Highlights

Beth Ames Swartz, the Paradise Valley artist who turned 90 this year, and her daughter Julianne Swartz are sharing a museum wall together for the first time. Their joint exhibition, Tender Alchemy, opened at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and runs through Aug. 23, 2026.

Beth moved to Arizona from New York City in 1959 and has been a fixture in the state's arts community for decades. She founded the Breakfast Club 25 years ago, a monthly gathering of Arizona artists that now counts 190 members. Her work draws on Kabbalistic traditions, including concepts from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's 'The Thirteen Petalled Rose' and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.

Julianne Swartz, who is based in New York, is no stranger to SMoCA. She mounted a solo show there in 2014, also organized by Lauren R. O'Connell, who serves as curator of contemporary art at the museum and returns as curator for Tender Alchemy.

Who curated the exhibition?

Lauren R. O'Connell, SMoCA's curator of contemporary art, organized the show. O'Connell previously curated Julianne Swartz's 2014 solo exhibition at the same institution, making Tender Alchemy a continuation of a working relationship that spans more than a decade.

Tender Alchemy is on view at SMoCA through Aug. 23, 2026.

Where to find them

Sources

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  1. jewishaz.com retrieved 11/05/2026 04:23
  2. azartalliance.com retrieved 11/05/2026 04:23
  3. Breakfast Club (official site) retrieved 11/05/2026 04:23

Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 11/05/2026 04:23. Every claim traces to a source.