Coconino Center for the Arts — NEW & Upcoming Exhibition Events

LIFE EXTENDED:
A Retrospective of the Work of Debra Edgerton

October 24 – December 19, 2026

LIFE EXTENDED is a career retrospective of the internationally recognized Flagstaff artist and educator, Debra Edgerton. A 40-year survey of the artist’s watercolor paintings, sculptural installations, and films span issues of identity, perception, race politics, and environmental justice.

Edgerton’s most recent work involves collaboration with leading biologists, scientists, and engineers on themes of water issues and sustainability, exploring how environments intersect with cultural histories to influence how people define themselves.

Learn More & Plan Your Visit

NATURE TALES: Willow Bend

October 24 – December 19, 2026
Artist Talk: December 8, 6-7 pm

NATURE TALES is a collaboration between Willow Bend Environmental Education Center and Arizona artists, celebrates a variety of pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds, and more, to share the beauty and importance of local ecosystems through puppets, storytelling, and art. Visitors can enjoy vibrant designs from youth-designed flower masks to a ponderosa pine stage.

Since 1975, Willow Bend has been committed to providing educational outreach that fosters environmental awareness and encourages responsible stewardship of our natural and cultural resources. Located in Flagstaff, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center provides hands-on learning opportunities that inspire critical thinking, curiosity, and deepen connections to the natural world.

Learn More & Plan Your Visit

Upcoming Exhibition Events:

Watercolor Workshop with Artist Debra Edgerton
Saturday, November 14, 9 am – 3 pm

ONLY 3 SPOTS REMAINING!

Spend the day exploring watercolor with artist Debra Edgerton. In this hands-on workshop, Edgerton will introduce participants to three watercolor techniques while encouraging experimentation, observation, and creative expression. No previous watercolor experience is required.

*NEW* Watershed Words with Thin Air Literary Magazine
Thursday, November 19, 6 – 9 pm

Explore the connections between memory, water, sustainability, and the natural world in this community writing workshop. Thin Air Magazine proudly cultivates a Flagstaff-based, MFA student-led literary community with global reach to publish emerging authors with intriguing ideas. They are collaborating with CCA to provide a FREE writing workshop!

Open to writers of all experience levels.

Pollinator Parade: Make a Mask, Meet the Artists with Willow Bend
Tuesday, December 8, 6 – 7 pm

Discover Willow Bend Environmental Education Center’s pollinator puppet project through an artist talk and Q&A, then create your own pollinator mask for the 2027 Pollinator Puppet Parade.

*NEW* Young Creatives: A Life Extended Youth Workshop with Erika Tsouras
Saturday, December 12

Session One: 10 – 11 am
Session Two: 11:30 -12:30 pm

Explore identity, creativity, and the natural world through hands-on artmaking with artist and educator Erika Tsouras. Youth and families welcome. No experience necessary; all materials provided.

FREE to participate; registration required.

Wild Words: A Night of Poetry & Spoken Word with Joshua Wiss
Thursday, December 17, 6 – 8 pm

Join Northern Arizona poet Joshua Wiss for an evening of poetry, spoken word, and storytelling inspired by Life Extended. Enjoy featured performances, then take the mic to share your own original work or reflections.

FREE to participate; registration recommended.

New Interactive Space!

CCA partnered with Kinney Construction to build a semi-permanent, modular wall arrangement and replaced all the former temporary walls in the gallery. The renovation includes segmentation for the new Youth Interactive Space, which will expand educational programs by providing year-round access to youth opportunities at CCA. This is the gallery’s first significant remodel since it opened in 1984!.

Each exhibition has a corresponding activity in the interactive space to enjoy as part of your gallery visit. Come see it for yourself and participate in the LIFE EXTENDED interactive activity!