Opening Reception for MOAZA’s first physical exhibition Through the Eyes of the Beholders: Two Families collect Arizona Art at the Historic Senate Chambers of the Arizona Capitol Museum March 15, 2024

In celebration of 112 years of Arizona statehood, The Museum of Arizona Artists (MOAZA) unveiled its first physical exhibition; Through the Eyes of the Beholders: Two Families Collect Arizona Art, celebrating the importance of the role played by the collectors of art as well as the creators of art.

The show features work from the collections of two Arizona families. These are Eric and Eva Jungermann, Phoenix; and Jerry Barber and Betty Barber-Hughes and their daughter, Jerre Lynn Vanier of Paradise Valley, and Scottsdale.

The exhibition, open March 9ththrough June 14th, 2024, at the Arizona Capitol Museum, explores the diverse perspectives of those who engage with art, including the public, art collectors, curators, and the artists themselves. The exhibition provides a space to establish communication between the viewers and the artwork, delving into concepts of place and memory, aesthetic explorations, contemporary challenges, and ideas about the historical and mythological West.

Featuring the work of 34 Arizona artists from across the state, including Maricopa, Pinal, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo, Gila, and Pima counties, the exhibition includes a mix of emerging talents and esteemed figures such as James Turrell, Fritz Scholder, Anne Coe, Steven J. Yazzie, Ed Mell, Merrill Mahaffey, Ellen Wagener, and Beth Ames-Swartz.

Through the Eyes of the Beholders,” is curated by Karen L. Churchill. Churchill returned to her native Arizona after working at the Cleveland Museum of Art. While there, she did her doctoral studies in Art History and Museum Studies at Case Western Reserve University, where she held a Mellon Fellowship. Currently, she resides in Prescott, AZ and teaches Art History at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “Before moving to Ohio some thirty years ago,” Churchill stated, “I was honored to curate an exhibition of Arizona artists at the invitation of then Secretary of State Richard Mahoney and the International Friends of Transformative Art at the Arizona State Capitol. How special it is to now be working with MOAZA—the museum created by so many of the wonderful artists and collectors that I worked with before. The circle completes itself.”

The opening reception March 15, 2024, was held in the Historic Senate Chambers of the Arizona Capitol Museum. Jacky Alling, Interim Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts represented Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.  She presented the Museum of Arizona Artists, (MOAZA) with a Proclamation acknowledging the tremendous contributions that Arizona artists have made to our state.

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1 thought on “Opening Reception for MOAZA’s first physical exhibition Through the Eyes of the Beholders: Two Families collect Arizona Art at the Historic Senate Chambers of the Arizona Capitol Museum March 15, 2024”

  1. George thiewes says:

    I tried but never found the building and parking was some where ?

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