Without question, the Burton Barr Public Library in downtown Phoenix is the most outstanding in Arizona covering 280,000 square feet, and has five floors containing over 550,000 volumes on every conceivable subject. However, it tends to get overlooked as a destination for art exhibits in Phoenix as many other places in the city center are better known for their galleries.
Nevertheless, Burton Barr has hosted countless intriguing exhibits over the past 31 years and particularly when it comes to Native American and Mexican American artists. Unfortunately, though, there is just never enough time for me to make the rounds of all the art spaces around Phoenix I’d like to check out on a regular basis. For instance, I had missed out on library visits to this branch for about six months, so it was high time to check it out again!
The painting shown below is an oil on canvas by Fritz Scholder and is called “Millennium #8 from 1997. I’m always happy to learn about artists I’ve been unfamiliar with and this work reminds me of the surrealist imagery which Salvador Dali was acclaimed for during the 20th century among his many other artistic endeavors.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
According to the accompanying plaque, Scholder’s “Millennium” series is about the transition from the 20th to the 21st century wherein the artist has to re-examine his past before grasping the future. My impression of the painting is a feeling of anxiety and foreboding about the future — relating pretty closely to the bizarre dreams I have about the future (and not only the distant future). There are some weeks where the prospects of facing the next day are unnerving!
The plaque says that “Millennium #8 depicts man struggling to control a large horse symbolizing nature and technology. Simultaneously, he is reaching out to the artist/shaman above.” This made me think of sometimes being caught between two dimensions of never being able to completely let go of the past because the future doesn’t seem worth it. Also, the painting makes me think of the supernatural with the dark mountain in the background as a menacing presence where I’m not sure what it might do…
The pyramid was described as symbolizing past greatness, but I also think of them as timeless and virtually indestructible. I’ve also had an affinity for bygone eras, faded glories, and lost civilizations and pyramids definitely figure into that. The orb of light being watched by the robot-woman could either be a moon or an orb of light typically associated with paranormal activity. Unsurprisingly, candles can always represent eternity as fire never dies. If one flame is snuffed out there will always be others.
The next piece which captured my attention is by Thea Gahr and titled “The Border Won’t Keep You Safe”. As for the type, Gahr’s creation is described as a portfolio of 37 letterpress and silkscreen broadside prints from 2012.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Getting a good quality picture of this was a challenge due to issues with shadows and light reflections which were unavoidable. In any case, the “free movement for the people of the world” which this print advocates is a flashpoint of controversy in our current political and social climate which is not likely to change for the better anytime soon.
The final piece I’m featuring here is a lithograph by Ed Mell called “Fleeting Clouds/Sedona” from 1994.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Prints such as these representing Arizona’s terrain or flora and fauna will always be among my favorites as I consider them timeless and majestic — ideal interpretations of this state’s grandeur.
