5 New Exhibitions @ Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum + Free Reception Friday 13 May

Hat Tip: A Tribute to
Arts Philanthropy,
Threads: Gathering My Thoughts, Archive of Rag and Bone,
El Mac: Aerosol Exalted
Journey and Memory: Past the Rock, The Sun's Gates & The Land of Dreams
Press release from

Casey Blake

Director of Public Relations

Mesa Arts Center

Office: 480.644.6620

Cell: 480.390.1258

MesaArtsCenter.com

(Mesa, AZ) April 6, 2016 – Summer exhibitions at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum continue the museum’s tradition of showcasing curated and proposed exhibitions of contemporary art by emerging and internationally recognized artists. Five exhibitions will be celebrated at a free reception, Friday, May 13, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. in the museum courtyard.

 

Exhibitions opening soon in the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum include Hat Tip: A Tribute to Arts Philanthropy, Threads: Gathering My Thoughts, Archive of Rag and Bone, El Mac: Aerosol Exalted, and Journey and Memory: past the rock, the sun’s gates and the land of dreams. The reception features musical entertainment by The Walt Richardson Trio and an opportunity to meet artists showing work in the exhibitions.

 

Hat Tip: A Tribute to Arts Philanthropy
April 8 – July 31, 2016

South Gallery

Coinciding with Mesa Arts Center’s 10th year celebration at this location, this exhibition honors the generous contributions that have added to the growing and diverse collection housed in the museum’s vault. As the museum continues to look to the future and build on its mission, we take a look back by featuring a few selected gifts from the last 10 years that were received from artists, collectors and through limited purchase awards. Thank you to all our fans, supporters and art enthusiasts these many years.

 

Threads: Gathering My Thoughts
An Installation by Susan Lenz
April 15 – August 7, 2016

SRP Gallery

Inspired by grassroots yarn bombings, South Carolina artist Susan Lenz turned her attention to the most basic fiber art material: yarn. Threads: Gathering My Thoughts is a site-specific installation that invites visitors to explore a labyrinth of colorful threads and baskets that hang from the ceiling and envelop the space. The connections and entanglements created by the installation visually represent the complexity of the human mind. *Susan Lenz is a 2015 proposal winner.

 

Archive of Rag and Bone

Kristin Beeler
April 29 – August 7, 2016

Project Room

California artist Kristin Beeler’s latest series, Archive of Rag and Bone, presents portraits and related objects that document very specific moments in time through memory. The exhibition includes hand embroidered Tyvek garments that reference protection and topography and serve as maps of the physical landscape. Other objects, rendered in silver, mother of pearl and charcoal, explore contrasting aesthetics of beauty that balance perfection and imperfection. *Kristin Beeler is a 2014 Project Room proposal winner.

 

El Mac: Aerosol Exalted
From the street to the gallery – the humble and the sublime

May 13 – August 7, 2016

Main Gallery

Aerosol Exalted features the latest body of work by famed Los Angeles artist El Mac. El Mac, who grew up in central Phoenix, is renowned for his large-scale murals that have become iconic landmarks in the cities across the globe. With his signature rippled line style, El Mac creates photorealistic portraits of ordinary people, often using family, friends and individuals underrepresented in society as models. He skillfully blends contemporary influences, like graffiti as well as the Chicano and Mexican culture he grew up around, with classical European art. In conjunction with this exhibition and Mesa Arts Center’s 10th year celebration at its present location in Downtown Mesa, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum is proud to showcase a 35-foot tall mural by El Mac in the museum’s courtyard, titled Desert Rose (Nuevas Generaciones).

 

Journey and Memory: past the rock, the sun’s gates and the land of dreams
Christopher Jagmin and Patricia Sannit
May 13 – August 7, 2016

North Gallery

In this exhibition, painter Christopher Jagmin and sculptor Patricia Sannit have joined disciplines to create a dialog between materials, historical vocabularies and societal content. Both Arizona artists, who are known for their vivid line quality, incorporate historically inspired marks and patterns that are representative of human culture. Their collaborative installation serves as a metaphor for the arduous journey mankind has taken to get to this present point in time. *Christopher Jagmin and Patricia Sannit are 2015 North Gallery proposal winners.

 

Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum is located on the Mesa Arts Center campus at One E. Main Street in downtown Mesa. Admission is free, and hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours on Thursday until 8 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum front desk: 480-644-6567.

 

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About Mesa Arts Center
Mesa Arts Center, owned and operated by the City of Mesa, is a unique, architecturally stunning facility located in the heart of downtown Mesa. Arizona's largest multidisciplinary arts center is home to four theaters, five art galleries in the MCA Museum, and 14 art studios. Guests, patrons, and students come to Mesa Arts Center to enjoy the finest live entertainment, performances and festivals, world-class visual art exhibitions, and outstanding arts education classes. The Mesa Arts Center mission is to inspire people through engaging arts experiences that are diverse, accessible, and relevant. For more information, visit mesaartscenter.com.