AWC San Luis students to showcase artwork, honor college president

Arizona Western College students in San Luis turned their drawing classes into a public gallery on Wednesday, mixing art history, mural work and a tribute to college President Dr. Daniel Corr. The exhibit at the San Luis Learning Center, 1340 N. 8th Avenue, ran from 10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. and brought student work out of the classroom and into a space open to neighbors, family members and local leaders.

The show featured students from Drawing I, II and III, with projects that reflected work completed this term. Among the pieces were artworks inspired by Gustav Klimt and Old Master studies, giving the exhibit a stronger academic focus than a simple end-of-semester display. Students also presented mural projects described as summative course work, showing the range of skills and concepts they were expected to master over the semester.

One piece honored Dr. Daniel Corr in his 10th year of service to the Arizona Western College district. Corr announced his retirement effective July 2026, making the tribute part of a milestone year for the college’s leadership. The tribute also underscored how the San Luis campus is connecting student creativity to the institution’s broader identity, not just its classroom instruction.

Violeta Isaacs, the drawing professor, said the community was invited to come experience the artistic talent present in San Luis and Yuma. That invitation fit the college’s broader mission for its art galleries at the Yuma Campus and San Luis Learning Center, which AWC says are free, open to the public and intended to educate, spark cultural conversation and expose Yuma, San Luis and the greater Southwest to diverse artwork.

The event also reflected AWC’s wider role in Yuma and La Paz counties. The college says its 10-plus locations provide local access to college courses and degree programs, economic development, scholarship foundations and workforce training. That public-facing presence has been reinforced before: AWC said more than 100 students took part in its 2025 Student Showcase across the Yuma and San Luis campuses, with more than $9,000 in scholarships awarded. In San Luis, the latest exhibit placed college-level art and recognition of campus leadership squarely in the center of the community.