DTPHX Spotlight: Jordan Zurn Curates a Creative Oasis at FOUND:RE Contemporary
License plates precisely hammered into flowers, a Dia de los Muertos style-skull, a cholla cactus husk sprouting woolen strings beaded with onyx, and Tesla cars vividly painted ablaze on quilted fabric. These pieces are among other captivating artworks currently on display at FOUND:RE Phoenix Hotel’s “WTFolk” exhibition, now on view in Downtown Phoenix.
FOUND:RE debuts new art exhibitions every four months, and the hotel’s spacious ground floor, which includes spaces for food, drink, and a boutique shop, are enlivened by the gorgeous work of local Phoenix and Arizona-based artists.
“Part of FOUND:RE’s mission, and what we want to do through the art is about finding or rediscovering things. So we want anyone who walks through our doors to feel connected to the community here, the culture, and what Downtown Phoenix has to offer. That’s where we let the art shine,” says Jordan Zurn, the Art & Culture Curator at the Hotel and FOUND:RE Contemporary gallery space. “We also work with Artlink as a partner, which I feel connects the space more to the creative community, and makes it more accessible too.”
As a native Phoenician, Zurn takes pride in being able to bring a curatorial sensibility that celebrates and centers Southwest art. She shares, “I think people don’t think enough about Phoenix as an art city. New York and L.A. get a lot of credit, but Downtown Phoenix is growing so much and we have so much talent here.”
“Especially in the time of AI, people are appreciating the hand-made more and more. Our current exhibition ‘WTFolk’ really speaks to that, and showcases some unique handmade works in copper, using license plates and cactus husks, which just feels so Arizona. We want to celebrate different cultures, storytelling, and the creative traditions we pass on. There is so much creative expression here, and people celebrating it, wanting it, and looking for it.”
Zurn feels this extends to the staff at FOUND:RE, and enjoys opening up the process not just with Artlink as a partner, but by inviting other staff to pick their favorite art pieces for shows as well. “A lot of our staff live and work Downtown. The art program has grown to more of a team very naturally. When we have a call for art, we have all the pieces out, and ask certain staff to sit in and give their feedback. It offers so many different perspectives and voices, it becomes a larger creative conversation.”
This artistic community hub also connects to the larger landscape of Downtown Phoenix, with FOUND:RE within walking distance of other outstanding creative institutions and spaces, such as the Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Center for the Arts, Modified Arts, and Eye Lounge Gallery, among many others.
Zurn says being located in Downtown Phoenix is integral to the Hotel’s success as a place to showcase creative talent. “The nice thing is that our art space is so accessible to so many different types of people. Sometimes walking into a gallery or art museum can feel a little alienating, you might feel like you don’t “get it,” or you might just never go. So the hotel space allows so many different types of people to see the art, you get this reaction of discovery and fun surprise. Some people don’t even realize this is an art gallery too. Suddenly people who might not make time to see art when visiting a new city are grabbing a cocktail and walking around looking at paintings by local artists. And we always encourage people here to check out other galleries Downtown, like go over and see what Modified Arts is doing! We really want to lift each other up.”
As part of FOUND:RE’s mission to foster a creative oasis in Downtown Phoenix, the hotel also maintains FOUND:RE Contemporary, a dedicated gallery space. Located off a chic pool area, with street level access as well, this gallery studio space runs exhibitions alongside the rest of the hotel's programming.
It has also hosted past solo exhibitions, performances, events, and has served as a studio space where artists can work. Currently, the community can partake in weekly Crafter Hours, a free hands-on open studio for anyone who wants to make something. The space is currently exhibiting “Tiny,” a group show of small works, which showcases a wide range of colorful desert-inspired imagery.
“I call it a bit of a gateway for art collecting,” says Zurn. “We get a lot of people on trips who find a piece they fall in love with, and it may be the first time they have bought art. They are so excited to bring a piece of art from Phoenix back home with them. I love being able to share that news with the artist too.”
Indeed, art is part of the soul at FOUND:RE, which boasts original art from primarily local artists in over half its rooms. Zurn says, “We didn’t want the art experience to stop at the elevators, we really wanted to carry it through the hotel and have it be part of your stay. The whole idea is that you’re immersed with the art, and you have that quiet personal space and time with artwork.”
The welcoming creative vibes aren’t just for visitors. FOUND:RE Contemporary and the curated hotel space remain an open space for desert dwellers to find community, keep Downtown Phoenix a place where there is always something interesting and eye-catching to see, and showcase the incredible talent that lives and creates here.
Zurn shares, “I feel more connected to Phoenix doing what I do. Now I will recognize artists and murals when I’m out. Even if I don’t know the artist personally, I am seeing instantly recognizable styles, and how creatives here influence each other as well. I am really experiencing Downtown Phoenix through the art, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Royal Young (@theroyalyoung on Instagram) is a non-binary poet and author from downtown New York City, who now lives and creates in the desert. Their work has appeared in Interview Magazine, New York Times, The Rumpus, Phoenix Magazine, Phoenix New Times, LOOKOUT, and DTPHX, among others.