In the News - Art Treasures of Las Campanas

There is more to Las Campanas than its beautiful setting, golf courses, spa, equestrian center and clubhouse. Members may not realize it, but The Club also has a tremendous collection of paintings, bronze sculptures, Native pottery, basketry and weavings.

 The Club’s original developer, Lyle Anderson, worked with local galleries and acquired an extensive, curated collection of Western art which was included in Las Campanas members’ purchase of The Club in 2010.

 Linda Smith and Carol McDonald of the Art Committee realized that over time artwork had moved from building to building and they set out to create a thorough inventory. As a bonus, they saw an opportunity to educate interested Club members about the art and artists through a charity tour, proceeds benefitting the Las Campanas Community Grants Fund. As with most great ideas there was a lot of work involved!

 An appraisal done years before was the starting point to identify just what was in the collection. Linda & Carol’s first-pass search found pieces that had not been previously cataloged, and some pieces are yet to be found. In the meantime, Patricia Greaves researched the backgrounds of the artists and wrote biographies. It became clear that many of the artists are highly regarded.

 A group of about 30 members met at the Clubhouse on January 30th for the tour. Because of renovation work, the tour was a chilly adventure as the Clubhouse was without heating and a good part of its lighting. Al Antonez and Jared Hopkins found work lights and tour members good-naturedly became lighting crew. CT opened the tour with a brief history of The Club’s collection. Linda & Carol discussed artists’ backgrounds, preferred media and the history of many works. Members sipped wine, asked questions and learned much about the collection.

 Linda & Carol plan to finish cataloging art in the Clubhouse then visit the Spa, Log Cabin and Equestrian Center. If you missed the inaugural tour don’t worry—more tours are in the works!