Coming to the Coconino Center for the Arts for the fifth time, the NightVisions V exhibition celebrates the beauty of the night sky. Nearly two-thirds of Americans live where they can no longer see the Milky Way galaxy because of light pollution. We have grown so isolated from night that in much of our culture it has become alien and fearful. NightVisionsseeks to re-open our positive connections to the natural night and to bridge the divide separating artistic from scientific perception, promoting the idea that science and art are two intertwined aspects of human experience.

The juried exhibition features artists from all over the world and art in a variety of media: painting, photography, ceramics, glass work, textiles and more. The exhibition opens with a Reception on Saturday, September 20.

NightVisions Satellite Exhibition with ten Flagstaff artists will be exhibiting at Lowell Observatory in the lobby. The free opening reception will be held from 6-8pm at Lowell Observatory Sunday, September 21, 2014.  The Observatory’s Festival of Science Open House will run concurrently from 5-9:30pm, and will include free telescope viewings and other activities.

Flagstaff has a very active and strong scientific community. As home to the world-famous Lowell Observatory where Pluto was first discovered, Flagstaff is the world’s first International Dark Sky City. The community advocates for the value of maintaining quality dark skies and reducing light pollution.

My Beautiful Friends, paintings by artist Sky Black will be exhibiting in the Jewel Gallery during NightVisions. Sky Black is a local oil painter who explores a narrative surreal style while mixing humans and their materials with the natural world. The result leads to strange juxtapositions and paradoxical situations with the objects and characters involved.