I hear the phrase “emerging artists” quite a bit, but I’m not always sure what it means.
Viewing the show “Visions: Worth a Thousand Words” at the gallery inside the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts made me wonder if school-age art students could be considered “emerging artists,” even if they have made no decision whether to pursue visual art as a career.
Given the caliber of works in the exhibit, maybe these young artists ought to consider it.
The works are accorded the full gallery treatment, with matting, framing, information cards, etc., and although black-and-white portrait photography seems to be a favored medium, I also saw commendable mixed media works, along with oils and acrylics.
“Visions” is the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Arts’ teen group of 40-plus art high school art students and their teachers. The students meet monthly with artists for workshops, then create their own works around a theme for a culminating exhibit in the young@art gallery.
“Worth a Thousand Words,” the theme, centers on teen angst, insecurities, moments of pride and home life, among other subjects. The kids are from South Mountain, Central, Desert Mountain and Coronado high schools, as well as the New School for the Arts.
Hard to pick a favorite from the bunch, but I’ll go with “Grass,” by Miriam Salazar from South Mountain. It’s an open box, topped with grass, with embossed metal pieces on the outside giving lines from the Carl Sandburg poem of the same name. Inside the box are toy soldiers, strewn across the scene. I liked the emerging artist’s blend of the poem’s message about wartime with the organic use of materials.
You have plenty of time to see the works; the show runs through Oct. 7.
I sauntered over to the performing arts center because I was reviewing SMOCA’s Peter Sarkisian show of video projections, which runs through September 9. Should you check that out, too? Of course.
