certified forensic examiner, speaks on the psychological connection between art and handwriting as she uses Weston’s letters and journals to reveal what they tell her about the man and his work.
Presented in partnership with the Museum’s Latin American Art Alliance.
Going Global: A 360º View of A Tradition Redefined
Friday, September 12, 6 – 7:30pm
Saturday, September 13, 9:15am – 5pm
Join us on the closing weekend of A Tradition Redefined to consider the role of tradition in a contemporary art world. Scholars from the U.S. and Taiwan discuss topics ranging from the cultural tradition of Chinese scholar-artists and issues of content and message in art in Communist China, to emerging questions about diversity and originality when Chinese art goes global. A Western art historian further comments on the way art history perceives and teaches Asian art. The event concludes with a personal perspective from the collector and scholar, Dr. Chu-tsing Li, whose life has spanned the tumultuous cultural and political events of the 20th century.
Funded by The Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Art Studies, Kyoto, and other private donors.
Opera Technical Theater
Tuesday, September 30, 7pm
As part of Arizona Opera Week, join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the opera’s upcoming season with members of its production team.
Presented in partnership with Arizona Opera.
Art for the Cure
Saturday, October 4, 11am
Art historian, curator and professor Éva Forgács, Ph.D., discuss this remarkable collection of modernist masterworks assembled by Nancy G. Brinker, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary and founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.
Presented in partnership with the Museum’s Friends of European Art.
An Evening with Sara Cochran
Tuesday, October 14, 7pm
Meet Sara Cochran, Ph.D., the Museum’s new curator of contemporary art! Dr. Cochran comes to Phoenix with experience from California (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), London (Courtauld Institute of Art) and Paris (University of the Sorbonne). Seize this opportunity to meet our newest staff member, and hear about what is on the horizon for modern and contemporary art at the Museum.
Presented by the Museum’s Contemporary Forum; sponsored by Bentley Gallery/Bentley Projects.
Tiffany Style
Tuesday, October 28, 7pm
In his latest book, John Loring, Tiffany & Co.’s design director, traces the evolution of American taste as seen through the eyes of the country’s preeminent purveyor of luxuries. Loring shares the fascinating story of the milestone events and personalities that set Tiffany & Co. on the road to international renown.
India Night
Tuesday, November 11, 7pm
Contemporary Forum continues its architectural series with an evening dedicated to the architectural heritage of India. The program presents not only hidden examples of India’s architectural heritage but also modern structures by Le Corbusier and Louis I. Kahn. A group of talented local architects displays and discusses how a recent visit to India influences their current work.
Panel:
• Amit Upadhye, principal, AU Design Studio, LLC
• Eddie Jones, AIA, principal, Jones Studio
• Marlene Imirzian, principal, AIA, Marlene Imirzian & Associates, LLC, Architects
• Douglas Sydnor, AIA, president, Douglas Sydnor Architect & Associates
Presented by the Museum’s Contemporary Forum; sponsored by Bentley Gallery/Bentley Projects.
A Universe in Glass
Tuesday, December 2, 7pm
Artist Josiah McElheny discusses his wide-ranging ideas about modernism, cosmology and the metaphoric potentials of glass as embodied in The Last Scattering Surface. This work, recently donated to the Museum, re-imagines dense physical and conceptual complexity by using cosmological theories to determine the placement of each physical element of the sculpture. With additional contributions by David Weinberg, Ph.D., professor of cosmology, Ohio State University.
Presented by the Museum’s Contemporary Forum in partnership with FAR@ASU; sponsored by Bentley Gallery/Bentley Projects.
ArtBreak Gallery Talks
Informal half-hour gallery talks. Included with Museum general admission.
First Wednesday Asian Gallery Talks
Wednesday, September 3, Noon - A Tradition Redefined and No Snow on the Broken Bridge
Local and visiting scholars, collectors, curators and docents discuss Asian works.
Presented by the Museum's Asian Arts Council.
A Tradition Redefined and No Snow on the Broken Bridge
Tuesday, August 26, 7pm
Curator of Asian Art Janet Baker, Ph.D., discusses the exhibitions in the Steele Gallery.
One for All, and All for One
Tuesday, September 23, 7pm
Dennita Sewell, curator of fashion design, gives an overview to the exhibition in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Gallery.
Contemporary ArtBreak Series
Advanced art-history graduate students from ASU engage the stunning, thought-provoking and sometimes controversial artworks currently on view in the Katz Wing.
• Tuesday, October 14, 6pm (note time): Color-field painting by Robert Gordon, M.A. candidate
• Tuesday, October 28, 7pm: Abstract Expressionism by Justin Germain, M.A. candidate
ArtBreak's Object of the Month
Learn more about key works in the Museum’s collection in these focused ArtBreaks by Museum docents every Tuesday at 11:30am.
August: Portrait of Doña Maria Moreno y Buenaventura by an unknown Mexican painter
September: Heavenly Pond and Stone Cliff by C. C. Wang (Wang Jiqian)
Guided Tours
Daily one-hour tours are led by Museum-trained volunteer docents and are included with Museum general admission.
Featured Exhibition Tour - 1pm
Museum Masterworks Tour - 12pm and 2pm
Both tours repeated - Tuesday, 6pm
Group tours for 10 or more people must be scheduled at least 5 weeks in advance; cost per person is regular general admission to the Museum. To schedule or for more information, call (602) 257-4356 or send e-mail to education@phxart.org. For information on school tours, click here