he Southwestern Invitational Art Exhibition began in Yuma, the southwest corner of Arizona in 1966. The year-long traveling exhibit of contemporary art was an institution in the Arizona visual arts world for nearly three decades before its discontinuation due to lack of funding.

In April 2015 this exhibition returned through the efforts of Yuma Fine Arts Association and five prestigious galleries:

West Valley Art HQ
Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse
Tubac Center of the Arts
Coconino Center for the Arts
Phoenix Airport Museum

The exhibition opened at the Yuma Art Center April 10-May 30, 2015. It will be shown at Flagstaff Arts Council’s Coconino Center for the Arts from January 12 through February 13, 2016, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, January 9. The work of 50 Arizona artists is featured in the show, including 6 from Flagstaff.

In the Jewel Gallery, we’ll be featuring Precursors and Remnants, photographs by Steve Nyktas, which will be open alongside Southwestern Invitational.

All artists’ work in the Southwestern Invitational will be documented in a full color catalog that will be available at all six galleries and online.