Tucson Museum of Art's Arizona Biennial 2018
Arizona Biennial 2018: Contemporary Art from 70 Artists from Across State
Juried Competition Features 84 New Works
Downtown Tucson, Arizona July 5, 2018) – Tucson Museum of Art’s (TMA) Arizona Biennial 2018 kicks off [today], July 5, 2018, with an opening reception 5pm-8pm, and runs through September 16, 2018. First organized in 1948, the Biennial is the state’s oldest running juried exhibition featuring interesting new artwork created by Arizona artists. This year, artists submitted more than 1,500 works that were juried into the exhibition by independent guest juror Rebecca R. Hart, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver Art Museum. TMA’s Arizona Biennial is exclusive, with less than 6% of submitted works being selected for the exhibition.
The Arizona Biennial 2018 features 84 works of art from 70 diverse artists in a range of mediums including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, video, and installation art.
[Click here to see the list of the 70 participating artists]
According to Tucson Museum of Art Chief Curator and Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Dr. Julie Sasse, “TMA’s Arizona Biennial 2018represents ambitious and thought-provoking ideas as well as works that captivate the senses. The Biennial collection shows that contemporary art in Arizona is competitive with the rest of the nation in quality and concerns, while reflecting our state’s unique sense of place and culture.”
Biennial Work Selection and Juror Background
TMA has a defined, competitive and fast-paced process for artist selection into the Biennial. Each year, TMA taps an independent curator to jury Biennial submittals.
Artists submitted entry forms, fees, CDs and videos by March 9, 2018. This year’s juror Rebecca R. Hart reviewed works on April 12, with artists notified of results April 16-21. Winning selections will be shipped to TMA for installation by June 29.
Independent juror Rebecca R. Hart joined the Denver Art Museum as Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art in 2015. Since arriving in Denver, she has organized Audacious: Contemporary Artists Speak Out; Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place; and Shade: Clyfford Still / Mark Bradford. Previously, she was the associate curator and department head of contemporary art for the Detroit Institute of Arts for a decade. At the DIA, she was the organizing curator for Shirin Neshat’s mid-career retrospective Detroit (2013) and Seoul, Korea (2014).
Hart received a master’s of arts in art history from Wayne State University in Detroit and a master’s of fine arts degree in fiber from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Hart received two bachelor’s degrees, one in fine arts from the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, where she was valedictorian, and one in art history from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., where she graduated with honors. Her work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Association of Art Museum Curators, the Joyce Foundation, the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, and the Metropolitan Life Foundation.
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Museum Directions
The Museum is located at 140 N. Main Avenue in historic downtown Tucson at the crossroads of West Alameda Street and North Main Avenue. Parking is free in the Museum’s lot on West Washington Street.
Museum Hours
Tuesday through Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Free First Thursday!: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Free admission for all, make, drink, and explore.
Second SundAZe @ TMA: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Free admission for Arizona and Sonora, Mexico residents every second Sunday of the month. Art-making activities and music. Fun for all ages.
Closed Mondays.
Admission
Adults, $12; Senior (65+), $10; Student (with college ID), $7; Youth (13-17), $7; Child (12 and under), free; Veteran and active military with ID, free; Museum Member, Free.
About the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block
The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block’s mission is Connecting Art to Life. The Museum was founded in 1924 in the El Presidio Historic District of downtown Tucson. It is Southern Arizona’s premier presenter of fine art and art education programs.
The 74,000 square foot museum features permanent and traveling exhibitions of Modern and Contemporary, Native American, American West, Latin American, and Asian art; and offers guided tours, education programs, and cultural opportunities in a unique setting. The museum’s historic block of 19th and 20th C. adobe and Mission Revival-style buildings, encompassing an entire four-acre city block, includes the highly acclaimed museum restaurant Café a la C’Art, the Museum Store, children’s Creative Space, and the museum’s Education Center and Research Library. For more information, please visit www.TucsonMuseumofArt.org or call (520) 624-2333. Follow the latest events on Facebook and Instagram. TMA is a private 501(c)(3) charitable arts and education organization.