DISTRIBUTION DATE: July 2, 2007      FOR RELEASE UPON RECEIPT

CHURCHES AND SAINTS:
RELIGIOUS IMAGES FROM THE MEXICAN STATES OF
PUEBLA & TLAXCALA
Now Showing in The Galleries @ TIA: Center

      Local photographers David Burckhalter and Mina Sedgwick join together to exhibit Churches and Saints: Religious Images from the Mexican States of Puebla & Tlaxcala at The Galleries @ TIA: Center.

      Fifty miles to the southeast of Mexico City, in full view of the famous snow-capped peaks of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, lay the neighboring cities of Puebla and Tlaxcala.  After the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs in the Valley of Mexico in 1521, Puebla (City of the Angels), founded by the Spanish as an agricultural center, and Tlaxcala, native captial of the Tlaxcalans, were rapidly developed as centers of Spanish culture.  During the remainder of the 16th century, and throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Spanish lavished incredible wealth on the construction of the fabulous churches in Puebla and Tlaxcala.  These churches were built by priests of the Franciscan Order to promote the faith of the Catholic Church among the indigenous people.

      This photo exhibit is on display July 2 through September 30, 2007.

      Friends, an exhibit featuring work by four local artists, Sherry Bryant, Terry Dietz, Jill Dredge, and Bernard Fierro, is located in The Galleries @ TIA: Lower Link on the baggage level through the end of August. Wild, as well as domestic, critters crowd the walls in a variety of media ranging from watercolor to colored pencil.

      Also on display in The Galleries @ TIA: Upper Link on the ticketing level is Southwestern Impressions Part 2 from the Southern Arizona League of Fine Arts.

      These exhibits are a part of the Tucson International Airport’s temporary art exhibit program. To learn more visit www.tucsonairport.org.

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