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25 Years Under Pressure.                                                                                            

Artworks by Francisco Garcia.                                                                                            

September 9 to October 3, 2024 |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Monday, Sep. 9, 5:30-8 p.m.

This exhibition marks a culmination of a journey that began amidst the vibrant streets of Los Angeles and evolved through my experiences in Phoenix and beyond. Spanning 25 years, my artistic expression has traversed various mediums including drawings, sketches, paintings, graffiti art, murals, ceramics, photography, and mixed media.

Inspiration has been my constant companion throughout this odyssey. From activism to rediscovering my Mexican-Chicano roots, from exploring aerosol art to engaging with diverse communities worldwide, and from immersive travels to introspective moments, each phase has left an indelible mark on my creative spirit.

My early years in Los Angeles laid the foundation for my artistry, where the city's pulse and its narratives became my canvas. Moving to the city of rebirth was pivotal; it was here the city and ������Ƶ that I honed my skills and discovered the power of art to amplify voices and evoke change.

This exhibition is a testament to the evolution of my voice as an artist—a journey shaped by raw passion, cultural exploration, and a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of art. Through each piece on display, I invite you to glimpse into the mosaic of my experiences, from the streets where it all began to the expansive landscapes of imagination and collaboration.

Join me in celebrating 25 years of creativity, resilience, and the boundless possibilities of artistic expression.

This is How I Aged 108

Artworks by Kaori Takamura

September 9 to October 3, 2024 |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Monday, Sep. 9, 5:30-8 p.m.

My recent series, titled “This Is How I Aged 108” expresses the sublime beauty of the aging process, which I believe is heavily influenced by my unconscious understanding of Japanese Zen Buddhism. I use my perspective to depict this transcendent process: how we begin and how we end and what this means to us. By encapsulating our thoughts and memories in each of the numbered boxes, I want to reveal the passage of times. Each box is laser-cut and hand-constructed individually, numbers are either hand-stitched or engraved. In our Japanese culture, Zen Buddhism holds the belief that humans have 108 defilements, and we have a tradition that all the temples in Japan must ring their temple’s bell 108 times right before the new year to cleanse us of our sins. Because of this, the number 108 is meaningful for the Japanese people, regardless of their religious beliefs.  Inspired by this belief, I conceived the installation pieces titled “Composing Time” and “Erasing Time” to convey that our lives create all the occurrences and phenomena, but they are born from nothingness and return to nothingness.

Western Eye

Artworks by MCCCD Students

October 14 - October 31  |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Monday, Oct 14, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Western Eye showcases the best of Maricopa County Community College District’s photography programs is on display in this juried exhibition.

It's Not "Just a Boob Job."

Artworks by Monica Castillo

October 14 - October 31  |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Monday, Oct 14, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

A common response that many women receive when telling friends and family they have breast cancer is “at least you get new boobs.” My response “but I love the ones I have.” They fed my child, got me out of speeding tickets, and were a part of my sexuality. Losing them to breast cancer, for me, was devastating. To cope with the impending reality of my mastectomy, I decided to make a silicone mold of my chest just prior to my mastectomy. After the first mold, I was compelled to keep going. From August 2015 to Feb 2017, I molded my chest before and after every surgery, 4 surgeries in total. Creating a full visual representation of what a complete reconstruction looks like. There was no plan for them at the time, it was just for me. Today, I feel compelled to tell a visual story of women experiencing reconstructions from

breast cancer.

Sites Unseen

Artworks by Lola Panco and Bethany Larson

November 12 - November 28  |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Tues, Nov. 12, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Sites Unseen is a two-person exhibition by Lola Panco and B. Jean Larson that interweaves color and architecture through painting and textiles to speak to processes of emergence and submersion. Tangled webs of color echo vegetation as ceramics braided into soft sculpture surface from nebulous forms, asking the viewer to consider hidden phenomena and ecosystems. Through layers of paint and fabric, the artists and their work converse through different mediums on systems of value, the consequences of power structures, and life’s impalpable connections.

the shape of an absence

Artworks by li rothrock

November 12 - November 28  |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Tues, Nov. 12, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

The work in this exhibition is from a photographic series that began in 2018 and ended in 2024. Over six years I marked tracks and remnants, as well as the ongoing changes of the seasons, to document waves of grief and longing over a thing that, as Cormac McCarthy writes, “could not be put back. Not be made right again.”

Annual Holiday Art Sale

Featuring the Art of Staff & Students

December 4 - December 5 |  Free Entry
11:00am -  7:00pm

Find that special something for that special someone, including yourself! Select from a wide array of ceramics, jewelry, two dimensional art, textiles, and glass, all handmade by our ������Ƶ staff and students.

Digital Arts Student Show

Student Art Exhibit

December 4 - December 5 |  Free Entry
11:00am -  7:00pm

What’s happening with our digital arts students at ������Ƶ? See the latest student projects and designs in illustration and animation, digital imaging, graphic design, and comic and sequential art.  

Down for Mines

Artworks Antonio Salazar and Yaritza Flores Bustos

January 21 to February 13, 2025 |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Tuesday, Jan 21, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Down for Mines

A two person exhibition with works by Antonio Salazar and Yaritza Flores Bustos.

Down for my hood. 

Down for my barrio.

Down for my block. 

Down for my people. 

Down for mines. 

A phrase used in reference to one’s community; a firm standing and positionality in which ‘mine’, takes precedence over all. Defined by people and location, to be down for mine, is to be part of a whole, one that you promise to be of service to. Both Salazar and Flores Bustos declare their respective practices to be in service of the communities who’ve defined their visions of self, time, and place.

Fabric Memorials- Uvalde 

Artworks Jo-Ann Morgan

January 21 to February 13, 2025 |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Tuesday, Jan 21, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

������Ƶ Faculty member Tiffany C. Bailey traveled to Mexico supported through MCCCD Global Engagement Faculty Curriculum Development Program – Understanding Mexico: The Past, Present, and Future. This opportunity gave her the chance to visit many museums, ceramic factories, ceramic workshops, and artists. During the fall and spring semesters after her return, she shared her experiences with her students, also teaching them ceramic techniques inspired by artists and artisans in Mexico. This exhibition showcases the artworks created by ������Ƶ ceramic students, staff, and faculty and inspired by Mexico.

Dust and Loam 

Artworks Luke Watson 

February 24 to March 20, 2025 |  Free Entry

Opening Reception: Monday, February 24 from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Millions of years have shaped the dramatic landscapes comprising the plateau, basin and range region of the western United States. These undulating mountain ranges, deep valleys and wide deserts endlessly inspire me. The geographic and ecological diversity is a testament to life’s complexity and resilience. Traversing these lands with a paintbox, camera, and memories, I seek to understand their intricacies. These artworks represent moments of pause, reflecting on and reinterpreting the landscapes through memory. Like a scenic view inviting introspection, these paintings capture the essence of those places and experiences. Each piece distills hours of work into a single, symbolic view, blending reality with reflection. The depicted locations range from specific to amalgamations, all rooted in the landscapes and ecosystems that have defined my life. Vivid color embodies the magical idealization of memory—clear and bright, yet intangible and lacking the textures of reality.

Regarding Nature 

Artworks Lucinda Luvaas 

February 24 to March 20, 2025 |  Free Entry

Opening Reception: Monday, February 24 from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

My current body of work deals with two main themes: one is to portray a world in harmony with nature and the other is to show the powerful forces of nature. There is a contrast between a peaceful, bucolic kingdom where animals and humans live as one and a world where the sheer power of nature shows us how small and humble we really are. I've always been interested in creating dramatic narratives, posing questions, provoking the viewer, depicting scenes both of serenity and suspense. This is certainly because my first love was drama, theater and film. I moved away from the performing arts to become a visual artist, but I never said goodbye to my dramatic gifts. In fact, I still produce short films, both fictional and documentary.

Vanguard Showcase

April 7 to May 1, 2025 |  Free Entry
Opening Reception: Monday, April 7, 5:30-8 p.m. (gallery closed until 5:30 p.m.)

The Vanguard Showcase is ������Ƶ’s annual student art exhibition. Local jurors select the best work of the year for exhibition in the gallery while internationally recognized artist, Eric Fischl, and Mr. Fischl’s guest confer the best-in-show Vanguard Award.