Resting on 900 pristine acres in southern Utah, Amangiri honors and celebrates the magic and mystery of the region’s monumental rock formations, providing an intimate setting from which to appreciate the stark natural beauty and spirit of the land. To further connect its guests with its setting, Amangiri is pleased to announce an exhibition in collaboration with the Phoenix, Arizona-based Heard Museum, the world’s preeminent museum for the advancement and interpretation of American Indian art, and internationally recognized for the quality of its collections, exhibitions, special events and educational programming. Commencing 15 March, the event marks Amangiri’s inaugural partnership with a cultural institution and sees the Heard Museum collaborate with an artist and a destination to create a companion to a current exhibition for the first time ever.
The Heard Museum’s major recent exhibition titled Substance of Stars, is a multi-sensory experience which presents historic and contemporary works focused on the creation stories and sky knowledge of four Indigenous communities. Among the communities is the Diné (Navajo), whose homeland, Dinétah, is located adjacent to Amangiri and extends across the states of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. On display in Amangiri’s own gallery from 15 March until 30 June, Substance of Stars: Meditations and Explorations, is a companion to the main exhibition and will showcase a series of works by Steven J. Yazzie (Diné), an acclaimed artist and filmmaker whose childhood was spent in the resort’s neighboring town of Page, Arizona. Through this series, Yazzie draws upon the themes of earth and sky to explore his ancestral landscapes through visually stunning, stimulating and calming videos and photographs. Just as Amangiri celebrates the beauty of the surrounding land, Yazzie’s artwork reflects on how technology and artistic vision can help inspire a deeper connection to the natural world and the infinite expanse of the cosmos.
For the duration of the exhibition, guests have exclusive access to view the artworks of hand-picked stills from Yazzie’s video contribution to Substance of Stars’ immersive Sky-Dome movie theatre that capture his passion for the landscape that surrounds Amangiri. Pieces include Throwing Stars Over Monsters – a night image of Shiprock, New Mexico, inspired by a story of Coyote picking up a bag of stars and throwing it into the sky to create the Milky Way; Canyon – a composite image which contrasts the dark canyon shadows represented by a starry sky with the lightness of the land as a canvas; and Painted – a compressed landscape photograph invoking in the viewer an interesting question of perception. The display allows guests of Amangiri to marvel the spectacular work in an equally majestic setting, with the opportunity to visit the wider exhibition which is ongoing at the Heard Museum.
Born in 1970, Yazzie studied Fine Arts at Arizona State University and at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and was named the 2014 outstanding graduate of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. His professional career spans a long exhibition list of national and international institutions, and he was recently the recipient of the Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship, and awarded Community Scholar for the Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (in)Equality at University of Denver. Yazzie’s contributions to the exhibit are also explored in the Substance of Stars book available through the renowned Heard Museum Shop.
Speaking on the collaboration, Audrey Huttert, General Manager of Amangiri, said: “This is the first time since Amangiri’s opening that we welcome a pop-up exhibition on property, and we could not think of a better partner than the Heard Museum to curate a unique selection of artworks from local artist Steven J. Yazzie. We are delighted to add the Heard Museum’s world-renowned expertise in Native American arts to our cultural programming as we are committed to share the rich traditions of our local community with our guests.”
Heard Museum Dickey Family Director & CEO David M. Roche added: “The Heard Museum’s world-class collection and exhibitions set a standard for the presentation of American Indian art and the elevation of the voices of Native artists to provide the most authentic experience of their work. This was the guiding principle in the development of our newest signature exhibition, Substance of Stars, as we worked with Indigenous artists, advisors, and Tribal leaders to express the fundamental origin stories and sky knowledge which provides the inspiration, logic and wisdom underlying all Native American art. We are honored to partner with Amangiri to amplify these voices far beyond the walls of the Heard Museum. The stars aligned for us to cocreate this unique companion exhibition with Yazzie and Amangiri, and we hope that, not only will Amangiri’s visitors be inspired by the work, but that this will also invite more visitors from around the world to come to Phoenix to experience the Heard Museum and Substance of Stars in person.”
