FRIENDS OF MEXICAN ART NEWSLETTER

MARCH, 2011

HOME TOUR

FOMA’s annual home tour will be held this year on Sunday, February 27, from 10 am to 4 pm.  Ticket holders for this special fund-raising event (FOMA’s main fund raiser) will be invited to experience homes that contain fascinating, even spectacular collections.    Mexican art - especially folk art - dominates,  adorning all surfaces in these homes.   What pulls these collections together is the homeowners’ love of the art and their inventiveness in displaying it.  Come and surround yourself with art and discover the fun of collecting.

On the “Casitas Encantadas” Home Tour you will see:

•In only 1700 square feet, these homeowners have managed to display their collection of artwork from Arizona artists (including the homeowners themselves) and folk art featuring  ceramic work from Jalisco and Puebla.  Personal favorites include Trees of Life, candelabras/candle holders, vintage Mexican glass, masks, and papier maché.  This original Sun Crest Estates home has “Arizona Mahogany” stained cement floors, hand-plastered walls, hand-painted murals, and decorative borders throughout.  The backyard features fruit trees, dry climate vegetation, an organic vegetable garden, and a patio filled with potted plants arranged in a relaxed and traditional setting. 

•This Southwestern style home, located near The Biltmore Resort is the home of a practicing  physician, a professional artist, and their three young children.   The homeowners have a combination of art collections including Spanish Colonial antiques, traditional Mexican folk art, MIddle Eastern wall hangings, priest vestments from Mexico, contemporary artwork, and the children’s creations, which are cleverly displayed.  The homeowner will be working in her studio during the tour and will be available to discuss her art.

•A mid 50’s tract home in what was formerly an orange grove now contains a 15 year collection of Mexican and Latin American art including carved wooden Santos or Bultos figures, Day of the Dead art, and Trees of Life.  Also in the collection are works by local craftspeople, painters, photographers and potters  - including Janet deBerg Lange, Linda Ingrahm and Ka Graves - and an extensive collection of toys and puppets. The home is surrounded by trees, raised gardens and flagstone paths that complete the serene and artistic atmosphere.

•A judge and an artist own this mid-century ranch sitting on an acre of desert land registered as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.    The home contains an eclectic collection of folk art - Mexican retablos and nichos and Latin American, Early American, Native American, and contemporary art, as well as some of the owner’s mixed media work of tin collages, ceramics, mosaics, and wall pieces fashioned from found materials.  Outdoors, there are large steel structures, river rock filled caged pillars, cactus gardens, and an ocotillo fence that borders the property.   The homeowner - active in the local art community for over 30 years - will be at work in her studio on the day of the tour to demonstrate and answer questions about her work.

MERCADO

The Mercado will be at the home of Kevin Pawlak and James Goodreau (one of the homes on the tour). There will be a variety of ceramics, crosses, retablos, vintage Mexican folk art, jewelry, papier maché and much more.  In addition, longtime FOMA member Caralee Allsworth has donated many items of folk art from her extensive collection and all of it will be for sale at the Mercado the day of the Casitas Encantada Tour on February 27th.   We will have pieces from Tonalå, Oaxaca and other areas of Mexico, as well as folk art from all over the world, reasonably priced.   This is a wonderful opportunity for buyers to add to their personal collections.

Tickets are available at the following retail stores:  Fiesta Furnishings,15320 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale, 480-951-3239; Tlaquepaque, 10401 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 480-948-0088; Vision Gallery, 10 E. Chicago, Chandler, 480-782-2695;  The Store at Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street, Mesa, 480-644-6515, and The Purple Lizard, 2827 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix, 602-728-0980.  Tickets can be purchased online at our website:  www.friendsofmexicanart.org, or call 602-334-6585. 

On the day of the tour, you may call 602-334-6585 for information about purchasing tickets at the homes. 

WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF ALL FOMA MEMBERS FOR THIS EVENT.  IT IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT FUND RAISER OF THE YEAR!    VOLUNTEER IF YOU CAN, BUT PLEASE ATTEND AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.  

THIS WILL BE A GREAT HOME TOUR AND MERCADO. 

 DON’T MISS IT!

CHANNEL 10 HOME TOUR BROADCAST

Diane Ryan of Channel 10 Fox News has done a publicity segment on the home tour which will be broadcast on Monday, February 21, during the  8 - 9 o’clock hour.  Diane has done features for us for the last few years and always does an excellent job of showing off our homes.  Be sure and watch - or TIVO it!

KIRKING LECTURE

Clayton Kirking’s lecture at the Franciscan Renewal Center on January 30 was a huge success.  He spoke about the collection to be featured in the coming show at the Phoenix Art Museum (partially underwritten by FOMA ) -  Mexican Modernism from 1910 to 1950.  His familiarity with the collection made his remarks very informative, and he was a charming and engaging speaker.  We had very good attendance at the lecture and at the dinner following at the Mountain Shadows Golf Resort.  It was enjoyable to visit with FOMA members, some of whom we had not seen in a while.  Overall, this was an excellent beginning to the activities leading up to the opening of the exhibit at PAM. 

GUIDED TOUR BY JAMES BALLINGER

James Ballinger, director of the Phoenix Art Museum, will give FOMA members a guided tour of the recently reopened Spanish Colonial Gallery and other Mexican art currently on display at the museum.  The tour will take place on Wednesday, March 16,  at  6:00 pm.   You will be receiving an invitation with more information in the mail.

BOOK CLUB

The FOMA Book Club will meet on Tuesday, March 15 at the home of Greta Mock.  The book to be discussed is Rio Grande Fall by Rudolfo Anaya.  The meeting begins at 1:00 pm.  If you need any further information, contact Kotzie Wheeler at 480-966-2094.

NEW MEMBERS

Joe Miracle and Kent DeYoung Mr. and Mrs. Luis A Castañeda           Diane and  George LeSatz        2227 S. El Marino         Consulado General de México en Phoenix   6946 E. Exeter Blvd.

Mesa, AZ 85202-6471 Consul de Asuntos Comunitarios           Scottsdale, AZ  85251-2330

602-319-8480         1990 W. Camelback Road, Suite 110    480-945-7708                              This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it          Phoenix, AZ   85015              This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it                                                                             602-242-7398, EXT 237  

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Ruth Gill Clayton Kirking and Edward Sullivan

8904 E. Mescal St. 29 Washington Square West  Apt 7B

Scottsdale, AZ  85260 New York, NY  10011-9128

480-860-4770

LOST MEMBERS

FOMA friends were saddened to learn that we lost three members this past January:

•Richard Krecker passed away on January 15, 2011.  Richard and Susan Krecker were active members of FOMA for many years. We send our condolences and love to Susan and his family.  Donations in his memory can be sent to the Desert Botanical Garden.

•Mary Lou Dobkin, also a member for many years,  passed away January 28th, 2011, at the Sherman Home (Hospice of the Valley facility at Mayo Hospital).  Sympathy cards may be sent to her sister Rachel Anderson at 7147 N. 59th Ave., Glendale, AZ  85301, and donations in her memory may be made to the Heard Museum or Hospice of the Valley (Sherman Home).

•Jane Clark was a new FOMA member and we are sorry to lose her so soon.  Condolences can be sent to: The Family of Jane Clark at 1706 W. Onyx Rd., Phoenix AZ  85021-2093.