Meanwhile Back at the Ranch
January 14, 2010 – March 7, 2010
The heritage and character of our great state owes a debt to the iconic cowboy who continues to leave his mark from the Old West to the New West. From ranching that has long been a part of Arizona’s legacy to Old Tucson where western films have conjured up the mythic cowboy of the American West, to today’s rodeo, a source of pride in communities across the state where fierce competitors show their professional skills in riding and roping, the cowboy lives on. This exhibit included works inspired by ranching cowboys, mythic cowboys, urban cowboys and even rodeo cowgirls!

Canyons of the Southwest
November 12, 2009 – January 10, 2010
The intriguing rock-carved canyons of the southwestern United States have long been the subject of painters and photographers. Our state’s own dramatic Grand Canyon has been a muse for legions of artists who have attempted to capture its changing moods, transforming colors and forms. Our exhibit included paintings, fiber art, photography and works in a variety of media that explored specific southwestern canyons, or express a sense of canyon spaces in abstract and imaginative works.

Day of the Dead: Ancient Roots/Contemporary Expressions
August 27 – November 8, 2009
Tohono Chul Park’s exhibit Días de los Muertos: Ancient Roots/Contemporary Expressions showcased a versatile array of art works created by 39 regional artists paying homage to this observance. A heartfelt home shrine was displayed along with our ever–popular Community Ofrenda/Altar created by guest artist Hank Tusinski, which allowed visitors to participate by leaving a token memento in tribute for their departed loved ones. Also presented were fanciful and moving contemporary paintings, photographs, quilts, and artful works that link us as human beings in dealing with death, loss and remembrance.

Congressional Student Art Exhibit
April 22 – June 8, 2010
Working with U. S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ office, Tohono Chul Park again hosted the annual Congressional Student Art Competition by presenting the 1st and 2nd place prize-winning works from the 8th District. 201 marked the 25th anniversary of the Congressional Arts Competition sponsored by the Congressional Arts Caucus. The competition was created to recognize the creative talents of young Americans. Each year, a top Grand Prize winner from each congressional district across the nation is selected and the student and parents are invited to Washington, D.C. to attend a reception launching the annual national exhibition. All Grand Prize winning works are hung for the ensuing year in an exhibit at the U. S. Capitol building providing a broad spectrum of artistic talents by high school students from across the United States.

Traditional Paper Art: Contemporary Interpretations
Jan. 21 – Mar. 2, 2010
This two-person exhibit in the Gallery at Tohono Chul Park featured imaginative interpretations of traditional paper arts: Polish paper cutting (wycinanki) by a Tucson treasure, Magdalena Nowacka-Jannotta, and origami by Arizona State University mathematician Goran Konjevod.

Navajo Crafts – Connecting Generations
March 4 – April 20, 2010
The Navajo, who call themselves Diné, live in some of the most scenic and majestic country in the Southwest. Their reservation is the largest in the United States and includes 16 million acres expanding across parts of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southern Utah. Family homesteads are scattered across the vast open country that includes mesas, canyons, desert sands, grasslands and pinyon-dotted hills. For the Navajo, family support and unity is especially important in daily life and, for many, herding sheep and livestock and producing traditional crafts is a family-centered tradition that bridges generations.

Our exhibit showcased a small selection of pottery and basketry showing the trail-blazing work of the Black and Williams families as well as traditional and innovative work in weaving and jewelry.

Dr. John Schaefer – The Desert Illuminated
December 10, 2009 – January 19, 2010
A Desert Illuminated is an apt description for John P. Schaefer’s series of eye-popping larger-than-life images of flowering cacti. Combining his lifelong love of photography with his appreciation of desert plants, Schaefer gives us an insect’s eye view. Zeroing in with microscopic accuracy on delicate and velvety paper-thin flower petals dusted with yellow pollen and contrasting cactus thorns, he allows us to see the wonders of the desert in minute detail. By using a black backdrop and printing the images in large format, he heightens the dramatic impact of each brilliant orange, yellow, red and purple blossom, revealing their exotic beauty.

Wish You Were Here -
Fiber Art Postcards
September 14 – November 16, 2009
How often have we scribbled that on the back of a vacation postcard mailed to the folks back home? Wish You Were Here: Fiber Art Postcards, was TCP’s second non-juried exhibit of postcards made by artists who work with fiber-based media such as quilting, weaving, papermaking, embroidery and other fiber art and surface design methods. In a similar manner as tourist postcards, these miniature artworks documented real or imagined trips, experiences or events in the state of Arizona. Artists living anywhere in the world were invited to create postcards and mail them to our gallery during the month of July without the protection of an envelope, adding an element of risk to the exhibit concept.

Wish You Were Here displayed the imaginative postcards in a playful manner, clipped to lines draped and suspended them across the gallery ceiling, so that viewers could view both sides of the postcards. A color catalog of all the postcards was available for sale.

Featuring selections from the Park’s permanent collection together with items loaned by local collectors, carvers and photographers, the exhibit focused on the masks carved for the Yaqui ceremonial dancer known as Pascola (pah’kola). The pascola, whose name translates to “old man of the fiesta,” is characterized by the mask he wears and the function he performs. His job is to draw a crowd and officially begin each ceremony; he will also dance, clown around, and tell stories to the crowd throughout the night.

The pascola’s most distinctive trait, his mask, represents a woodcarving tradition that has been passed down for centuries, first as an important part of the ceremonial year and, as seen more recently, as artistic works of art. Generations of Wooden Faces featured the work of several Yaqui artists including the celebrated Martinez family: Frank, Feliciana, Eddie and Frankie, noted carver Louis David Valenzuela, David Moreno, Mexican-American artist Arturo Montoya and others.

Collection pieces of the Month:
November 2009 – Navajo Cradleboard, 2009.4.1
December 2009 – Friendship Pot, by Angea Family, Tohono O’odham, 2005.4.1
January 2010 – Eototo Katsina, by Jimmy Kewanwytewa, Hopi
February 2010 – Tray with dog and star design, by unknown Yavapai artist
March 2010 – Necklace with squash blossom design, by unknown Navajo artist, 2009.3.1
April 2010 – Tohono O’odham family outside their brush home, by Chepa and Thomas Franco, Tohono O’odham 2008.6.1
May 2010 – Pueblo Friendship pot and Pueblo Friendship kiva, by Helen Sando-Garcia, Jemez
June / July 2010 – Original bird tiles by Lois McLane

Artist of the Month:
November 2009 – Debbie Jensen-Molnar
December 2009 – Elizabeth Frank
January 2010 – Wall Batterton
February 2010 – Susan Ettl
March 2010 – Halldor Hjalmarson
April 2010 – Farraday Newsome/Jeff Reich
May 2010 – Rebecca Bish
June / July 2010 – Jeanie Honn