Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (MCAM) will celebrate the
opening of five exhibitions with a free reception on Friday, February 14, 7-10 p.m.
Spring exhibitions include The State of Being, a cross-cultural exchange featuring works by Chinese artist He Gong and Arizona artist Mark Pomilio; Letting Go of Utopia, with paintings by Jenny Day; 41 st Annual Contemporary Crafts, juried by former MCAM curator Patty Haberman and highlighting contemporary work in traditional craft mediums; Ketchup=Red, Mustard=Yellow, by ceramic artist Kazuma Sambe; and Color is King: The Hunter Orange Series, with weavings by
Morris David Dorenfeld, Juror’s Choice winner of the 40 th Annual Contemporary Craft exhibition.
The reception will feature musical entertainment by Broken-Hearted Blues Band, light
refreshments, cash bar and an opportunity to meet and visit with the artists whose work is on
view.
A State of Being
He Gong and Mark Pomilio Dec 6, 2019 – Mar 29, 2020
A cross-cultural exchange, this exhibition brings together the dynamic black and white works of
Chinese artist He Gong and scientifically inspired geometric imagery of Arizona artist Mark
Pomilio. Their friendship was forged several years ago during a residency program in Cheng du,
China that He Gong hosted and Pomilio attended. Even with contrasting methods and subject
matter, He Gong and Pomilio’s work capture the complexity of artistic expression and the
human experience.
Letting Go of Utopia
January 17 – April 5, 2020
Jenny Day takes the viewer on an evolutional journey of broken, psychological landscapes
depicted in large, mixed media paintings. In Letting Go of Utopia, Day asks the question: How
many ways can one approach mourning? Through an assemblage of Instagram snippets, sour
jokes and heartbreak, Day covers her deconstructed surfaces with superficial ornamentation,
like glamour and glitter, as a metaphor for the ways in which we mask our own emotional scars.
41 st Annual Contemporary Crafts
February 14 – April 19, 2020
Highlighting the finest in contemporary crafts from across the country, Mesa Contemporary ArtsMuseum’s Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition has become a benchmark for innovation and quality. A representative of traditional craft mediums including ceramics, fibers, basketry, metals, wood, glass, jewelry, papermaking and book arts, this exhibition showcases 60 artworks by 51 artists, representing 12 states. Guest Juror for the 41st Annual Contemporary Crafts exhibition was Patty Haberman, ChiefCurator of MCA Museum at Mesa Arts Center for 22 years until her retirement in early 2019.
Ketchup = Red, Mustard = Yellow
Kazuma Sambe
January 24 – April 12, 2020
Ceramic artist Kazuma Sambe explores the cultural interactions between international food
industry and the creative, and oftentimes, strange logic of its advertising. He synthesizes
traditional hand-building techniques of oriental sculpture with food advertising and packaging.
His current focus: SAUCE, which adds zest, flavor, or piquancy to raw foods, is the inspiration
behind the newest element incorporated into his work: COLOR.
Color is King: The Hunter Orange Series
Morris David Dorenfeld
February 14 – April 26, 2020, A painter at heart and by training, Maine artist Morris David Dorenfeld uses the loom as his canvas and creates wool “paintings”. The weavings are geometric abstract designs that emphasize simplicity, harmony, proportion, balance, and above all, the visual “music” of color. Hunter Orange, the brilliant primary color, is the subject of his most recent series, where COLOR IS KING.
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum is located at 1 East Main Street, in downtown Mesa, AZ,
85201. Admission is always free.
