Known for exhibiting innovative and exceptional art, this fall at Mesa Contemporary Arts (MCA) Museum is no exception. For more than 30 years, MCA Museum has remained true to its early roots and continues its unwavering dedication to the craft arts with its immensely popular Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition, 2009 collaboration with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) featuring ceramics related exhibitions, and recent collection of metals exhibitions that coincided with Society of North American Goldsmiths’ (SNAG) national conference in May. This season, the museum will present five new exhibitions, four of which will celebrate Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass’ (AACG) 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Studio Glass Movement and feature the some of the best in Contemporary American glass: El Melting Pot, Flow, Fire & Sand, and Decidedly Digital. The fifth exhibition, Ballerina, pays tribute to breast cancer survivors and one artist’s personal journey to make a difference.
The opening reception will take place on Friday, September 14 from 6-10 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served along with a cash bar. Artists featured in the exhibition will be in attendance.
Season Kickoff Preview
Fire and Ice
September 14, 2012, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
In celebration of the end of the hot summer, Mesa Arts Center will kick off its 2012 fall season with Fire and Ice: a Cool Hot event that will coincide with Mesa Contemporary Arts’s opening reception on Friday, September 14. The evening will begin at 6pm with various fiery demonstrations, including glass blowing, casting, lamp working and neon, showcasing the diversity of contemporary art glass and the mesmerizing theatrics of when sand meets fire. Across the seven-acre campus grounds, the demos will be accompanied by live music, food booths, ice carvings, fire spinners, a glowing hula hoop play zone for the kids and a “pumpkin patch” filled will glass pumpkins created by local glass artisans. The glass pumpkins will be available for purchase with the proceeds benefiting Mesa Arts Center’s glass program and Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum. The Friday evening events coincide with 2nd Friday Night Out in Downtown Mesa featuring artists, music and free activities.
El Melting Pot
Featuring the art of the De La Torre Brothers
September 14 – November 25, 2012
Celebrated for their edgy, provocative glass and mixed media sculptures, internationally renowned artists Jamex and Einar de la Torre use humor to convey social and political commentaries based on their own Mexican-American experiences. El Melting Pot features the brothers’ latest body of work, which takes a satirical look at racial diversity and what it means in American society.
Ballerina
Photography by Bob Carey
September 14 – December 2, 2012
Ballerina stems from Bob Carey’s body of work called The Tutu Project, which humorously depicts the tutu clad artist in playful predicaments and scenarios. The project began 10 years ago, when Carey and his wife moved from Arizona to New York. Six months later, Carey’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the photographs have taken on a new identity and become a visual anthem for the fight against this devastating disease.
Flow: 10 Years of Glass at Mesa Arts Center
September 14 – December 30, 2012
Flow showcases artwork by current and former faculty, resident artists and guest artists who have contributed to the exceptional glass tradition at Mesa Arts Center. Over the last 10 years, under the direction of Laurie Nessel, the glass program has excelled with gifted instructors, diverse workshops, as well as a resident artist program that has been a catalyst in launching the careers of several significant artists in the field. The program offers instruction in several areas of glass including fusing, flame working, glass casting and glassblowing.
Fire & Sand: Contemporary American Glass
September 14 – January 6, 2013
In conjunction with Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass’ (AACG) celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Studio Glass Movement, Fire and Sand focuses on creative diversity and technical innovation that has become American glass today. Representating a wide variety of glass media, including blown, cast, cut, lampworked, neon, painted, stained and woven, this exhibition features the work of Joseph Cavalieri, Matt Eskuche, Eric Franklin, Tom Philabaum, David Schwarz, Paul Stankard, Stephanie Trenchard and more.
Decidedly Digital
September 14 – January 6, 2013
Known for his distinctive fusion of new media with traditional glass techniques, Tim Tate incorporates audio and video apparatuses with found objects and blown and cast glass elements. These reliquaries encase “cultural specimens” that provide an insightful and often times humorous commentary on contemporary social issues. This exhibition will feature Tate’s inter-media sculptures, which reflect on themes like literacy and introspection.
