Sara Cochran made it her goal to put the “Phoenix” into Phoenix Art Museum. After five years as the contemporary and modern art curator for the museum, Cochran announced her resignation earlier this month.
“I’ve been here for five years. I’ve had an absolute blast. I’ve worked so hard,” she said. “I’m so proud and happy of what I’ve achieved. But it’s time for change.”
Cochran came to the Phoenix Art Museum from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2008. A self-described gypsy, she took the job without visiting Phoenix first.
“I sensed a lot of opportunity when I saw this job. I have never been disappointed,” she said. “I met a really thriving and interesting arts community who were gracious enough to take me into the fold.”
Cochran was responsible for bringing many permanent pieces of art to the Phoenix Art Museum, said museum public relations manager Nicole DeLeon. She also organized 15 exhibitions, including the first two Chicano art exhibitions for the museum. Cochran wrote eight publications as well, two of which won national design awards.
“She has a pretty unique perspective. Part of that I would say would be being a member of the local arts community,” DeLeon said.
Cochran said reaching out to local artists is just another part of the curator lifestyle.
“The most exciting conversations are always in the artistic community,” she said. “I have been very involved in the artistic community wherever I lived. That’s the job of the curator.”
Matthew Moore, a local artist who worked with Cochran, said her approach was different from his past experiences with museum curators.
“She was really interested in the local artists in Phoenix. It was a new thing for us,” said Moore, who had organized an exhibition with Cochran in February 2012. “She brought in a better sense of community that didn’t exist beforehand.”
According to Moore, local artists are often too intimidated to take the steps to reach out and communicate with larger art galleries.
“You need someone like Sara to go out and make you feel like you can have a connection with an institution,” he said. “She was good at breaking down the institutional wall that can be so massive for local artists.”
Cochran said she often saw her colleagues from the museum in the community as well. However, Moore said it was only after Cochran started working at the museum that he noticed other curators follow suit and reach out to local artists.
The Phoenix Art Museum is looking for a replacement that will match Cochran’s curating ability as well as her community involvement, DeLeon said.
Cochran said the Phoenix arts community and “all the lovely, lovely people” who built it are what she’ll miss the most.
She currently does not have a new position awaiting her and has just begun her job search.
While admitting that moving on is “always a little scary,” the Scotland native is drawing from her ancestry to overcome any fears she has, she said.
“Scotland is a dark and unpredictable place,” Cochran said. “My ancestors got by on sheer optimism, tenacity and black humor, so that’s what I plan to do.”
Contact the reporter at ascoville@asu.edu
