About the event

This past year united the world in ways we never thought possible. As we collectively distanced, quarantined, and helped slow the spread of the virus, people’s livelihoods, social events, and habits changed. Our day-to-day suddenly became confined to the parameters of our homes and computer screens. Schools were forced into the world of online learning, which presented a rapidly increasing need for arts organizations to address the isolating educational experience for students by empowering human connection and expression through visual art. 

Visions is a multi-visit, invitational visual arts program that has been provided to metro Phoenix area teens for 22 years. Throughout the school year, students from five high schools attended monthly workshops conducted by professional artists, toured the University of Arizona School of Art, and connected with exhibitions offered by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), all of which were virtual. As challenging as this year was, it allowed Visions to become a safe space for students to share their personal experiences through artistic expression and meaningful conversations. Though remote learning was previously thought to be a negative aspect, students felt braver sharing from the comfort of their own home. The virtual setting allowed them the physical and emotional space to be creative, to better connect with students from other schools, and to build the resilience that will be so beneficial to them post-high school. Through the appreciation and creation of art, Visions aims to cultivate the development of teen social and mental well-being while enhancing social connections, opening dialogue, and promoting tolerance and confidence. 

The exhibition Visions ’21 showcases skills and inspiration exchanged between the students and artists over the course of the 2020–21 program. National and international artists lectured on their professional backgrounds, successes, and barriers while also teaching new art-making techniques and themes. Both the SMoCA exhibitions and artist-led workshops inspired the students to choose one or two artists who were of interest to them. It is through these techniques and meaningful conversations that the Visions students were able to find a better understanding of the world, their peers, and themselves. 

Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation would like to thank the following 23 artists for their inspiring participation in the 2020–21 Visions program: Cherie Buck-Hutchison, Stephen Bunyard, Bill Dambrova, Heidi Dauphin, Casey Farina, Arash Fayez, Julie Ganas, Baron Gordon, Nellie King Solomon, Nazafarin Lotfi, Muriel Magenta, David Miller, Kayla Newnam, Rembrandt Quiballo, Ken Rosenthal, Rebecca Ross, Kazuma Sambe, Patricia Sannit, Papay Solomon, Laura Spalding Best, Roy Wasson Valle, and Koryn Woodward Wasson 

Thanks are also in order for the following participating teachers and schools: Jennifer Jardine, Shadow Mountain High School (painting); Caralee McGraw, Coronado High School (sculpture); Michelle Peacock, Saguaro High School (painting); Amy Voza Quist, Pinnacle High School (sculpture); and Claire Warden, New School for the Arts & Academics (multimedia). 

Organized by Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation