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all have very different backgrounds and styles,” she says. “But they also all have
strong ideas about what it is to be a woman and an artist.”
For Royse, some of the highlights from that show were Christine Cassano’s piece
(Cassano currently has a show on view at Modified Arts through Dec. 10) and a
large self-portrait by Monica Aissa Martinez showing her husband next to her doing
a headstand. That year, Martinez was also selected to participate in the Artists of
America nationwide show hosted by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
in Bentonville, Arkansas, along with a handful of other Arizona artists.
According to Royse, Martinez really knows how to get inside an object and turn things
inside out. She not only is a painter but also does sculptural works and drawings. “She
dissects insects and people in her paintings,” Royse says. “She does very biological
work, makes all her own tempera paints and works very organically.”
For “Feminism Now” Royse was surprised that some of the highly esteemed local
artists she originally selected canceled at the last minute. Despite the setback,
she says it all it worked out—she was glad to have the challenge to rethink some
things and hustle. The result was something that made her feel truly proud. Not
only did she get to showcase some of the best local talent, she also came up with
a show that was aesthetically beautiful.
Another monOrchid show that stands out in Royse’s memory is the huge and
elaborately planned “Apache X” that she did with artist Douglas Miles in March
2014. This was the first time she had the opportunity to work as the sole curator of
the Shade Gallery at monOrchid. Basically the show was a 10-year retrospective
of the artist’s work. But anyone familiar with Miles knows that his work takes all
different forms and shapes (from murals to skateboard decks), and logistically
balancing it all would be a daunting task for any curator.
Royse dug deep and spent six months in planning with Miles. During that time,
she made numerous trips to the San Carlos Apache Reservation in eastern
Arizona, where the artist resides (a two-and-a-half-hour drive each way). She got
to spend hours with the artist, poring through his works to make selections for
the show.
Royse had a personal connection with Miles, his work and the landscape because
her grandmother is also Apache. She says it was wonderful for her to get to know
the artist in a deep way and connect with his family. Once they’d made their
selections, it was time to return to monOrchid for the install. Royse hung half a
mobile home inside the gallery. They also presented Miles’ painted doors, parts
of cars and other large items.
“He often works on found objects with spray paint, mostly,” she explains. And
some of these objects are enormous in size and weight. It was certainly a
challenging show for the walls of monOrchid, which usually only see paintings
and photographs.
Another component to the show was Miles’ collections of painted skateboards,
which he’s been making ever since his son was very little. He expanded this
into a business, Apache Skateboards, and also something of a movement. Miles
saw it as a way to connect community members and do something for the youth
on his reservation to keep them healthy, active and off the streets. By now
documentaries have been made about this work, and the Heard Museum also
featured some of it in their “Beautiful Games: American Indian Sport and Art”
exhibit last year.
At the end of the day, the show was very well received and generated some of
the best press monOrchid has had in its years on Roosevelt Row. Miles, too, got a
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