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SMoCA turns ten years old this season. It seems hard to believe that the decade has sped by so quickly, but then again SMoCA is a rather busy place. There are great plans to mark this milestone, starting with the launch of a fabulous year of exhibitions this fall. This winter, a special birthday weekend will begin at the exhibition opening on February 13, 2009, followed by a Benefit dinner on February 14 that will mark a first-time opportunity for members to vote on their favorite community candidate for the 2009 Contemporary Catalyst Award. Finally, a big public birthday bash will be held on Sunday, February  15, 2009 on the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall.

SMoCA’s fall exhibitions will give you a taste of the energy of the anniversary season. Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting is the first presentation from a New York museum to come to SMoCA—and a spectacular look at the 21st-century evolution of a not-so-old-fashioned subject to which we each have some special personal connection. Pedro Meyer's Heresies showcases the work of one of Mexico’s most esteemed photographers and a pioneer of digital photography, who is most generously donating all the images in the exhibition to the Museum’s collection. Flip a Strip continues SMoCA’s commitment to fostering innovative thinking about architecture and urban space today: it is the result of a multifaceted community partnership over the past two years.

Coming in spring 2009 are At the Crossroads of American Photography: Callahan, Siskind, Sommer, (one of the most important and exquisite modernist exhibitions ever presented at SMoCA and a tribute to the legacy of photography in Arizona) and Seriously Funny, featuring art with a very contemporary sense of humor about life, from ten witty and wise international artists who play court jester. In the summer of 2009, SMoCA will showcase old favorites and new acquisitions from the permanent collection, which has grown by nearly 700 works since SMoCA opened in 1999, 88% of which have been made possible by generous donations.

SMoCA is truly the result of the cumulative efforts and spirited tenacity of so many people—and especially of the vision of a special few: Frank Jacobson, former CEO of the Cultural Council; Robert Knight, founding director; the City of Scottsdale; Gerard L. Cafesjian; Ellie and Michael Zeigler; Gail Rineberg; the late Virginia Ullman; Nancy and Art Schwalm; and of course architect Will Bruder, who made SMoCA perhaps the most flexible and quietly elegant space for contemporary art in the Valley. In the first promotional materials for the building campaign, their goal was clear, “the museum will create a challenging backdrop for a community discovery of the finest and most daring art of our contemporary culture.” In ten years, the Museum’s dedicated Board members; its heartfelt and generous donors; and its super-energetic staff have made this dream a reality.

SMoCA Board 2008 - 2009
Paul Giancola, chair     Sorry, your browser doesn't support the embedding of multimedia.
Phyllis Stern, vice chair

David Allen
Joe Baker
Rachel Wohl Blank
Zach Bonsall
Judy Chemers
Eric Jungermann
Janis Leonard
Sara Lieberman
Dorothy Lincoln-Smith
Michael Medici
Thomas Morgan
Alice Olsan
Ali Salass
Mitchell Stillman
Max Underwood
Mai Yahn