JAVA.June.2018

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ARTS WILD THING AT SMOCA By Amy Young If art exhibitions were summer pool parties, Wild Thing: Adventures with the Permanent Collection at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) wouldn’t be one of those chic rooftop shindigs that feels slightly exclusive, as you cocktail and chill near a shapely pool. It would be that big, all-day water party – the one where everyone is welcome, where you dive into a blocky body of water to splash and romp with abandon, soaking up the surroundings until you venture home sun-dazed, content and exhausted. This summer show was organized by two members of the SMoCA staff, Laura Spalding Best, exhibitions manager, and Carrie Tovar, registrar. “We came up with the idea together,” says Best, “as we were photographing the permanent collection and kept coming across more and more animals.” What they pulled from the trove and chose to display is a vast combination of prints, paintings and sculptural pieces that celebrate the relationship between artists and animals, as well as the continued and subjectively intriguing presence of animals in contemporary art. “We wanted this exhibition to feel like an exploration,” Best tells us. “With 141 artworks, there is a lot to look at and to search for. We discover a new animal or detail each time we go through the show, ourselves, and that’s what we wanted to give our visitors too – a chance to observe and make their own connections to the art.” It’s definitely a creature-filled journey, one that sticks with you long after you’ve absorbed the many images, moods and artistic styles and processes that give you much to recall and think about later. In size alone, this show is a heady affair. The exhibition is filled with noteworthy, mostly Arizona artists. Christy Puetz, with her whimsical, bead-laden mixed-media sculptures, is one. In her animal world created just for this show, monkeys join forces for a jaunt in “The Ride.” Another piece finds a group of birds hopping a ride on the back and antlers of a patient four-legged friend. Equally as captivating, albeit slightly more haunting, is Mayme Kratz’s “Solo Flight,” composed of found objects including desert debris, wood and a beautiful bird. The latter is positioned in the center, flanked by 16 <strong>JAVA</strong> MAGAZINE
spun arrangements of the other matter, creating two nest-like objects. Cast in resin, the piece exudes a delicate haze and does what Kratz excels at – reminding us of the beauty and complexity of the natural world. William Wegman has a few pieces in Wild Thing. One of his popular photo compositions featuring Weimaraner dogs finds one of the pups epitomizing the “lazy dog” attribute perfectly, as it sprawls across a chair built more for human comfort. It’s nice to see some Wegman drawings, too, including “Seasonal Deer,” “Beaver” and “Wild Boar on Plank.” Prints by Fritz Scholder offering his takes on animals, from a group of relaxed dogs to eerie bats and mysterious owls, are another highlight. Wild Thing: Adventures with the Permanent Collection Through September 30 Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 7374 E. Second Street, Scottsdale smoca.org Mayme Kratz, Solo Flight, 1995. Cast resin, found objects, wood, 12 x 22 x 6 inches. Julian Schnabel, Swans: Guiseppe, 1998. Hand painted screenprint, poured resin, 45 x 36 inches. Robert Brady, Untitled 1980, ceramic, Gift of Herbert & Lynn Rigberg. Roy DeForest, Untitled 1995, lithograph on paper, Segura Publishing Archive, museum purchase. <strong>JAVA</strong> 17 MAGAZINE
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Page 18 and 19: ELIZABETH BRICE-HEAMES By Ashley Na
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Page 47 and 48: LIGHT AS A FEATHA! LOOL EXCLUSIVELY

JAVA.June.2018

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