The Exhibits Program at Tohono Chul presents visual stories linking the nature, culture, and arts of the Southwest. Focusing on the work of regional artists, we display vibrant works of art in a diverse array of thematic group exhibits. The charming adobe Exhibit House, built as a private home in 1937, is an ideal environment for visitors to view Southwestern artworks. 50% of all exhibit sales help fund programs at Tohono Chul.
Questions? Please contact the Exhibits Department, exhibits@tohonochul.org
Exhibitions currently on display:
SONORAN HOURGLASS: Ablaze the Brilliant Sun
Open May 14 – August 2, 2026
Exhibit House Main Gallery
Pondering Poetry & Art | July 17 & 25 | 10:00 am | Main Gallery | Free with Admission
A day is composed of 24 hours; split in half, the cycle is equal parts day and night, twelve-hour intervals – heralded by the transitional phases of dawn and dusk. The exhibition series SONORAN HOURGLASS will survey how time moves over the Sonoran Desert in the most obvious and subtle of ways – through the air: the light, the temperature, the mood, the pressure – through the landscape: the creatures, the water, the plants, the earth – through the cosmos. Using abstract notions and temporal quotients of past, present, and future, the classic form and function of an hourglass hearkens time’s effect in slow dissolution or methodical accretion, lending a timeless tone and romance to this project.
If circadian rhythms direct existence, what happens in the light of day? What kind of art will find its way into Ablaze the Brilliant Sun (day)?
Concentrating on the timeframe of day and all its workings, Ablaze the Brilliant Sun is the second installment in the series, SONORAN HOURGLASS.
SONORAN HOURGLASS: Ablaze the Brilliant Sun exhibiting artists: David Adix, Michael Afsa, Carolee Asia, Lance Bell, Jane Buckman, Jen Casados, Shari Coia, Katie Cooper, Rick DeMont, Spencer Edgerton, Darcy Falk, Carolyn Fisch, Bonnie Gibson, Mikayla Hammock, Brian Hooker, Kelly Houle, Patrick Hynes, William Lesch, Cindy Libantino Norton, Salvatore Liotta, Mark Mahaffey, Rae Mahaffey, Ric Maledón, Gaspar Marquez, Michele Miller, Terry Moss, Miriam Otte, Ralph Philabaum, Lyle Rayfield, Dee Ruff, Judith Shangold, Samirah Steinmeyer, Amber Vanhatala Stene, Mark Thaler, Nan Wollman, Jim Woodside, Holly Worthington
Image: Clockwise from top left (details): Dee Ruff, Mikayla Hammock, Cindy Libantino Norton, and Samirah Steinmeyer
QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
Open May 30 – July 26, 2026
Exhibit House Entry Gallery
She is called the Queen of the Night, La Reina de La Noche, or the Night Blooming Cereus and every summer, for one night only, whatever she may be called, Peniocereus greggii becomes the Belle of the Ball, the superstar of the Sonoran Desert. The Cinderella-like cactus looks like a dead stick for most of the year but transforms herself in the early summer months, blooming en masse along with numerous plants in the area before wilting and closing forever by morning’s light.
For one night each year, this fragrant and stunning flower reveals itself to anyone lucky enough to greet it. To celebrate the treasured Peniocereus greggii or night-blooming cereus, an annual exhibition in the Entry Gallery features the Queen of the Night in all her glory.
Image: Amber Vanhatala Stene , Synchrony 4
Permanent Collection | New Perspectives VIII
Open May 14 – August 2, 2026
Exhibit House Welcome Gallery
The eighth annual PERMANENT COLLECTION: NEW PERSPECTIVES exhibition features objects from Tohono Chul’s Permanent Collection selected by Tohono Chul Volunteer and Docent guest curators: Katherine Ferguson, Kelly Holmberg, and Melanie Thomason.
The permanent collection started in 1986 with a donation of sixty-five objects from the Estate of Mrs. Robert Wilson. Mrs. Wilson was the mother of Tohono Chul founder, Dick Wilson. The desire to preserve and exhibit objects is deeply rooted in the Wilson family. Dick’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 (Dick’s uncle and aunt) founded Flagstaff’s Museum of Northern Arizona. Today, Tohono Chul’s Permanent Collection has grown to include over 375 regional objects ranging from basketry, textiles, and ceramics to sculptural works and paintings.
The Permanent Collection is continuing to grow thanks to the generous donation of the Roy J. Kurtz Collection of American Indian Art.
Image: clockwise from left: Navajo (Diné) Klagetoh Rug, Tohono O’odham Coiled Basket, Seri Basket (artists unknown)
Roy J. Kurtz Collection of American Indian Art
Education Center
Tohono Chul’s Permanent Collection is growing with the acquisition of Roy J. Kurtz Collection of American Indian Art. The Roy J. Kurtz Collection is vast and will provide endless possibilities for Tohono Chul’s Education and Exhibits programs for years to come. This exhibition will provide the first look at this large collection of baskets and American Indian artwork.
Art in the Gardens
Gardens
Sculpture from Tohono Chul’s Permanent Collection including Mark Rossi, Fred Borcherdt, Kioko Mwitiki, David Weinert, Greg Corman, Ned Egan, along with work for sale by Tucson artists Joy Fox, Phil Lichtenhan, Tidhar Ozeri and more can be discovered throughout the gardens.
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