Jack Balas, Muse: Keith Haring Ten Commandments, 2011, watercolor on paper
Arizona Biennial '11
Continuing to grow in scope and prestige since it was first organized in 1948, the Arizona Biennial presents a range of works from paintings, sculpture, and crafts to photography and installations. Works are chosen by a visiting guest curator from outside the area; a new juror is chosen each year to keep the exhibition fresh and to encourage outside curators to become exposed to the incredible range of quality art produced in Arizona.
List of selected artists for Arizona Biennial '11
This year’s juror was Anne Ellegood, Senior Curator at UCLA’s Hammer Museum. Ellegood was Curator of Contemporary Art at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden in Washington DC from 2005-2009. Previously, she was the New York-based Curator for Peter Norton’s collection, and she was the Associate Curator at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York from 1998-2003. Since joining the Hammer in 2009, Ellegood has organized solo Hammer Projects. In 2011, she organized the 6th Hammer Invitational exhibition, All of this and nothing, with chief curator Douglas Fogle. Ellegood is serving as the curator for the Australian Pavilion for the 2011 Venice Biennale presenting the work of Sydney-based Hany Armanious.
The Arizona Biennial ‘11 provides a unique opportunity for emerging artists to exhibit their work in a museum setting or to introduce their work to the public for the first time. For established artists, it provides a format to show their support for the museum and for the community that has recognized their achievements statewide, nationally, and internationally. Careers have sprung from the Museum’s biennials as it offers art enthusiasts, collectors, and curators a chance to see some of the finest art in the region in one exhibition. More than 400 artists submitted their works for review, which was carefully culled down to a select few to create a cohesive exhibition. The competition is keen, but the end result is an exhibition that showcases some of the finest art created in this state.
