The artists in Broken Desert explore different aspects of human impact, past and present, on the desert. Chris McGinnis’s work addresses the exploitation of the desert in the pursuit of human progress, focusing on geological surveys of the American southwest. Greg Lindquist has re-created the Lavender Pit in Bisbee, AZ on the museum walls, exploring both its beauty and the destruction this open pit mine has wrought upon the landscape. He also brings work from his You Are Nature series, that emphasizes painting the enigmatic in the landscape, in both land and water, above and below the surface. Mary Mattingly’s photographs are chosen from two series: Nomadographies and On the Margin, that look at the frailty of life and scarcity of water on desert edges. And William Lamson’s compelling video, A Line Describing the Sun, demonstrates the devastating power of focused sunlight in the desert and vividly warns of the dangers of climate change.
Broken Desert is part of Desert Initiative: Desert One (DI:D1), a five-state, four desert exploration of the special issues and cultures of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Mohave and Great Basin deserts. The University of Arizona Museum of Art is one of over thirty museums, cultural centers, universities and public agencies that are taking part in this collaboration from September 2012 to April 2013. Each institution is contributing a unique exhibition or program designed to present innovative approaches to examining the past, present and future of the desert environment.
| November 9th: 5-7 PM |
Opening Reception and Artists Panel Public reception and panel discussion featuring artists Greg Lindquist, Chris McGinnis, and Mary Mattingly |
| January 31st: 5-7 PM |
“Wildcats in the Desert” Lisa Haynes, coordinator of the University of Arizona’s Wildcat Research and Conservation Center, talks about her research on the wildcats. |
| February 7th: 5-7 PM |
“Is Mars a Desert?” Peter Smith, principal investigator of NASA’s Phoenix Mars Mission and senior research scientist at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, speaks about recent research and discoveries |
| February 21st: 5-7 PM |
“The Rillito River Project” A discussion about bats by Professor Gregg Garfin of the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Creative Director Ellen Skotheim, and Advisor Yar Petryzyn of the Rillito River Project. University of Arizona School of Art Professor Ellen McMahon talks about her new book, “Ground/Water: An Ode to a Dry River”. |
| February 28th: 5-7 PM |
“Air/Water/Mexico” Presentation speakers are Stacie Widdifield, art history professor at The University of Arizona, and Jeffrey Bannister, research scientist at the Southwest Center and School of Geography. |
