Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art To Celebrate Four New Exhibitions, Two Installations

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) will celebrate the opening of four new exhibitions and two immersive installations with a Fall Opening Celebration at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

The exhibitions on view during the event — “Exploding Native Inevitable,” “Brains and Beauty: At the Intersection of Art and Neuroscience,” “Cybele Lyle: Floating Seeds Make Deep Forms” and “poetics of dissonance” — are all opening on various dates during the month of August. The two new installations by Phoenix-based artist Shomit Barua will be open to the public for the first time during the celebration.

The Fall Opening Celebration is part of an ongoing series of events celebrating the 25th anniversary of SMoCA, a part of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts. Admission to the event is free and open to the public with RSVP.

“This fall, our galleries feature an incredible array of artists and curators. From Cybele Lyle's solo exhibition to three group exhibitions, more than 50 artists are on view, organized by six curators,” said Jennifer McCabe, SMoCA's director and chief curator. “Leading experts in their fields, topics range from neuroaesthetics to contemporary Indigenous themes. And we look to our own collection of artworks for an exhibition tackling the heightened socio-political angst that lingers in the air this election year. With such a wide range of styles, mediums and subjects, the museum will be a lively destination for all!”

In addition to the art, the celebration will include music from DJ Miss Mixx in her Desert Disco Boxx, drinks from a cash bar and light bites from a local food truck.

“After the amazing success of our spring opening bash, we are looking forward to continuing to celebrate SMoCA's 25th birthday this fall,” said Julie Ganas, SMoCA's curator of engagement and digital initiatives. “As always, we are super excited to celebrate our newest exhibitions during this special birthday year with our incredibly supportive community at this free event.”

Celebration attendees will also get their first glimpses of the latest artwork on view in the museum's _____ space (blank space) near the Shop@SMoCA. In this space, Barua's “Entrainment 718” will explore spatial and temporal perception through novel techniques in audio/video processing. In this immersive installation, Barua recreates the hypnotic and transcendent states produced by various repetitive visual, auditory and physical polyrhythms that occur on trains.

Barua will also have a new sound installation, “Hyperwilding,” in the Nancy and Art Schwalm Sculpture Courtyard. Both installations, which were curated by Ganas, will be on view from Sept. 21, 2024, through Feb. 23, 2025, in areas of the museum that do not require admission.

“The popularization of immersive experiences means that they are often attached to commercial aspects of entertainment; there is usually a financial barrier to the experience,” Barua said. “My work seeks to ameliorate public mental health by encouraging us to be present and grounded in our environment. It is intended for everyone — to be openly accessible to the public. My installations often manifest as temporary pop-ups, so I am grateful that SMoCA will be hosting these for an extended run, giving new audiences the opportunity to experience them.”

SMoCA — named “Best Art Museum” by the Phoenix New Times in the 2023 Best of Phoenix awards — is located at 7374 E. Second St., Scottsdale, Arizona 85251. It is open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit SMoCA.org for information.

Admission is $13–$16 for non-members; $10–$13 for students, seniors (65+) and veterans; and free for Scottsdale Arts ONE Members, healthcare workers, first responders, and patrons 18 and younger. Admission to the museum is pay-what-you-wish every Thursday and every second Saturday of the month. Save time and money by booking online at SMoCA.org.

Scottsdale Arts would like to thank the following SMoCA sponsors and partners: City of Scottsdale; Billie Jo Herberger; The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Arizona Commission on the Arts; Buddy Taub Foundation; Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation; Virginia M. Ullman Foundation; Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows; The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation; Mountain Shadows Resort; Art Bridges Foundation; Hotel Adeline; Hotel Valley Ho; Joan Prior and John Armstrong; Yares Art, New York; Airpark Signs & Graphics; and Element SkySong.

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