Kendra Carmona was so eager to get back inside an art museum she drove all the way from Albuquerque to Phoenix to do it

Carmona visited the Phoenix Art Museum as it reopened to the public Wednesday after being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The museum is now open with new art and new safety protocols in place. Carmona made the drive to see those new pieces for herself.

“This is my first time in an art gallery since the pandemic started,” Carmona said. “But I just love contemporary art so I came.”

A photographer and graduate of the New Mexico School for the Arts, Carmona said her love for contemporary art and a need to get out of the house inspired her to make the trip to Phoenix.

Carmona wasn’t the only person making a trek to visit the museum on Wednesday, Chris Zieske and Tania Cardenas drove from Buckeye.

“We’ve never been to this museum before,” Zieske said. “It’s our day off, we just decided to come.”

Zieske said they didn’t know the museum reopened Wednesday and were surprised to find out they were some of the first people to see the new exhibitions.

MORE MUSEUMS:Your guide to when museums are reopening

What you can expect when you come

If you want to see the new artwork, bring your mask and some patience.

Upon walking into the museum you will be greeted by a staff member with optional hand sanitizer. The large art pieces of each exhibition are well spaced to allow for easy social distancing and if you use the stairs, look down for arrows to direct you which way to go.

Scattered throughout the museum are more staff members equipped with first aid kits and hand sanitizing stations. In an effort to maintain social distancing some restroom sinks and water fountains have been disabled.

Visiting the museum may be different than before, but you can see the staff has tried to keep the experience as familiar as possible.

What works are on display

New exhibitions at the Phoenix Art Museum include the breathtaking work of Teresita Fernandez. Her show titled “Elemental” consists of large-scale sculptures, installations and mixed-media works.

The show includes a striking piece titled, “Charred Landscape (America)” a sculpture of the United States made of charcoal. Fragments of charcoal create the shape of Mexico and extend through the room.

For this exhibition Fernandez works with different elements, from charcoal to gold, the piece “Drawn Waters (Borrowdale)” is a large waterfall made of raw and flattened graphite. Thousands of graphite rocks installed by Fernandez swarm across the walls of the gallery.

“Elemental” is the museum’s first midcareer survey of works by Fernandez and its first major traveling exhibition.

The show was originally scheduled for March, but the museum was able to extend it until January.  

Also new to the museum, “Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art in the Global Context” which features 112 contemporary Latin American paintings, installations, sculptures and works on paper.

For the majority of this year, Phoenix Art Museum has had art exhibitions on display virtually including “India: Fashion’s Muse.” The exhibition celebrates the craftsmanship of fashion from India and includes garments from Givenchy, Oscar De La Renta, Naeem Khan and more.

Ashley Williams walked through the exhibition admiring the clothing. She brought her aunt Dori McKay to the museum for her birthday.

“This is beautiful, just gorgeous,” McKay said.

“We’re excited to get out and exited the museum is open, we’re enjoying it,” Williams added.

Details: 602-257-1880, phxart.org

Elizabeth Montgomery is Arts and Culture Reporter for The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com. Reach her at [email protected] or 602-444-8764. Follow her on Twitter @emontnews. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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