Author: cecilyuf

Dear Tohono Chul Community,

This new year arrives during a time of strain in our country, and some of us are entering 2026 carrying uncertainty as we step forward. In moments like this, the turning of the calendar isn’t a reset, but it does offer us a pause — a chance to reflect on what grounds us. For me, the new year is an invitation to lift my gaze from the daily churn and imagine expansively about the future we want to shape here at Tohono Chul — rooted in our values of stewardship, belonging, and integrity.

That outlook comes from my background as a landscape architect, where every meaningful place begins as a fragile idea and becomes real only through patience, collaboration, and stewardship. Few things give me more confidence in the future than watching people find the beauty of nature and joy in a garden that was once only a vision. As we enter 2026, I am certain that Tohono Chul will continue to be a place of beauty, refuge, and welcome to all.

I’m grateful for the opportunities to implement a few projects in a relatively short time that advanced our garden as a place of stewardship and belonging. In Sami’s Courtyard, we added pollinator-friendly Sonoran Desert plants, a welcoming porch, and brick paving to linger and relax. At Streamside and Sonoran Seasons, we added movable lounge chairs and swings, where I regularly see folks enjoying time together in the shade. And for three years now, we welcomed children and families into our community at Children’s Museum Oro Valley. These intentional improvements bring people closer to the gardens, and indeed, to each other, in our desert corner.

Just in time for the new year, we’re excited to unveil a new pathway connecting the Education Center to the core gardens, made possible by a generous donor. After walking it today, I was delighted to find it delivers even more than expected — offering ADA-accessible access for all abilities while drawing visitors deeper into our native desert landscapes and effectively expanding the garden experience by nearly an acre. The path improves wayfinding, unifies previously disconnected features, and uses an eco-friendly, permeable material made from stone and recycled tires that is both comfortable underfoot and resilient during monsoon storms.

• Twilight Sonoran, a new mural by artist Ignacio Garcia, will bring the magic of the Sonoran Desert after dark to our Pavilion, made possible with support from the Town of Oro Valley. Be among the first to experience it at our I Heart Art event on February 14, featuring live music, food, and enchanting gardens.
• Thanks to your support, construction will begin soon on the Adaptive Arboretum Garden, featuring climate-resilient trees, guided tours, and hands-on workshops to help Tucsonans learn how to plant and care for native trees. Stay tuned for our opening event festivities!
• We have launched Tohono Chul’s new Master Plan, which will guide the organization’s growth over the next 10–15 years. Community input is central to this effort, and we hope you will join us for open house sessions with the design team on Wednesday, April 15, from 5–7pm in the Garden Pavilion.

A New Chapter for the Garden Pavilion: From Blank Wall to Desert Night

As the Pavilion wall transitions from white to the blue color palette of Ignacio Garcia’s newest mural, Twilight Sonoran, let’s look back at how this exciting addition to Tohono Chul’s art collection came to be.

This transformative public art project was envisioned following our 40th anniversary last April. We wanted to continue the celebration by commissioning a new mural aimed at transforming the Garden Pavilion into a vibrant, daily destination for residents and visitors alike, a premier event space, and an extension of our mission, vision, and values as a nonprofit organization.

Ignacio Garcia on His Vision for the Mural

“Twilight Sonoran is a digital concept mural that captures the breathtaking magic of the Sonoran Desert after dark—through the eyes of its creatures. This mural invites viewers to step into an animal’s perspective of the desert night, where late-summer monsoons roll across the horizon, stars shimmer in silence, and life glows softly beneath a moonlit sky. The mural explores the rarely seen beauty of the desert’s nocturnal ecosystem. The design will emphasize depth, motion, and emotion – allowing the viewer to feel the desert rather than simply see it.

This mural is more than decoration—it’s an invitation into the Sonoran night. A visual poem in blue, glowing with quiet desert life, meant to calm, inspire, and connect. When visitors leave Tohono Chul, they’ll carry with them the memory of twilight in the desert—a feeling that lingers like starlight.”

Refining the Details, Honoring the Desert

Throughout November and December, we worked with Ignacio to refine the design – a patch of Peniocereus greggii here, a bat there – until it was perfect for Tohono Chul. Twilight Sonoran honors our 40-year history, reinforces our mission, and celebrates the unique beauty of the Sonoran Desert region.

In early January, Ignacio began working on the mural. This versatile, timeless, and mood-driven mural will transform the indoor Garden Pavilion into a daily destination for guests and a premier event venue, while also raising awareness of Tohono Chul’s mission and attracting visitors from near and far.

We can’t wait to see Twilight Sonoran come to life!

Written by Karen Hayes, Associate Curator & Collections Manager

Tohono Chul is excited to announce the launch of a new master plan that will guide the organization’s development over the next ten to fifteen years. This marks the first comprehensive planning effort in more than two decades, a significant milestone that underscores Tohono Chul’s commitment to both preserving its unique desert identity and preparing for a dynamic future. 

The initiative coincides with Tohono Chul’s 40th anniversary, a moment to celebrate the vision of founders Richard and Jean Wilson. Their enduring legacy of conservation, culture, and community continues to inspire the organization’s growth and mission. 

Leading the master plan effort is Unknown Studio, a nationally recognized landscape architecture firm based in Baltimore, Maryland. With a team of fourteen landscape architects and designers, Unknown Studio is known for design excellence, collaborative leadership, and ecological/horticultural expertise.

Since its founding in 2018, the award-winning firm has completed over $60 million in projects built or under construction, including work for the United States Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens, Naples Botanical Garden, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. 

“Tohono Chul’s 40th anniversary is the perfect time to look ahead while staying rooted in the legacy of the Wilsons,” said Koren Manning, Board Chair of Tohono Chul. “This master plan will ensure that the garden is a place of beauty, learning, and community for decades to come.” 

“Tohono Chul is a treasured place in Tucson,” said Jamie Maslyn Larson, President/CEO of Tohono Chul. “It is an honor to work with a team of designers and partners who will weave the cultural and ecological beauty our 49-acre oasis into an exciting vision for our future.” 

Unknown Studio Founding Partner Claire Agre said, “We see gardens as places where the humanities and sciences, beauty and care, the individual and collective, come together. Tohono Chul’s unique Sonoran Desert identity offers an extraordinary opportunity to build on that conversation, creating a master plan that honors its past while imagining a vibrant future.” 

The planning team also includes PMM Architects, whose expertise in master plans, historic preservation, and community engagement will honor and renew the site’s architectural legacy and sense of place as the gardens evolve, as well as Bowman, whose technical expertise will provide the foundation for sustainable, forward-looking infrastructure and design solutions. 

“PMM Architects is proud to contribute our experience in historic preservation to ensure that Tohono Chul’s character remains strong even as it grows,” said Corky Poster, Founding Principal at PMM Architects. “We look forward to bringing solutions that support sustainability, efficiency, and resilience to this special project,” added Tim Johnson, Director at Bowman. 

Community outreach will be central to the planning process, inviting input from visitors, staff, and stakeholders to create a shared vision for the future of Tohono Chul. 

For more information or to stay involved, community members are encouraged to subscribe to Tohono Chul’s newsletter at tohonochul.org/get-engaged.

Click here to download the official media release.

A century-old sunrise is shining again at Tohono Chul. Arizona Dawn—a 1917 oil painting by trailblazing artist and museum founder Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton—has been carefully restored through the dedication of local volunteers, donors, and Tucson’s own Tohono Restoration. This single canvas carries a remarkable story: a pioneering woman artist, a family legacy that helped shape Tohono Chul, and a community that continues to preserve and celebrate art and culture in the Sonoran Desert.

Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton (MRFC) was born on March 25, 1889, in Louisville, Kentucky, and was raised in Philadelphia. She attended the esteemed Philadelphia School of Design. At the age of 15, she was the youngest in her class, where she studied oil painting and watercolor. After graduating with honors in 1909, she opened a studio with one of her classmates. MRFC was a founding member of The Ten, also known as The Philadelphia Ten, a group of American female artists who exhibited together from 1917 – 1945. Their goal was for women to be accepted as professional artists and move beyond being viewed as simply hobbyists. After moving to Arizona, MRFC remained part of The Ten and exhibited with them regularly through 1940.

Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton always had her sketch box with her. She would often make quick sketches of scenes that caught her eye, transferring them to canvas later in her studio. Many of these scenes became the lovely southwestern landscapes that she is known for today, like Arizona Dawn. In 1920, the Christian Science Monitor acknowledged her emerging southwestern aesthetic: “In her Arizona canvases, Mrs. Colton gives full sway to her love of color. One is impressed by the sense of vast remoteness that she manages to capture for these western paintings that are bringing her ever-increasing recognition.”

Before Arizona Dawn made its way to Tucson, the painting was exhibited at the Atlantic City Art Association (1926), the Brooklyn Museum (sometime before 1932), and the Art Club of Philadelphia (1936). So, how did Arizona Dawn end up in Tohono Chul’s permanent collection? Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton and her husband, Dr. Harold S. Colton, were the aunt and uncle of Tohono Chul’s founders, Richard and Jean Wilson.

The desire to preserve and exhibit objects is deeply rooted in the Wilson family. Richard’s great, great, great-grandfather was Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827), a portraitist of the Federalist Era and founder of Philadelphia’s Peale Museum, one of America’s first major museums. Roughly a century and a half later, Harold S. Colton and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton founded Flagstaff’s Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA).

In 1910, Mary-Russell Ferrell and Harold Colton were both living in Philadelphia; however, they met on a backpacking trip in British Columbia and visited Flagstaff for the first time on their return journey. They married in 1912 and honeymooned throughout the southwest, including a return visit to Flagstaff.

For the next several years, the couple would visit Flagstaff every other summer – the Coltons had discovered the remains of a prehistoric village on a trip in 1916 and were determined to document and map other sites throughout the area. The Colton family moved permanently to Flagstaff in 1926. Not only to continue exploring and mapping the area, but also for the health benefits the region offered to their son, Ferrell, who suffered from asthma. Their love of the native cultures and natural history of the Colorado Plateau region led Harold Colton and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton to establish the Museum of Northern Arizona in 1928.

Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton served as the museum’s Curator of Art and Ethnology from 1928 – 1948. During her tenure, she advocated extensively for Arizona artists and for native artists. Established in 1929, the Arizona Artists Exhibition served as a venue for local and regional artists to share their work with the community. This annual exhibition lasted for roughly a decade.

MRFC was also a champion of indigenous people and art in the region. Renowned Hopi Katsina carver, Jimmy Kewanwytewa, joined the Museum of Northern Arizona’s staff in 1930 and remained there until his death in 1966. Jimmy K. was the first carver to initial his Katsina dolls thanks to the encouragement of MRFC. In 1930, MRFC launched the first Hopi Craftsman Exhibition – an opportunity for Hopi artists to display and sell their artwork. MRFC initially worked with the Hopi tribe because she had established many friendships, and she recognized that their remote location lacked a market. MRFC later became involved with the Navajo Craftsman Exhibition held originally at Wupatiki National Monument (1936), eventually moving to the Museum of Northern Arizona (1949). These Craftsman Exhibitions evolved into MNA’s Heritage Festival of Arts & Culture, still held annually.

Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton’s love of the natural world was palpable and could be seen through her paintings, through her actions, and through her own words: “As night came on the great peaks seemed to lean nearer us, the stars came out behind their huge black forms, and the rosy alpine glow faded from the highest pinnacles. The frogs began their chorus, a bat whirred by, the fire roared… and we found ourselves sole possessors of this wondrous night. And when we next awakened, a huge pale moon filled the valley with a mystic radiance.” – Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, July 1912.

Arizona Dawn was lent to Tohono Chul on an indefinite basis by Richard and Jean Wilson in 1988. It hung above the mantle in the Tea Room (now Tohono Chul’s Garden Bistro) for almost 25 years. The painting was bequeathed to the park in 2012 after Richard and Jean’s passing.

In November of 2012, conservator Gloria Giffords assessed the condition of the painting and provided a treatment proposal. For over a decade, the Arts Department looked for funding sources and/or potential donors to restore the painting to its original glory. Lucky for us, in 2024, a fundraising initiative spearheaded by dedicated docent Carol Massanari meant this dream would soon become reality.

After the fundraising goal was met, Arizona Dawn was transported to Tohono Restoration for treatment. We are grateful to art conservators Matilde Rubio and Timothy Lewis for accepting the project and allowing the painting to remain in Tucson.

Overall, the painting was deemed in good condition – remarkable considering Arizona Dawn was created over 100 years ago! The painting was examined in normal and ultraviolet light, as well as under magnification, to determine the best treatments. The canvas was re-stretched – it had become loose from the stretcher and frame, resulting in warpage throughout the lower left corner. Iron nails were replaced with aluminum staples. The canvas and frame were brushed and vacuumed to remove dust and lint. The original varnish was removed as it had oxidized and turned yellow over time. A layer of smoke over the varnish was also removed – not surprising since smoking was not banned in restaurants in Arizona until 2007. A small hole in the canvas was repaired with a patch (originally covered with yellow tape on the back). After the cleaning and repairs were complete, the canvas was once again varnished. A lower relative humidity index caused the frame’s wooden support to shrink, resulting in cracks, detachment, and missing layers of paint. The frame was repaired by injecting organic glue and stucco into the missing areas, and then it was repainted.

This morning, the gardens team was greeted by a surprise: our Queen of the Night cacti are ready to bloom TONIGHT, Monday, June 9, 2025.

The first Bloom Watch update was shared just last week, but a rainstorm at the end of May triggered a dramatic growth spurt. Much of that growth happened over the weekend, with some buds putting on as much as 80 millimeters in just a few days. The result? A magical, moonlit show—happening tonight.

Join us for Bloom Night tonight, Monday, June 9, from 7 to 11 PM for a members-only celebration of the elusive Peniocereus greggii, also known as the Night-Blooming Cereus or Queen of the Night. Tohono Chul is home to one of the largest private collections of this remarkable cactus, making it one of the best places in the world to experience this once-a-year spectacle.

Members Exclusive

Bloom Night is an exclusive members-only event. Your support helps preserve the Desert View Trail and our Peniocereus greggii collection while we work to ensure the proper pollination and delicate nature of these special plants.

Don’t miss out—become a member today and unlock a year of perks and benefits at Tohono Chul, including early access to plant sales, discounts, free daily admission, reciprocal admissions at other public gardens, and much more.

Support Bloom Night’s Future

Each Queen of the Night bloom is a moment of wonder. We’re working to double our collection so more people can experience this magical moment. Your support will help us reach our $5,000 goal to care for seedlings, expand our plantings, and continue our research. Please consider making a gift today!

That spirit of place is what guides us as we grow. In March 2025, Tohono Chul became an accredited arboretum and botanical garden. This national recognition reflects our deepening commitment to stewardship and education, and it also invites us to think boldly about the future.

One way we’re stepping into the future is through the creation of the Adaptive Arboretum Garden—a garden that will showcase native trees chosen not only for their beauty, but for their ability to thrive in the face of change. It will also serve as a living classroom, where guided tours and hands-on workshops help people across our city learn how to plant and care for trees in their own neighborhoods. Thanks to the incredible generosity of supporters like you, we’ve raised $63,000 to bring this new space to life. It’s a thoughtful response to the challenges ahead and a path toward a cooler, greener future for our desert home.

So, as we celebrate this milestone year, I want to thank you for being part of this story. For helping us protect, nurture, and share something special. Because of you, Tohono Chul continues to grow—not just as a garden, but as a community rooted in care and possibility.