The Fine Art Museum of Sedona has made a major step in its ultimate goal of building a fine arts museum in town. The museum has its very first brick and mortar space. Its first exhibit is “FAMoS Presents an Art Journey Through Time.”
“Our first location is an overview of the types of art that have been created in Sedona. That includes Native American themes, Cowboy Artists of America, surrealism, which, of course, Dorothea Tanning and Max Ernst were prominent members of the surrealist group that lived in Sedona. Then we have a few of the pioneer artists. Lillian Wilhelm Smith came here in the early 1900s with Zane Gray,” says Mary Byrd, vice chair of the Fine Art Museum of Sedona. Being in Sedona, visitors also should expect to see plenty of landscape paintings and photographs too. QR codes are next to most of the art so people can scan them and learn more about each piece.
The late painter Ruth Waddell and sculptor and painter John Waddell are both represented. Some other local artists currently in the museum are Grand Canyon painter Curt Walters – his painting “Orme Ranch” is above – bronze artist James Muir and sculptor Susan Kliewer. “It’s a theme of Sedona as a refuge. Sedona as a place of beauty that artists have come to, and Sedona as an arts community and a little bit of how it all started,” she says. In addition to the roughly 42 pieces of artwork on display, visitors can also watch videos of oral histories and other short videos that relate to art or to the museum.
The Fine Art Museum of Sedona was incorporated as a nonprofit back in 2014. In the decade since its founding, the nonprofit has worked to try to bring a permanent art museum to Sedona. The organization’s goal is to spread awareness and show appreciation for the important role arts have played in Sedona. “We feel that it’s a good location, a good exhibit for locals and visitors, because the current exhibit tells you a little bit about the art that’s been created in Sedona,” says Mary. The museum is currently looking for sponsors and grants so it can offer no cost or low admission prices “so that people can really enjoy the art.” − Teresa K. Traverse
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