Patrick Martinez leads students from Cholla High School through an exhibition of his work.
We were pleased to welcome Patrick Martinez back to the museum for the first week of March for a residency in conjunction with the exhibition Look What You Created. Martinez’s work resonates with young artists (and many others), and TMA was excited to partner with several school groups to work with and learn from the artist while he was in Tucson.
Students from Marana High School and Cholla High School came to the museum for special artist-led tours of Look What You Created followed by art-making master classes in the Alice Chaiten Baker Center for Art Education. A group of students from the University of Arizona School of Art’s Sienna Collective also enjoyed a tour of the exhibition led by Martinez. Elizabeth Denneau from Marana High School reflected on the visit with her students: “My students talked about how cool it was that Patrick was like a regular guy and that he was easy to talk to…They loved the project and some of them are incorporating the materials into their work.”
“I am trying to find a new way to paint the landscape.” — Patrick Martinez
Create Your Own Mixed Media Landscape Inspired by Patrick Martinez
Brainstorm what types of details in your landscape are important to you?
• What season/time of day are you creating?
• What details do you want to include?
• What sounds and smells might you find in your landscape?
• What story might your landscape tell?
Materials for Mixed-Media Landscape
• MTN water-based spray paint
• Stencils (students can make their own)
• Tempera Sticks
• Markers
• Scrap paper
• Scissors
• Glue
For children’s books that support this activity consider the following:
Be A Tree by Maria Gianferrari (author) and Felicita Sala (illustrator)
Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (author) and Michaela Goade (illustrator)
Have You Seen A Flower by Shawn Harris
To order these books contact the Littlest Bookshop or Antigones
Students from Cholla High School create multi-layered mixed-media works with guidance from Martinez.
Free First Thursday, March 3, 2022
Museum visitors of all ages had the opportunity to meet Martinez and learn about his work during Free First Thursday. The evening was focused on how Look What You Created explores ancient traditions while speaking to contemporary issues. Art and gallery activities led by Ami Dalal and Laila Halaby looked at loss through the lens of ancient and contemporary. DJ Herm provided entertainment for the evening, and visitors learned about neon—a material used by Martinez for several of the works in the exhibition—from the Ignite Sign Art Museum. The evening included a lecture “In Conversation: Patrick Martinez and Jeremy Mikolajczak” as part of the Leadership Circle Lecture Series. Leadership Circle members met the artist at a reception prior to the official talk.
Martinez meets members of TMA’s Leadership Circle, the museum’s foremost philanthropic membership group.
Jeremy Mikolajczak in conversation with Martinez as part of the Leadership Circle Lecture Series.
A neon demonstration by the Ignite Sign Art Museum at Free First Thursday.
Music by DJ Herm for Free First Thursday.
Organizing the week’s events was a team effort by TMA staff. Thank you for your dedication!
