City Of Sedona Celebrates Women's History Month With #5WomenArtists

In honor of Women's History Month, the city of Sedona and its Arts and Culture Program are following the lead of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., to celebrate women artists for the second year in a row.

The NMWA notes that most people have a difficult time calling to mind five female artists, but can recall five male artists with ease. Because of this, since 2016, the museum has issued a challenge via social media throughout the month of March, called #5womenartists in which it invites art organizations to nominate five women artists to be celebrated that highlight gender imbalances in the art world nationally and internationally, increasing awareness of women in the arts. Organizations participating in this campaign include the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Getty Museum.

Joining in this effort, the city honors the following five Sedona female artists, whose work spans multiple mediums:

• Susan Kliewer - sculpture
• Betty Carr - painting
• Syri Hall - painting and sculpture
• Grazina Wade - photography
• Sumati Colpitts - ceramics

"We are excited to once again highlight five of our magnificent Sedona women artists. Sedona is graced with a vast array of women with extraordinary creative vision. It is a pleasure to honor each one and their work," said city of Sedona Arts and Culture Coordinator Nancy Lattanzi.

In 1993, Kliewer won a competition to create a monument of Sedona Schnebly for the city of Sedona. The ten-foot high sculpture of the city's namesake was installed in front of the Sedona Library in 1994. Since then, many more of her monuments have been commissioned and installed in the U.S. and Europe. She has been a recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Governor's Arts Award at the Cowgirl Up! Show in 2007 and 2012 and the People's Choice Award at Cowgirl Up! at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, Arizona. She also received first place for her sculpture work in 2008. She is represented by Mountain Trails Gallery in Tlaquepaque.

Since 1980, Carr has devoted her life to painting. It is no surprise she is considered by many to be one of the foremost watercolorists of the Southwest. Her signature work embodies energetic, brightly colored watercolor still life, as well as landscapes in oil. She is known for her skillful use of light, color and shadow in her floral paintings. She has been featured in numerous publications including Art of the West, Southwest Art, American Artist, Art Talk, American Artist and Vitality magazines, and was accepted to the Knickerbocker Association of New York City. Carr is also represented by Mountain Trails Gallery.

Hall's rich sculptures and paintings are a reflection of her deep connection to the natural world and in particular the Southwest landscape and animals she loves. Her paintings are full of depth, color and movement. Captivated by the red rocks of Sedona, Hall has spent years watching how the play of light across the rocks reveals a multifaceted dimensionality. As a result, her paintings mesmerize viewers. They profoundly mirror the intimacy and loves she holds for the land, which she has translated to canvas. Hall's bronze donkey sculpture was awarded second place in the general membership for the Women Artists of the West show, at the Museum of Western Art in Kerville, Texas. Her work is represented by Goldenstein Gallery.

Wade has used her camera for decades as a way to capture and interpret the visual drama of the Southwestern landscape. She calls her work "the melody of light." This perception has been enough to fuel her passion for decades. Whether it is a sun-washed, snow-capped, thousand-foot butte backed by ominous black thunderclouds, or a feathery mist floating through a canyon, Wade feels compelled to share the sense of other worldliness she sees in the surrounding landscape. Her images of light and shadow are fleeting slices of time, frozen for permanent enjoyment. Her work is represented by the Village Gallery.

Colpitts, a ceramicist, channels joy into each piece she creates. Through touch, her hands "talk," both taking in information and communicating back to the world via sculptures of animals. Her work is a visual display of her love for the creatures of the world, powerfully capturing their essence. As she sculpts, she deftly captures their personalities, actively working to create pieces that dynamically engage and bring joy to the viewer. Essentially she follows the "wisdom of her hands" as she works allowing them to guide her, as she brings her pieces to life. Her work is represented by Kuivato Gallery.

Join the city in celebrating these Sedona women in the arts and for more information on city art programming, call Lattanzi at 928-203-5078, or email nlattanzi@sedonaaz.gov.

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