New York Contemporary Artist Jim Hodges to Speak at Phoenix Art Museum

On April 24, Phoenix Art Museum will present world-renowned artist Jim Hodges as the inaugural speaker at the museum’s annual Lenhardt Lecture, a key component of the recently announced David and Dawn Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative.

Hodges (b. 1957) is a conceptual artist whose work has been the subject of exhibitions at museums around the world, including the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporanea in Spain. Known for the materials and varied scale of his work, which ranges from small installations to oversized, multi-ton sculptures, Hodges’ art transforms everyday objects into evocative sites that merge the personal, political and universal.

“We are delighted to welcome Jim Hodges to Phoenix as the inaugural speaker for the Lenhardt Lecture,” says Amada Cruz, the Sybil Harrington director and CEO. “Through the generosity of David and Dawn Lenhardt, the museum is empowered to provide unique access to some of the most compelling and important names in contemporary art, elevating Phoenix Art Museum as a national reference point for significant contemporary art.”

 Dawn and David Lenhardt IMAGE COURTESY PHOENIX ART MUSEUM

The recently announced David and Dawn Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative aims to deepen the museum’s commitment to contemporary art through a variety of programs including the Lenhardt Lecture, an annual event which will expose Valley audiences to some of the most acclaimed artists in the world. Hodges will also lead a workshop for the museum’s Teen Art Council, which is comprised of local high-school students.

“Jim was one of the first artists who came to mind when we were conceptualizing the lecture,” says David Lenhardt, the namesake of the initiative and also a member of the museum’s Board of Trustees. “We are excited to bring an artist of this stature and scope to speak in an effort to give our community more access to prominent contemporary artists.”

Aside from the Lenhardt Lecture, the David and Dawn Lenhardt Contemporary Art Initiative includes two additional components. The Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund will be the museum’s first fund designed specifically to collect works by next-generation contemporary artists. Through a collaboration between selected artists and Gilbert Vicario, the Selig Family chief curator, this fund will enhance the museum’s collection through a representation of promising new contemporary artists.

Additionally, the initiative will expand to include a named gallery space – Lenhardt Gallery – located within the museum’s Ellen and Howard C. Katz Wing for Modern Art. This gallery will be designated for the presentation of contemporary art, including recent acquisitions of the Lenhardt Emerging Artist Acquisition Fund and special exhibitions.

The Lenhardt Gallery will also feature loans from national and Phoenix collectors, including a rotating series of artworks from the Lenhardts’ private collection, which includes works by artists such as Hodges, Richard Estes, and Andy Warhol. In its future phases, the initiative will evolve to include gifts of contemporary art from the Lenhardt Collection.

The Lenhardt Lecture featuring Hodges is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. on April 24 in the museum’s Whiteman Lecture Hall.

Lenhardt Lecture: Artist Jim Hodges

April 24, 7 p.m.

Phoenix Art Museum, Whiteman Lecture Hall, 1625 N. Central Ave., Phoenix

For more information, visit phxart.org.