Java.JUNE.2018

SUMMER SPECTACULAR
By Robert Sentinery
BUZZ
The art scene in Phoenix is heating up along with the rising temperatures. One
of the hottest shows to hit the Valley is the Nicholas Galanin retrospective at the
Heard Museum, on view through Sept. 3. Dear Listener was put together by the
museum’s new fine arts curator, Erin Joyce, who brings a breath of fresh air to an
institution that has been seen as traditional, bordering on stodgy. But all that is
changing. This exhibition is the culmination of a collaboration between Galanin
and Joyce that has included many exhibitions, several in New York, and numerous
published articles.
“Dear Listener: Works by Nicholas Galanin” is anything but traditional. Encompassing
over 12,000 square feet of exhibition space, across multiple galleries,
halls and levels within the museum, the show highlights many different media,
from painting and sculpture to installation, video, fashion and live performance.
What it does perhaps most successfully is highlight the sheer talent and work
ethic of this contemporary Native Alaskan artist, who is a fountainhead of ideas.
Galanin’s work confronts issues of authority, authenticity and the commodification
of indigenous ways, with clever nods to popular culture (see “Dear Listener:
A Walk-Through with Curator Erin Joyce,” p. 8).
Mark Freedman is back in Phoenix after spending a decade in NYC. Some will
remember the splash he made here as a member of the TRA 25 Capsule art
collective before heading to the Big Apple. Now Freedman is expanding from
producing art to curating, as well. He has a series of shows lined up at the
Walter Gallery, including The Memphis Rainbow Parlour, an intriguing co-lab
between himself and artist Lisa von Hoffner. The show brings together individual
art objects in a parlor-like setting, while recalling the wild geometry and colors
of seminal ’80s Italian design group Memphis, which helped define the look of a
decade (see “Artist and Curator Mark Jay Freedman,” p. 12).
Arcosanti has always been an interesting place to visit. But when FORM came to
town, it became active and alive, in a way that Paolo Soleri had probably originally
dreamt it. The festival seems to have revitalized Arcosanti and awakened it
from the long, slow slumber of decades. There is renewed interest in the ideals
of Archology, especially among a younger generation. Web searches are up,
volunteerism is up, and while news of Soleri’s behavior toward his daughter has
created a #MeToo backlash, the general feeling is that FORM has breathed in
new life (see “Arcosanti in the Age of FORM,” p. 30).
Finally, artistry comes in many different forms. Lindsay Green is an aerial dance
artist who is amazingly adept in the air. Pole dancing has evolved from a strip
club staple to a fitness craze and is now a sport with competitions that bring
people together to vie for medals. Green recently earned silver and gold for her
skills. When she is not teaching at her studio, Prowess Pole Fitness in Tempe,
she is probably performing her jaw-dropping routines in front of rapt audiences
(see “Aerial Performance Artist Lindsay Green,” p. 34).
Summer
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