Sedona Arts Center has been very busy of late with our various programs and events. I hope you have been taking advantage!
We were extremely pleased with the outcome of our Vision & Sound: An African American Experience program over the month of February. The Symposium we held (Understanding Culture and Race through the Arts) in partnership with the ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy was a highlight. L’Merchie Frazier, the Executive Director of Creative Strategic Partnerships for SPOKEArts in Boston, was our Keynote Speaker. She was phenomenal, tying African American history and art history together in a very moving and thought provoking. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
L’Merchie was followed by Dr. Lois Brown, the Director for the ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy who led the group in a workshop entitled “Race, Culture, History and the Work of Art.” Also, very informative and stimulating. The day ended with a conversation with this year’s Vision & Sound artists reflecting on their experiences developing as artists, their work and their futures.
Comments received during and after the event included, “This was the best event I’ve been to in my 32 years in Sedona” to “I can’t wait until next year – I am going to tell all my friends to come!” The Keynote and the Artist Talks were recorded and livestreamed and can be found on visionandsound.org. As last year, we partnered with the City of Goodyear on an additional exhibit that will be up in their Library until April. Be sure to check it out!
Directly on the heels of Vision & Sound, we opened our Juried Members Exhibit and held the Artist’s Reception on Friday evening. This year’s show is extremely special as we had more than 250 entries that were whittled down to about 75 pieces. It is an excellent show with a wide variety of work by our members from here and across the country. This show will be up until March 31 so please come see it.
On April 3 we will open Jan Sitts: A Retrospective. Jan is a longtime Sedona Arts Center teaching artist and Patron. This exhibit will feature her work from her early career up until the present and will be up until April 14. We will
Also, mark your calendars for ¡Que Hermoso! – A Celebration of Hispanic Artists which opens on May 3 in conjunction with Celebrate Sedona which will feature Guittaras Latinas.
In addition to our exhibits, we continue to offer a wide array of workshops and classes and our Gallery has some of the best regional art in town. Come see us!
Julie Richard,
CEO Sedona Arts Center
