Feb. 25, 2016

SMoCA Presents 10-Day Encore for Modern Phoenix Week This April

Casa Lantana. Buckingham Interiors + Design. PHOTOS BY ERIC HAUSMAN.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) presents the annual Modern Phoenix Week in partnership with Modern Phoenix LLC, celebrating midcentury modern architecture and contemporary design. Midcentury aficionados, homeowners and design lovers can look forward to 10 days of events spanning tours, films, educational seminars and mixers throughout the Valley.

LIST OF EVENTS:

MOD•AZ First Friday Reception | Fri., April 1, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
The MOD•AZ group show reflects upon the midcentury community in Arizona with a focus on architecture in the form of drawings, renderings and 3D models, but also furniture, fabric, advertising and design. Meet the artists and view their work in response to Arizona’s midcentury modern history, on view through April 16.

Tour of Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti | Sat., April 2, and Sat., April 9, 9 a.m.
Enjoy an exclusive tour of Paolo Soleri‘s 1956 Cosanti complex led by his special assistant Roger Tomalty, now director of Paolo Soleri Studios, and SMoCA Curator of Contemporary Art Claire Carter. The tour is limited to 35 participants who will receive a 20 percent discount on all books and publications about or by Paolo Soleri purchased that day. Wheelchair accessible.

Hotel Valley Ho in 1956

Ultimate Tour of Hotel Valley Ho with Ace Bailey | Sun., April 3, 2 p.m., and Sat., April 9, 1 p.m.
An insider tour of the iconic Scottsdale hotel designed by Edward L. Varney Associates, AIA, in 1956.

Mesa’s Main Street Neon by Night Guided Bus Tour | Sun., April 3, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Join the Hip Historian Marshall Shore and Vic Linoff of the Mesa Preservation Foundation on a guided bus tour of Mesa’s main drag. View and photograph the monumental and iconic signs. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Arizona Vintage Sign Coalition and restoration of the Watson’s Flower Shop sign.

Three Arizona Icons in The ASU Special Collections – An Intimate View of Drawings by architects Beadle, Drake and Henry | Mon., April 4, 6:30 p.m.
Explore work of iconic architects Blaine Drake, Frank Henry and Alfred Newman Beadle and the University Archives at ASU Libraries. Archivist Rob Spindler and librarian Dennis Brunning will present and discuss selected treasures from the drawers of these touchstone collections. Members of the Beadle, Drake and Henry families will be present. Limited to 20 participants.

A Century of Plastics with Christopher McPherson | Mon., April 4, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The use of plastics exploded after World War II, fueling a juggernaut that led the transition from formal to casual living. But plastics had been around for decades before and still influence our lives every day. A Century of Plastics looks at the history of plastics and the important role they played during the middle half of the 20th century.

SMoCA Architecture Side Slam with The American Institute of Architects | Tues., April 5, 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Featuring fast-paced decks about contemporary architecture, adaptive re-use, sustainability, design-build, making connections across time and space, and problem-solving by Benjamin Ayers, AIA, Shepley Bulfinch; John Anderson, AIA, 180 degrees; Chris Knorr, AIA, SmithGroupJJR; Jennifer Knorr, AIA, DWL; Peter Koliopoulos, AIA, Circle West Architects.

Arizona Storytellers: The Meaning of “Home” | Wed., April 6. 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Join azcentral.com, The Arizona Republic and Alliance Bank of Arizona to celebrate Phoenix design. You’ll hear from architects, home historians and designers as they celebrate the Valley’s vibrant architectural scene with stories about the meaning of “home,” designing disasters and the spaces that define our community. Storytellers include Austin King of Rafterhouse, Lorenzo Perez of Venue Projects – Kitchell Perez and Will Bruder of Will Bruder Architects.

FUTURISMO! A Taste of Italian Avant-Garde with SMoCA | Thurs., April 7, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Celebrate the revolutionary and often-misunderstood early modern movement of Italian Futurism with a lively talk by SMoCA Docent Deborah Robin. Italian cocktails and unusual appetizers from Filippo Marinetti‘s controversial Futurist Cookbook will be served.

Double Feature at SMoCA – A Single Man and Far From Heaven | Fri., April 8, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
The evening will begin with A Single Man (2009), directed by Tom Ford and starring Colin Firth as an English professor in 1960s Los Angeles coping with the loss of his boyfriend. The second film, Far From Heaven (2002), directed by Todd Haynes, deals with racial tensions in 1950s Connecticut and earned an Oscar nod for star Julianne Moore. Both films showcase impeccable cinematography, costuming and midcentury modern set design. Between the movies, local arts critic and advocate Robert Pela and artist Paul Wilson will lead a brief panel discussion.

Modern Marketplace

Modern Marketplace | Sat., April 9, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Explore pop-up shops to find new products and services related to Modernism, architecture, interior design, literature and home renovation. Shop vintage fashion, jewelry, furniture, lighting and accessories. Meet contemporary interior designers, landscapers, furniture designers, green builders, architects, historians, preservationists and other professionals to help you get your job done. Enjoy free admission to SMoCA all day long.

Workshop: Research Your Midcentury Home Using Primary Sources | Sat., April 9, 11 a.m.
John Jacquemart and Donna Reiner guide a small group through researching a midcentury home or neighborhood using local resources and online databases. Workshop features a portable pop-up library including the Modern Phoenix archives with vintage magazines and newspapers from the ’50s and ’60s, and John’s personal collection of primary sources.

Practical Strategies to Conserve Frank Lloyd Wright’s Legacy in Phoenix | Sat., April 9, 2 p.m.
Join members of the David and Gladys Wright House Foundation board of directors, Taliesin’s Preservation Director Fred Prozillo and the owners of Frank Lloyd Wright residences in Phoenix to discuss conservation strategies of Wright homes and those of the Taliesin Fellows in this candid open forum.

Keynote Speaker: Robert Imber | Sat., April 9, 5 p.m.
Join Palm Springs resident and active advocate for architectural preservation Robert Imber for a discussion of Palm Springs’ architecture and PS Modernism Week. Learn about Midcentury gems just a few hours away and hear this expert’s opinion on what Modern Phoenix Week can learn from one of its nearest neighbors.

12^th Annual Modern Phoenix Home Tour | Sun., April 10, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Features full access to a dozen modern homes in Uptown Phoenix. Highlights include four Haver homes of Marlen Grove and Northwood and custom homes in the Biltmore area and Central Avenue Corridor, including three spectacularly restored homes by Fred Guirey, FAIA, Bennie Gonzales, FAIA, and Mel Ensign. Casa Lantana (photo below), designed by Mel Ensign in 1958 for Frank Leonard Wallace in the Rolling Hills neighborhood on a hilltop near the Biltmore. It is next door to Ensign’s own home, which he designed with his wife, a landscape architect. Both Ensigns trained at Harvard, and Mel was involved in the implementation of the architectural school at ASU.