KXO Radio AM1230 and FM 107.5

Yuma, Arizona - Tucson artist David Tineo is the featured guest of  NAU-Yuma and Yuma Fine Arts for Cinco de Mayo celebrations this weekend.  Mr. Tineo will present a slide-show tour of his famed murals on Friday evening the 4^th, at 6:30 in the Entrepreneurial Center on Redondo Drive.  The public is invited at no charge.

Tineo will also join others in the “Celebrando Nuestros Raices” (Celebrating our Roots) exhibit at the Yuma Art Center Museum.  This exhibit opens Saturday, May 5^th with an Open House from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.  “Celebrando Nuestros Raices” is the first in a series of exhibits partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Yuma Community Foundation and the Sturges Trust, and will be on display until August 10^th.

Originally from Douglas, Arizona, Tineo grew up in the Barrio Anita area north of Tucson.  Although he struggled as a school student, he was encouraged in his art by a former teacher.  He is revered as one of the pioneers of the Chicano muralist movement, so prevalent in Tucson.   His works grace the walls of private homes, restaurants, public schools and hospitals.  One of his most noted works, for which he partnered with Antonio Pazos, is the north exterior wall of the Tucson Museum of Art. 

In the 1980s his art form gained recognition and respect, as did his own works.  Some of his recent honors include the prestigious Robert Rauschenberg Award, and Tucson Weekly’s Best of Tucson.  Just last year, Tineo received the Governor’s Arts Award in the artist category. 

Two years ago, Tineo was diagnosed with macular degeneration, and he is now legally blind.  He no longer drives, or reads.  He no longer teaches art for Pima Community College, where he influenced and guided younger artists for more than 20 years.  His days of adding to the wonderful murals around Tucson may be limited.  But he can still share his knowledge, his insight, his vision with those interested in learning about Chicano art, especially the mural art form. 

For information about Yuma Fine Arts, please visit www.yumafinearts.com.

NAU – Yuma, a branch campus of Northern Arizona University, has been serving the southwestern Arizona and southeastern California communities since 1988.  NAU-Yuma’s partnerships with Arizona Western College (Yuma) and Imperial Valley College (El Centro) provide students an innovative, direct path to complete four-year programs. Recently designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, NAU-Yuma offers undergraduate and graduate courses in a growing number of fields, including biology, business, criminal justice, education, psychology, sociology, and Spanish.