100 Years 100 Ranchers - Photograph by Scott Baxter

Art is everywhere and galleries seem to pop up in the most unexpected places.  Small galleries can be seen in the local coffee shop, the mall, bus and train stations, and even the airport.  I was heading to security in Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport (terminal 4) when I unexpectedly passed by the Phoenix Airport Museum.  Who knew there was a museum in the airport?  But even better, the museum is currently running a photography exhibit entitled 100 Years 100 Ranchers.  The exhibit showcases the work of Photographer Scott Baxter who, over a 10 year period, photographed 100 Arizona ranchers whose families have been ranching in Arizona for 100 years or more.  The exhibit coincides with the upcoming centennial celebrations for the state Arizona (which turns 100 on February 14, 2012) and runs through May 13, 2012.  So next time you are rushing through Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, stop and check out the art.  Or, if your travels don’t take you through Phoenix check out the museums and public works of art on display in these other airports.

San Fransisco International Airport Museum

Philadelphia International Airport

Indianapolis International Airport

Oakland International Airport

Here are the details if you want to see the exhibit in person:

Where: Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Ave., (602) 257-1222, info@phxart.com

When: Wednesday, 10am-9pm (Free admission/voluntary donation every Wednesday, 3-9pm)
Thursday-Saturday, 10am-5pm
Sunday, 12pm-5pm
First Friday of every month, 6-10pm (Free admission/voluntary donation)

How Much: $10 adults
$8 senior citizens & fulltime college/university students w/ID
$4 children ages 6-17

John Valls’ work in Cuba focused on a tobacco farm and was shot over the course of six years to reveal “…the slow rhythms and quiet pleasures of daily life on Fidel’s family tobacco farm.”  (I’m not sure if that is the Fidel.)

The Etherton Gallery is located at 135 South 6th Avenue in downtown Tucson, AZ and has regular hours Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm and by appointment.

Marilyn Monroe, from the Last Photos, original photograph, signed,1962, Andrew Weiss Gallery, copyright George Barris/Edward Weston Collection. (PRNewsFoto/Andrew Weiss Gallery)

Marilyn Monroe would have been 85 on June  1st.  As America’s preeminent sex symbol Marilyn has been the subject of countless photographs taken throughout her career as a model and then a Hollywood actress.  From her early days when she was still known as Norma Jeane Baker photographer Bill Carroll captured Marilyn before her Hollywood career took off.  Then after she reached iconic status as a “blonde bombshell” and actress multiple other photographers documented her stardom.  One of the last to photograph her before her death in 1962 was George Barris.  His work, along with that of Carroll and others are the subject of an exhibit at the Andrew Weiss Gallery in Beverly Hills opening to the public on June 2nd.  The exhibit, in honor of Monroe’s 85th birthday, will combine classic photography of the star with birthday wishes sent in by fans to create a unique display and tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

If you happen to be in Los Angeles between June 2nd and August 13th you should definitely try to stop in and see the exhibit at the Andrew Weiss Gallery at 179 S. Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills 90212. The hours are  Tues.-Sat. 11:00am-5:00pm, or by appointment.

For those of you in the Phoenix area there is an exhibit of the photography of John Schaefer at the Desert Botanical Garden that is definitely worth seeing.  Although this spring’s wildflower crop does not appear to be as promising as last year, Schaefer’s photographs of desert cacti blooms in the A Desert Illuminated exhibit is a very close substitution.  His photographs have been compared to “…Renaissance- era illuminated manuscripts.”  The technique used for capturing the rich colors of these beautiful cacti flowers of the Arizona desert involves placing a piece of black construction paper behind them to isolate them from the background make them really pop.  The end result are some spectacular works of photographic art. The mesmerizing colors of the images and incredibly rich detail will keep you engaged with each photograph in the small exhibit of 30 images and is in and of itself worth a trip to the garden.

A bit about the photographer, John Schaefer is the President Emeritus of the University of Arizona; along with Ansel Adams, the co-founder of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona; an author of several photographic technique books including The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography – Book 1 and The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography – Book 2 ; as well as the founder of the Nature Conservancy in Arizona.

A Desert Illuminated runs through May 27th in the Ottosen gallery at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  It is open from 10 am – 5 pm 7 days a week and is included in the price of admission to the garden.

In a fantasy world, I would be a travel photographer, jetting around the world photographing people, cultures, architecture and such.  So Diego Arroyo’s portrait photography of people in South East Asia really speaks to me.  He captures both the people and their land beautifully in this series of portraits.  Here are two of my favorites from the series, but check out all 23 portraits from Diego Arroyo’s South East series.

This gallery features selected works of Anthony Redpath that were recently displayed in the Toronto’s Bau-Xi Photo Gallery.

Be sure to check out Anthony Redpath’s No Going Back gallery.

Anthony Redpath