VISIONS '23 Exhibition Will Be Shown at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in May

Scottdale Arts Learning & Innovation will exhibit "Visions '23" to highlight the skills, inspirations and ideas exchanged between students and professional teaching artists over the course of the 2022-23 Visions program.

The newest exhibition opens on May 12 and will remain on display through Aug. 6 inside Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), 7374 E. Second St., Scottsdale, Arizona 85251.

Visions is a yearlong invitational visual arts program that has been provided to Valley teens for 24 years. For the first time, the students participating in the Visions program will be showcasing their artwork inside SMoCA.

Brittany Arnold, community engagement manager for Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, is excited that Visions will get the opportunity to exhibit in SMoCA's Virginia Ullman Gallery and Smart Space.

"Visions students have really stepped up their game because of this opportunity," Arnold said. "The program offers a safe space for creative young people to share parts of themselves and be received with open arms. The students' art inevitably grows with them as they discover things about artists, the world and themselves, and it's beautiful to be able to observe that transformation."

Visions works in collaboration with six Valley high schools. The students who participate in the yearlong program attend monthly workshops conducted by professional artists, tour universities and connect with exhibitions offered by SMoCA. One of the artists the students worked with is Arizona-based creative Mary Meyer.

Meyer led a workshop designed specifically for the fall Visions retreat. She described her workshop as a way for the students to "connect with nature and find creative inspiration from the plants that surround us."

"This is the third time I've worked with Visions, and each experience is truly unique and energizing," Meyer said. "I enjoy the opportunity to share and connect with the young artists in our community. I'm always impressed by their passion to create and the innovative approaches to each project - I learn just as much from them! It is rewarding to take part in such a positive and engaging learning program."

At the end of the school year, the students of Visions participate in a final exhibition to showcase their artwork. Sarah Hammouri is presenting an artwork with a title written in Arabic, which is written as "Al-Aqsa" in the modern English alphabet, as a chance to amplify her voice as a young Palestinian woman but also to amplify the voices of every Palestinian woman that is living in this world.

"When I was given this opportunity, I knew that I wanted to use it powerfully because, of course, this isn't a chance that everyone gets to have," Hammouri said.

As a first-year student in the Visions program, Hammouri wasn't always a fan of art. Through Visions, she has embraced art in a way, made friends, met inspiring new artists and had the chance to focus on school and art.

"Experiencing the Visions program has allowed me to really express myself, push the boundaries with my abilities and work on shaping myself to reach my full potential," Hammouri said. "I would have never imagined that I would be displaying my art piece in a museum, and to have this opportunity is a huge honor."

"Visions '23" will run from May 12, 2023, through Aug. 6, 2023. A public reception will be held on Friday, May 12, at 6 p.m. SMoCA will be free and open to the public from 6 - 8 p.m. for the reception, but RSVP is required at ScottsdaleArtsLearning.org/events. For more information, or to view a virtual version of the exhibition after it opens, visit ScottsdaleArtsLearning.org/exhibitions/.

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