ARTbeat 3 set for Saturday

This weekend, artists will take their work to the street with a celebration of fine are.

Saturday marks ARTbeat 3, and Mary Jane Chambers with the Yuma Art Center said this show is sure to be different from other events in Yuma County.

In the show are artists from the area, as well as regional and even international artists - all on hand to display their fine art.

ARTbeat is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on Main Street in Yuma. The event is free and open to the public.

One of the goals of hosting ARTbeat, said Chambers, is to help local people realize just how much talent is in Yuma.

"Whatever you are into, you're going to find it here," she said. "It's an awesome event, it really is."

It will have various art media offering a little something for everyone, she said.

"We've got everything from sculpture to painting, ceramics, glass, jewelry, photography, mixed media, wood" and more. "There's so many different styles that these artists do."

There are commercial artists and student artists from Arizona Western College, as well as one international artist.

"We're really excited this year because we have a well-known artist coming down from Scottsdale," she said.

Mauriel Morejon was born in Cuba and moved to Phoenix in 1999 and is a well-known muralist in Arizona, Chambers said.

On a trip to Yuma recently to view a Cuban art exhibit, Morejon discovered ARTbeat and applied to be in the show.

"Lo and behold, he put the application in," said Chambers. "This is amazing to us. It is such an honor for us to have him here."

There is also a group of artists coming from Mexico through the efforts of the Mexican Consulate, she said.

"We have some amazingly talented artists here."

This year, she said, ARTbeat 3 will have more than 60 artists.

And people have an opportunity to not only view and purchase art but meet and mingle with the artists. "It's such a great opportunity to come and not only look at artwork but to be able to talk with the artists in person," Chambers said.

And, she said, it's one of the best weather periods in Yuma. "We did that on purpose."

The Yuma Sun photographers' best work from the last year will also be on display, and attendees can order prints of their work, according to Adrianne Wagner, Yuma Sun marketing manager.