FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kim Larkin
Phone: 602-462-5516
Email: [email protected]
Kim Larkin to Step Down as Director of Modified Arts
May 26, 2011
(Phoenix, AZ) Kim Larkin announced today that she will be stepping down as Director of Modified Arts at the end of June 2011. Kimber Lanning founded Modified Arts in 1999 as a music venue and art gallery. It became well known as a platform that helped launch the careers of indie bands and local artists. Larkin took over as director in January 2010, overseeing operations and programming for the business. Under Larkin’s direction, Modified Arts transitioned into a full time contemporary art gallery, programming assertive, nationally relevant exhibitions and select musical performances curated by Associate Director, Adam Murray. Larkin and Lanning will collaborate on summer programming in the gallery before Lanning announces the new direction of the space in the fall.
Larkin’s tenure as Director began with an historically focused exhibition featuring over twenty artists who have contributed to the development of contemporary art in Phoenix. Over the course of over fifteen additional exhibitions, including solo shows by Jon Haddock, Jen Urso, Saskia Jorda, and Melinda Bergman, she brought in artists from all over the world whose work ranges from digital media to fibers to multi-media installations. Larkin also collaborated with local nonprofits to present exhibitions curated by the Ted Decker Catalyst Fund and the Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (phICA). She will be continuing her work in the Phoenix art community, focusing her efforts on the development of a new non-profit organization merging agriculture and art issues, as well as consulting with local and national artists and doing independent curating.
“My time as director at Modified Arts has been an incredible experience,” said Larkin. “Having Kimber’s support, and the opportunity to meet and work with so many artists and people in the community, has been invaluable to me. It has been such a privilege to have been a part of Modified Arts’ ongoing contribution to downtown Phoenix and I look forward to continuing to work with the artists and community to further contemporary art.”
Lanning, who has owned the building at 407 E. Roosevelt since 1999, said, “Kim and Adam have created a wonderful chapter in the history of Modified Arts, and I’m sure the next phase will be another great step in the evolution, not only of Modified, but of the entire Roosevelt Row neighborhood”.
Larkin’s last exhibition for Modified Arts is Not a cloud in the sky: A meditation on the life idealopen through June 18th. The installation, by Phoenix artist Melinda Bergman, is a colorful blend of painting, collage, and site-specific sculpture exploring the duality of life’s mysteries, forces of symmetry, and a teetering balance between a sense of security and instability. An additional exhibition in the front room displays a selective collection of artwork by gallery favorites James Angel, Sue Chenoweth, Jon Haddock, Saskia Jorda, Carolyn Lavender, Christy Puetz, Ingrid Restemayer, and Jen Urso. Regular gallery hours will be held Thurs-Sat from 12-6pm thru June 18th as well First Friday, June 3rd and Third Friday, June 17th from 6-9pm.
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