2009 SMoCA Contemporary Catalyst Nominee Bentley Calverley
At the annual benefit, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art honors a group of special individuals whose accomplishments reflect the ideals of creativity, innovation and cultural community that are at the heart of the Museums mission. This annual award acknowledges the cultural entrepreneurs and out-of-the-box thinkers in our midst—those who truly have built the foundations of a creative culture here and on whose shoulders we all stand. Such spirited, entrepreneurial individuals have—through their professional or civic activities—raised the profile of contemporary art, architecture and design in the Valley. We call these individuals Contemporary Catalysts. Bentley Calverley, owner of the Bentley Gallery and Bentley Projects, has provided Scottsdale and the warehouse district in downtown Phoenix with contemporary art. The Bentley Gallery in Scottsdale exhibits contemporary painting and sculpture, by internationally recognized artists as well as rising painters and sculptors, and also shows masterworks from the mid- and late-20th-century. After having the Scottsdale location for 18 years, Bentley decided to branch into Phoenix, providing a space for larger sculptures and very large paintings. Bentley Projects occupies a former commercial laundry in a warehouse-style building built in 1912. By normal gallery standards, it is huge, with 24000 square feet of gallery space spread out over several cavernous industrial rooms. Bentley has also served on the Scottsdale Cultural …