There’s no better
way to sample the ethos of a destination than to take a contemplative tour
through its art
scene. When you do so
in Sedona, Arizona, pack comfortable walking shoes—hiking boots,
too—because there’s miles and miles to roam, some of which are off-road. With
80-plus art galleries, art-inspired festivals and events happening year-round, and heritage sites that exhibit the ancient
art of the area’s earliest inhabitants, it’s clearer than the sparkling streams
of Oak Creek—Sedona inspires creativity.
It makes sense that Sedona’s roots came from ranching since Oak
Creek and the nearby Verde River provided early settlers with abundant
irrigation, but the pioneers were drawn to this rugged place for more than its
perennial water source. Beyond its verdant valleys, rubiginous rock faces and
formations stimulated the imaginations of these providential people and, just
as cloud formations might, yielded picturesque names like Chimney Rock, Coffee
Pot Rock, Cathedral Rock and Devils Bridge, to name a few.
You’ll see Sedona’s early history portrayed in the western art
exhibited in many of the galleries, but don’t be
hoodwinked into thinking Sedona’s location on the U.S. map governs the type of
art you’ll find here. As this video about the Sedona art scene illustrates, the diversity of mediums and styles found
in Sedona is as wide ranging as the hues in its sunsets. Art is an expression
of the self, of the environment, of the times. And if the diversity of fine art
in Sedona is symptomatic, the artists and gallery owners in Sedona have a lot
to say.
Artist enclaves clustered
mainly in West Sedona, Uptown Sedona and Gallery Row (a mile-long stretch along
Highway 179 with some 50 galleries) present a prolific community of creative
sensibilities. Mediums include paintings with oil, acrylic and watercolor;
sculptures in bronze, steel, clay, stone, wood, ivory and glass; drawings in
charcoal, pastels, pencils and pens; fiber art using wool, silk, paper, plants
and animal parts; functional art like pottery, rugs, furnishings and fixtures; photography,
jewelry and mixed mediums with intriguing combinations at play. You’ll find abstracts,
figurative forms, landscapes and whimsical creations; public art, performance
art, impermanent art and… well, you get the idea.
“It’s evolving to be more modern, more contemporary, more
eclectic, a little bit wilder, and more diverse than just that Southwest art,”
says Kelli Klymenko of Sedona Arts Center, and perhaps it is through education that evolution occurs. Originally
called Canyon Kiva, instruction is the foundation for the Sedona Arts Center.
In 1958, Nassan Gobron, a sculptor from Egypt, visited Sedona and became
inspired to create a place where artists could work while also educating the
community about their craft. This idea seed germinated from what had been the
Jordan apple packing barn, now known as the Art Barn, where today their School
of the Arts provides workshops, ongoing classes and organizes field
expeditions. Meanwhile, the Sedona Arts Center Gallery offers the largest
collection of art by Sedonans, representing more than 100 local artists.
The area’s earliest artists from the pre-Columbian Sinagua culture
used yucca-leaf brushes, or simply their fingers, dipped into colored minerals
to paint pictographs onto smooth rock walls, or they chiseled at the stone with
rudimentary tools to create petroglyph designs. More than a thousand of these
rare, works of art, dating back to circa 1150 A.D., are preserved at the V Bar V,
Honanki and Palatki heritage sites.
When Janeen Trevillyan retired in Sedona, preservation of its historical
and cultural narratives became her passion. “I don’t think people can come to
Sedona and not be affected,” she said. Now, as president of the Sedona Heritage Museum Board, she focuses their efforts on education, protection and
sharing the unique history of what is arguably the most beautiful place on
earth. It’s something to be celebrated.
And, celebrate they do with the Sedona Heritage Museum’s Fall Arts & Crafts Show. It’s a community gathering with local artists and craftspeople
showcasing one-of-a-kind handmade items and the special stories behind them. Go
behind the scenes every fall and spring during the Open Studios Tours when artists invite the public into their studios, revealing their
masterful techniques. Watch the landscape take shape during the Sedona Plein Air Festival, a week-long event presented by the Sedona Arts Center that
includes not only glimpsing over the shoulders of master painters, but also attending
intimate receptions, exhibitions, demonstrations, lectures, a cookout and an
exciting awards presentation. Since 1989, artists from across the U.S. have
convened for the Sedona Arts Festival, the city’s oldest and largest art gathering. This event goes
beyond exhibition, however, and has raised more than $300,000 to support
community programs including scholarships to help a young artist pursue their
dreams.
Klymenko, a professional photographer, tells his students, “If you
want to be a good photographer, move to Sedona and have a camera.” It may just be
that simple. Inspiration surrounds you—from every angle, whether it’s a vista,
a sunset or the random artist painting en plein air. Linda Goldenstein
of Goldenstein Gallery (which evolved from her grandfather’s 1940s grocery store)
believes there’s a heartfelt connection in Sedona which stems from the artists.
Whether it’s the artists who breed Sedona’s creative vibe or it’s Sedona’s natural
beauty and mystical energy that feed artistic inspiration, it is most certainly
a powerful symbiotic relationship.
Find more inspiration for your exploration of Sedona’s art scene
at the Sedona
Secret Seven art sites or consider this three-day Arts & Culture Itinerary. And along the way notice how creativity flourishes: At
the restaurants where you gather around the table to relish organic farm-to-table
fare or paleo-inspired dishes. At Sedona’s superlative resorts and spas where you can dream
in luxurious comfort about the creations you’ll be taking home. At the
world-renowned spiritual
and wellness retreats where
your soul will awaken. At a golf
club where you can contemplate
the designer’s contours of the course. Or on the trail where art is manifested in the delicate petals of
wildflower, the shape of a leaf, the clouds in the sky, the color and formation
of a rock, the curves of a creek, the twisted trunk of a juniper tree and the
intricate design of a spider web.
~
See the published version here.
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