Phoenix Center for the Arts debuts ‘Invariably Cool’ exhibit honoring Black art

Despite the summer heat, it’s invariably cool indoors at Phoenix Center for the Arts where a hot new exhibit by Leonard Wilson will open in August.

The self-taught artist and Arizona native fell in love with oil painting early on – perhaps while studying at Phoenix Union High School shortly after the city’s public schools were desegregated.

“Invariably Cool,” a collection of mixed media paintings and drawings curated by Clotee Hammons of Emancipation Arts, aims to raise the profile of Black artists in Arizona and honor our African and enslaved ancestors.

First Friday’s opening reception is August 5 from 7-9 p.m.

– Hannah Van Sickle, The Arizona 100