A highly successful exhibition from New York city is being shared with Arizona where it is attracting record crowds at Tucson botanical gardens. “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” focuses on the famous Mexican painter and her “Blue House” in Mexico City. We take you to that exhibit.
TED: FRIDA KAHLO ART, GARDEN, LIFE. IS A POPULAR EXHIBIT FROM NEW YORK THAT'S ATTRACTING RECORD CROWDS AT THE TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDENS. THE EXHIBIT FOCUSES THE FAMOUS MEXICAN PAINTER AND HER BLUE HOUSE IN MEXICO CITY. SHE WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR BUT HER LIFE CHANGED FOREVER IN 1925 WHEN SHE WAS SEVERELY INJURED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. SHE TOOK UP PAINTING AND GAINED AN INTERNATIONAL FOLLOWING THAT CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. WE HEAR ABOUT THE EXHIBIT FROM KUAT REPORTER TONY PANI-AGUA.
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I WAS AFTER THE AMERICAN PUBLIC GARDENS CONFERENCE MEETING AND ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, KAREN, WHO IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF EXHIBITIONS FOR THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENS MENTIONED THEY WERE AWAITING TO HEAR ABOUT A GRANT AWARD. WHAT KIND? WE'RE GOING TO MOUNT A FRIDA KAHLO EXHIBIT AND THE MINUTE I THOUGHT THAT, I THOUGHT, TUCSON NEEDS THIS. WE HOSTED EXHIBITION MAY TO OCTOBER 2015 AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR THREE OR FOUR YEARS IN ADVANCE, FLOWER SHOWS EACH YEAR AND WE HAVE A 250-ACRE GARDEN AND THE VENUES ARE SPREAD OUT AND WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A HUMANITIES GRANT AND THEY WANT THE WORK TO LIVE ON SO WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED LOOKING FOR PARTNERS AND THE TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDENS SEEMED TO BE A PERFECT FIT. I THOUGHT I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS. WHAT PARTS OF THE EXHIBIT DO YOU WANT? I WANT EVERYTHING. EXCEPT THE ART WORK WE COULDN'T EXCEPT ACCEPT AND A FEW HISTORICAL ITEM, I SAID, PACK IT UP AND SHIP IT. AND ABLE TO RECREATE AND REBUILD IT AND IT'S JUST BEEN A LABOR OF LOVE. THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY PARTNERING TO MAKE SURE THIS HAPPENS. [HORNS]
READY?
TWO, THREE!
HERE WE GO!
IT'S OPEN!
THIS IS A CELEBRATION OF FRIDA KAHLO, IT'S A CELEBRATION OF FRIDA KAHLO, AS A HUMAN BEING AND MORE THAN THAT, THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS WORKING AND THIS IS A GREAT OCCASION.
I THINK IT'S WONDERFUL, THE COLORS AND VIBRANCY AND THE BLUES AND MARIGOLDS. IT'S SO CREATIVE. IT'S FUN.
WE WERE IN NEW YORK, IT WAS AN INTERNAL EXHIBITION WITH OUTSIDE ASPECTS AND A GALLERY WALK AND TRANSLATING THAT TO TUCSON WAS EXCITING WHEN I GOT THE PHONE CALL THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND MY HOME -- WHAT I CALL MY HOMETOWN, AND I'M FROM -- GREW UP IN YUMA BUT SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN TUCSON, WENT TO SCHOOL HERE AND WHEN THE GARDENS CALLED AND SAID THIS WAS HAPPENING AND KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE ECSTATIC ABOUT IT IT'S THE WAY I REMEMBERED IT IN MEXICO CITY ORIGINALLY, OPEN TO THE SKY.
THIS IS AMAZING AND I'M THRILL TO SEE THE LOVE AND CREATION THAT THEY PUT INTO THIS EXHIBITION, LIVING A LONGER LIFE HERE IN TUCSON.
I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN NATIVE PLANTS. AND IN GARDENS AND I WAS CURIOUS TO SEE HOW THEY WOULD -- WHAT HER GARDEN LOOKED LIKE. THE BOTANICAL GARDENS IS LUCKY TO GET THIS EXHIBIT, I READ IT'S ONLY ONE OF TWO IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. THIS IS A COUP FOR THE GARDENS.
I DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HER LIFE SO IT'S ENLIGHTENING.
SHE'S REALLY THE EPITOME OF THE -- WHAT MADE HER SPECIAL WAS NOT ONLY HER CERTIFICATE REALISTIC WORK THAT WERE PERSONAL AND CHALLENGING BUT ALSO HER OWN STYLE. SHE MELDED THE IDEA OF EUROPEAN MODERNISM WITH MEXICAN CULTURE AND A LOT OF THAT COMES FROM HER SENSIBILITY AND CERTAINLY HER DRESS BUT LATER THE CONTEMPORARY FOLK ARTISTS HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED BY HER SO, YOU SEE A LOT OF ARTIST EMULATING HER. AND IN OUR COLLECTION, WE HAVE A DOUBLE-HEADED FRIDA AND AGAIN, PUTTING HER ON A SPECIAL CULT CELEBRITY STATUS, A PEDESTAL, FOR BEING A CHAMPION OF THE FOLK ARTISTS FROM MEXICO AND THEN WE HAVE AN ARTIST, A WELL-KNOWN CHICANO ARTIST, MURAL ARTIST IN FROM THIS AREA AND HE'S PAINTED HER IMAGE AND WHEN YOU GO TO SEE THE FESTIVITIES, A LOT OF PEOPLE DRESS UP AS FRIDA. SHE'S ALMOST AS MUCH OF AN ICON AS GUADALUPE.
WE HOPE THAT PEOPLE FEEL THAT SAME INSPIRATION WHEN THEY COME AND READ ABOUT FRIDA KAHLO AND HOW NATURE INSPIRED HER DO THE WORK SHE DID. AND I HOPE -- IT'S DIFFICULT, SOMETIMES YOU ALWAYS, AT AS A DIRECTOR, HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO BECOME ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND GARDENERS AND APPRECIATORS OF NATURE WHO MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE WALK INTO OUR DOORS. THIS GIVES US ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A CONNECTION WITH SOMEONE WHO MIGHT NOT BE A BOTANICAL GARDEN APPRECIATOR AND SHOW THEM ALL WE HAVE TO OFFER, WHICH IS MUCH MORE THAN EVEN FRIDA KAHLO. THERE'S A LOT OF COMPONENTS IN THIS WONDERFUL URBAN GARDEN IN THE MIDDLE OF TUCSON.
TED: AGAIN, THE REPORT ON THE FRIDA KAHLO EXHIBIT. ON DISPLAY IN TUCSON UNTIL THE END OF MAY 2017.
THURSDAY ON "ARIZONA HORIZON," WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT HOW HISPANIC VOTING MIGHT IMPACT THE ELECTION IN ARIZONA AND A PROGRAM TO CREATE CITIZEN SCIENTISTS. ON THE NEXT "ARIZONA HORIZON." THAT'S IT FOR NOW. I'M TED SIMONS. THANKS FOR JOINING US. YOU HAVE A GREAT EVENING! CLOSED CAPTION PRODUCTIONS
