Art Speaks Series

This presentation will examine majestic works of Southwestern Art as we travel from the Taos Pueblo in 1893 to Tucson’s Barrio in 2022. Along this journey, we will encounter the colors, landscapes, people, and cultures portrayed by three distinct groups of artists: The Taos Society of Artists, The Tucson 7, Tucson Barrio Painters. The comradery within each group contributed to their unique artistry. Through colorful paintings and interesting stories, we will realize the transformation in the Art of the American West from Taos to Tucson and from darkness to light.

Speaker: Susie Heintz

This year, the 250th birthday of JMW Turner, perhaps Britain’s most celebrated and influential painter, is being celebrated all over the world with special exhibitions at museums from London to Houston to Singapore. Joseph Mallord William Turner was born at a time of seismic change in Britain, as the Industrial Revolution swept away the bucolic agrarian society and replaced it with machines and industry. Turner’s art documents and reflects this profound change in the country, as the age of sail was replaced by the age of steam.
It was a time when audiences were fascinated by the Sublime – the immense and awesome power of nature, at times breathtakingly beautiful, at times terrifying – and man’s place in it. Turner’s work – his skies, his depictions of seas and storms, and his ability to paint with light – reflects this fascination, as well as man’s struggle to harness and overcome the forces of nature through his ingenuity.

Speaker: Martin Randall

Frida Kahlo is known for her personal identity as much as she is known for her art. She has become an iconic artist and figure worldwide due to her unconventional lifestyle, marriage and political ventures that defined her life and art. While her art possesses Mexican cultural values, it is also a metaphor for the emotional and physical pain she endured. She depicted her wounded body in creative ways that often-challenged traditional female roles. If you are interested in Frida’s art, then you may be amazed to learn what the works represent and why they are some of the most deeply personal and powerful artworks of the 20th century. Come ready to better understand the woman artist that is intriguing the art world today!

Speaker: Kit Kimball

Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee were not only two of the most well-known abstract artists in the early 20th century but were also legendary teachers at the Bauhaus School in Germany in the 1920s. They shared a belief in the symbiotic relationship between painting and music. This talk will explore their unique approaches in connecting visual compositions, architectural designs, and musical arrangements.

Speaker: Jaye-Lynn Trapp