Special Exhibits

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Sonoran Desert Grasses, from a series of acrylic monoprints by Tucson artist Andrew Rush.  

Following the Stars: A Celebration of Southern Arizona's Dark Sky

April 7 - September 30, 2021​

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In collaboration with the Tubac Heritage Alliance, the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum is hosting a dark sky art exhibition as part of our application for a Dark Sky Park designation from the International Dark Sky Association. 

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Artists inspired by Arizona’s magnificent night sky will display work using such diverse media as printmaking, painting, photography, and glass art. The exhibition opens April 7, 2021 in conjunction with International Dark Sky Week, and will continue through fall, 2021. 

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Exhibition hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Due to COVID, a closing reception for exhibiting artists and the public will not be held.  A percentage of artwork sold will benefit the Presidio. 

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Exhibiting Artists​

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Andrew Rush: Andy was Associate Professor of Art at the University of Arizona, where he founded the printmaking program. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts at the University of Iowa, working under Mauricio Lasansky, and received a Fulbright Grant to study printmaking in Florence, Italy. His work is in collections of the Uffizi Museum, Florence, Italy, Library of Congress, Dallas Museum, Fort Worth Museum, and the University of Arizona Museum of Art, among others. Rush founded the Drawing Studio in Tucson in 1992. 

Jennifer Clarke: Jennifer is from England. She attended Goldsmiths College School of Art, and lived in Denmark for many years, where she also worked for the National Museum in Copenhagen. Her prints have been exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2016, she relocated permanently to Arizona, where she also teaches classes in mezzotint printmaking. 

JenMarie Zeleznak: JenMarie received her BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and is in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY, and Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai, China. She is a member of the Society of Animal Artists and teaches art at Cochise College in Sierra Vista. 

Jennifer Paulsrud: Jennifer graduated from North Dakota State University where she studied textiles and design. She designed jewelry for over 20 years and is currently a member of the Plains School of Abstract Art. Her art has been displayed at the Plains Art Museum and the North Dakota Museum of Art. 

Leah Albert: Leah graduated with a BFA from Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Leah moved to the southwest to explore landscape painting in the Sonoran desert. In her current work, she explores neighborhoods and domesticated spaces in bright forms, contrasting nature with man-made artifice. 

Pato Aguilar: Pato is a self-taught artist based in Nogales, Arizona. His art is influenced by his culture. His show “Portraits of Frida” was featured at the Hilltop Gallery last year and later became part of an extended gallery program at the Santa Cruz Center. 

Stacy Egan: Stacy is currently an urban sketching and watercolor instructor at the Art Verve Academy in Tucson, Arizona. Her work reflects her love of nature and has been featured in local guide publications.

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Bettymaya Foott: Bettymaya is an astrophotographer and Director of Engagement at the International Dark Sky Association. Her specialty is night sky photography. She graduated from the University of Utah Honors Program. She has also worked as Coordinator for the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative and the Consortium for Dark Sky Studies at the University of Utah. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, Sky and Telescope, the National Park Service, and the Los Angeles Times. 

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Christine Beatty: Christine received her BFA in photography from Arizona State University. She works for the City of Tempe Public Art Department and the Tempe History Museum. Her work has been featured online in F-Stop Magazine as well as Murze Magazine. 

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John Ashley: John earned a biology degree from the University of Montana and became an award-winning photojournalist ranked by the National Press Photographers Association as one of the top newspaper photographers in the US. John was also a biologist with the National Park Service working to conserve California condors, bald eagles, and harlequin ducks. His work combines his passions for photography and conservation. 

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Diane C. Taylor: Diane is a member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists and worked for the International Dark Sky Association in Tucson. She began pursuing her interest in glass art in 2002. Her themes often include the Sonoran desert.

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