Meet Mary Byrd, a wonderful Sedona Personality with involvement in the Fine Art Museum of Sedona. She is highly knowledgable when it comes to art and artists.
Q: Please tell us about yourself and what you do?
A: I volunteer in Sedona, particularly for the Fine Art Museum of Sedona. Initially, we were incorporated as the Sedona Art Museum and decided to re-brand our name. We thought it would better to tell people about our mission through the acronym “FAMOS.” I joined the board in 2015, and we’ve been working very hard to find a location for the museum.
Q: Will there be a theme, or will it be all different types of art?
A: At this point, we’re talking about having a permanent collection. Not all museums have permanent collections nowadays; some have temporary exhibits. The permanent collections will contain works of art by artists who have lived and worked in Sedona. There have been many significant artists who have lived here and left. Their work is now in museums or private collections outside the area. One of the main reasons the Sedona Art Museum formed was the artwork created here could stay here. We would also have rotating temporary exhibits of the highest artistic merit. We did a survey asking people of the community what kind of art they would like to see, Southwest, Native, and of course, the Cowboy Artists of America that started in Sedona.
Q: What started your love of art?
A: My parents collected a bit of art. I grew up in Iowa, but I have always liked Southwestern art. I always felt that it was better to buy somebody’s original art than a poster, even when I was young and didn’t have money.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in Sedona?
A: I’ve been here since 2012.
Q: What do you love the most about living here in Sedona?
A: I like the small-town feel and the interesting people. Also, the climate except in the summer – I didn’t realize the heat factor, ha-ha.
Q: Who is one of the most interesting people you’ve met here in Sedona?
A: There are so many because people are so fascinating here. First, there’s Terrie Frankel. Gosh, I couldn’t name just one person!
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: I love Ireland. My roots are there. I love the Westcoast, the Craggy, Cliffs of Moher, and the Wicklow Mountains closer to Dublin. Dublin is a vibrant city, so I’d love to go back to Ireland.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: Lately, I’ve been trying to watch a lot of comedies – Mel Brooks’s High Anxiety. I think comedies are good.
Q: What advice would you give to someone?
A: Support the Fine Art Museum of Sedona.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: I want to learn to fly fish. I’ve taken just one fly fishing lesson in my life! My late husband used to love to fish, and we had a fly fishing camp up in North of Winnipeg, Canada. I miss that.
Q: What is your favorite music or band?
A: All different kinds. Living in Asheville, North Carolina-I grew to appreciate the Appalachian and the Bluegrass. The Steep Canyon Rangers – we saw them before Steve Martin joined them. I also like Irish music.
Q: If you could choose anyone – with whom would you love to have lunch? Why?
A: Dorothea Tanning. I collect Dorothea Tanning’s artwork. Dorothea Tanning and Max Ernst lived in Sedona. She was a genius and died in 2012 at 101 years of age. Dorothea published books of poetry in her 80s and 90s and a graphic novel when she was close to 90. She grew up in Galesburg, Illinois, and was always trying to get out of Galesburg, and I grew up in the midwest and was trying to go to the big city. I think we had a bit in common in that way. I find her so fascinating. Lately, I’ve been collecting everything Dorothea Tanning that I can. Many people in Sedona met and knew her when she was here or when she would visit. I didn’t have the chance to meet her and didn’t discover her until 2015.
Q: What is your most favorite thing in Sedona besides the Red Rocks?
A: For such a small town, we have lots of restaurants. Sometimes we complain about the lack of restaurants, but we have a lot more than people think. People complain about the traffic, but it’s nothing compared to the big cities. I like the laid-back style.
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Sedona?
A: In Camp Verde, it’s Moscato and of course Lisa Dahl’s restaurants.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
A: Living the good life in Sedona!
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: That our family owned a zoo, ha-ha. I wrote a small children’s book about the orangutan and the cat that were at our zoo. The orangutan lived to be the oldest registered orangutan in the United States, she died at aged 50 which is quite long. She lived with cat for many years and she treated the cat like her child and the people at our zoo felt that it helped her extend her life. So the children’s book has the underlying message of the importance of friends no matter what their differences. Tonda (the orangutan) was much larger than TK (the cat) but she treated her kindly.
Interview by Jonelle Klein
