Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art Celebrates Women Artists All Year

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) unveils its first yearlong collection show, featuring all women artists. The exhibition includes a section of rotational highlights and a gallery dedicated to rarely shown installation-based works. "Unapologetic: All Women, All Year" will be on view February 15, 2020 - January 31, 2021.

The Museum currently has approximately 1,850 artworks in its growing collection with only 3% on view at a given time. Although many pieces are highlighted digitally through social media and a searchable online database, the Museum is looking forward to spotlighting its collection for longer than a usual duration.

"A recent study of art museum collections across the country revealed that women artists comprise an average of under 12% of the total artists. Considering this revelation, SMoCA dedicates a yearlong exhibition to women artists to bring attention to this inequity, to foster awareness and to promote inclusivity," said Jennifer McCabe, director and chief curator at SMoCA.

For the year, the Museum presents this exhibition to raise awareness to this lack of inclusion. This exhibition's title conveys a sense of strength, signaling for systemic change within culture, where individuals of all gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, age and ability see themselves represented within museums.

This exhibition presents a variety of mediums and genres of art, including modernist bronze sculpture, large abstract shaped canvases, conceptual art, written word, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture and collage. Visitors can experience an in-depth look at more than 35 works from the Museum's collection.

The rotational section of works will create a space that presents the range of SMoCA's collection, including new acquisitions. The first group of works will rotate in June and a final rotation will take place in October.

The installation-based gallery is on view for a shorter period, from Feb. 15 to May 31, and presents several works for the first time since they were acquired, specifically the Laurie Lundquist and Barbara Penn installations. Furthermore, some of the notable installation pieces in the exhibition were produced specifically for past exhibitions, making them one-of-a-kind works that cannot be seen elsewhere.

SMoCA began acquiring and collecting works in 2004 - when it took over the care of the City's collection - although significant works by women artists were acquired from exhibitions in recent years. "Unapologetic" includes work by Dotty Attie, Melinda Bergman, Claudia Bernardi, Dominique Blain, Cristina Cardenas, Sue Chenoweth, Judy Chicago, Renee Cox, Lesley Dill, Bailey Doogan, Angela Ellsworth, Lalla Essaydi, Dorothy Fratt, Barbara Hepworth, Laura Korch, Barbara Krashes, Kyung-Lim Lee, Laurie Lundquist, Muriel Magenta, Louise Nevelson, Yoko Ono, Adria Pecora, Barbara Penn, Beverly Pepper, Monique Prieto, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, Kate Shepherd, Deb Sokolow, Beth Ames Swartz, Julianne Swartz, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Melanie Yazzie and Asami Yoshiga.

Additionally, "Unapologetic" is on view during the 100th anniversary of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the United States, which brought about the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote.

The Museum is privileged to be a presenting institution, as part of the Feminist Art Coalition (FAC), a platform for art projects informed by feminisms. Various art museums and nonprofit institutions are presenting a series of concurrent events - including commissions, exhibitions, performances, talks and symposia - throughout the United States and over the course of three months (September - November) in the fall of 2020. For more information, visit FeministArtCoalition.org.

"Unapologetic: All Women, All Year" is organized by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Lauren R. O'Connell, assistant curator, with Keshia Turley, curatorial assistant.

Through its partnership with the City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through four acclaimed branches - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation - serving more than 600,000 participants annually. In conjunction with the City of Scottsdale, we also host more than 200,000 people annually on our campus through a robust rentals program.

Founded in 1999, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) explores the best of contemporary art, architecture and design. Global in its focus, the Museum is a unique and vital cultural resource for the Southwest, serving local audiences as well as visitors from the United States and abroad. Designed by award-winning architect Will Bruder, SMoCA's minimalist building (an ingenious renovation of a former movie theater) has four galleries for showcasing changing exhibitions and works from the Museum's collection, along with SMoCA Lounge, a living, functional art installation and space for community engagement. The Museum presents a wide variety of educational programs and special events for adults and families, including lectures, readings, performances, docent-led tours, workshops and classes. SMoCA also features an outdoor sculpture garden housing James Turrell's "Knight Rise," one of the renowned artist's public skyspaces, and "Scrim Wall," a monumental curtain of translucent glass panels by James Carpenter Design Associates. The Museum's retail store, Shop@SMoCA, offers classic design objects and furnishings, contemporary jewelry, art and architecture books, and imaginative gifts for all occasions.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
7374 E. Second St., Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
www.SMoCA.org
480-874-4666
SMoCA@ScottsdaleArts.org

HOURS AND ADMISSION

Tuesday - Wednesday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Friday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays and major holidays
Admission: $10 adults, $7 students, seniors (65+) and veterans; free for members and children under 15
Free every Thursday and every second Saturday of the month

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