“Contours: The Essential Form” features selections from the Museum’s permanent collection and new works by Ibrahim Said (b. 1976, Fustat, Egypt). Through ceramic objects and works on paper, the exhibition explores themes of nature, care and discipline through the lens of muscle memory and intuitive artistic practice.
Said was an invited artist in October 2022 as part of the Museum’s Encounter Series, an effort to reimagine and recontextualize the Museum’s collections to address larger issues related to the current social and cultural climate of Arizona and the world at large. As part of his residency, the artist selected over sixty artworks from the Museum’s collection and created three ceramic works in response to his experiences during his visit, drawing inspiration from the Arizona built and natural landscape. Said states, “The natural world has inspired artists for centuries, and regardless of all our differences, we all benefit from a connection to nature for both survival but also to feed our souls and spirits. These objects help us connect and memorialize some of the abundant natural treasures around us.”
Artists featured in the exhibition are Laura Andreson, George Burr, Rose Cabat, Claude Conover, Hans Coper, Andrew Dasburg, Roseline Delisle, Ruth Duckworth, Ernest Haskell, Karin Hessenberg, Catherine Hiersoux, Nicholas Homoky, John Jordan, Paul Landacre, Lucy M Lewis, Rebecca Lucario, Maria Poveka Martinez, Christine Nofchissey McHorse, Ed Moulthrop, Alvin Pace, Elsa Rady, Lucie Rie, Mary Rogers, Ibrahim Said, Dennis Stewart, Geoffrey Swindell, Toshiko Takaezu, Dorothy Torivio, John Ward, Mary White and A. Jeffrey Zigulis.
“Contours: The Essential Form” is organized by Mary-Beth Buesgen, ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center Collections & Archives Manager and Ibrahim Said, Artist-in Residence in collaboration with a Community of Practice composed of artists and scholars: Sam Chung, Chad Haines, Amelia Hay, Renee Bhatti-Klug, Kat Medill, Emma Skinner and Mariam Aziza Stephan and made possible by the Windgate Foundation Endowment with additional support from Elaine and Sidney Cohen and the members of ASU Art Museum’s Board and Councils.
Image credit: Dorothy Torivio, American, 1946 - 2011 Spiral Design Jar Earthenware Overall: 2 5/8 x 5 1/4 in. (6.67 x 13.34 cm) Purchased with funds provided by the ASU Art Museum Store 1989.166.000 Photo by: Craig Smith
