Community Calendar

Early Artist Entry NOW OPEN
The Flagstaff Plein Air Festival will take place from October 4–25, 2026, challenging both painters and photographers to capture the beauty of the Northern Arizona region, on location. This multi-day event blends artistic practice with community engagement, environmental awareness, and visual storytelling.

At the culmination of the festival, participants will showcase their work in a professionally juried exhibition. The public is welcome to watch the artists at work throughout the week, participate in a variety of workshops and presentations, and purchase completed artwork at the culminating First Glimpse Reception and Sale. A two-week Festival Exhibition to follow.

Festival Highlights Include
• Paint Alongs — join painters at select locations to watch or try your hand at plein air painting
• Workshops and Presentations — opportunities for photography and painting, registration is open to participants and the public
• Quick Draw Challenge and Auction — open to participants and the public
• Competition Awards and First Glimpse Reception & Sale — open to the public
• Festival Exhibition — a two week exhibition
• In celebration of Flagstaff’s 25th anniversary as the first designated International Dark Sky City, we have partnered with the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition to highlight events and programs that celebrate the darks skies surrounding Flagstaff.

Notable Dates
Early discount registration August 15, 2026
Registration Closes September 15, 2026
Festival Dates October 4-10, 2026
Awards Ceremony,
Reception & Sale October 10, 2026
Festival Exhibition October 11-25, 2026

Ticketed events and workshop registration will remain available until full.

Festival Information: flagstaff-Arts.org

About The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff
The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff encourages and promotes the artistic growth and professional development of local artists and to create a forum for the arts within the greater Flagstaff community and Northern Arizona through events, exhibits, and educational programs.

Media Contact Mike Frankel Executive Director acfexdir@gmail.com 928.856.2485

Early Artist Entry NOW OPEN
The Flagstaff Plein Air Festival will take place from October 4–25, 2026, challenging both painters and photographers to capture the beauty of the Northern Arizona region, on location. This multi-day event blends artistic practice with community engagement, environmental awareness, and visual storytelling.

At the culmination of the festival, participants will showcase their work in a professionally juried exhibition. The public is welcome to watch the artists at work throughout the week, participate in a variety of workshops and presentations, and purchase completed artwork at the culminating First Glimpse Reception and Sale. A two-week Festival Exhibition to follow.

Festival Highlights Include
• Paint Alongs — join painters at select locations to watch or try your hand at plein air painting
• Workshops and Presentations — opportunities for photography and painting, registration is open to participants and the public
• Quick Draw Challenge and Auction — open to participants and the public
• Competition Awards and First Glimpse Reception & Sale — open to the public
• Festival Exhibition — a two week exhibition
• In celebration of Flagstaff’s 25th anniversary as the first designated International Dark Sky City, we have partnered with the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition to highlight events and programs that celebrate the darks skies surrounding Flagstaff.

Notable Dates
Early discount registration August 15, 2026
Registration Closes September 15, 2026
Festival Dates October 4-10, 2026
Awards Ceremony,
Reception & Sale October 10, 2026
Festival Exhibition October 11-25, 2026

Ticketed events and workshop registration will remain available until full.

Festival Information: flagstaff-Arts.org

About The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff
The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff encourages and promotes the artistic growth and professional development of local artists and to create a forum for the arts within the greater Flagstaff community and Northern Arizona through events, exhibits, and educational programs.

Media Contact Mike Frankel Executive Director acfexdir@gmail.com 928.856.2485

Want to learn to knit? Need help with a knitting project?

Members of the Fiber Artists of Northern Arizona Guild (FANA) will be available to teach beginners how to knit and help knitters who are stuck on a project.

Bring any supplies you have. We’ll also have extra supplies to get you started.

All skill levels welcome!

To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, please call 928-213-2330. Three days prior notice is requested.

Looking for an excuse to hang out with cool people and make some art? Look no further! Come, relax, and participate in group sketching prompts. This is NOT an art class, but beginners are more than welcome!
Extra drawing utensils and paper pads will be provided.

Looking for an excuse to hang out with cool people and make some art? Look no further! Come, relax, and participate in group sketching prompts. This is NOT an art class, but beginners are more than welcome!
Extra drawing utensils and paper pads will be provided.

To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, please call 928-213-2330. Three days prior notice is requested.

https://flagstaffpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/17219463

Artist Panel Discussion: Nature as Collaborator - Part of the Flagstaff Painting and Photography Plein Air Festival
Friday, October 9, 5:00 - 7:00pm

Join us for an Artist Panel Discussion exploring how artists are approaching the environment as a partner in the physical creation of art, rather than simply using nature as passive visual inspiration. We welcome Tom Conner, David Lash, and Gwen Waring to discuss a variety of topics including how artists bring nature back to the studio through imagery/composition, through material choice, and through expression/impression. We will also touch on how artists navigate environmental concerns in relation to their physical materials, and reframing the artistic process as a dialog with ecosystems, emphasizing a return to mindful, sustainable craftsmanship that respects our ecological interconnectedness with the planet’s changing landscape. We invite your questions to this open panel. Bring a chair, grab a beverage, and settle in for a lively discussion. Advanced registration is recommended due to limited seating. Free to join, though donations are welcome at the door.

Cost: Free — Donations Welcome
Register: https://www.flagstaff-arts.org/2026-workshops/artist-panel-discussion

Early Artist Entry NOW OPEN
The Flagstaff Plein Air Festival will take place from October 4–25, 2026, challenging both painters and photographers to capture the beauty of the Northern Arizona region, on location. This multi-day event blends artistic practice with community engagement, environmental awareness, and visual storytelling.

At the culmination of the festival, participants will showcase their work in a professionally juried exhibition. The public is welcome to watch the artists at work throughout the week, participate in a variety of workshops and presentations, and purchase completed artwork at the culminating First Glimpse Reception and Sale. A two-week Festival Exhibition to follow.

Festival Highlights Include
• Paint Alongs — join painters at select locations to watch or try your hand at plein air painting
• Workshops and Presentations — opportunities for photography and painting, registration is open to participants and the public
• Quick Draw Challenge and Auction — open to participants and the public
• Competition Awards and First Glimpse Reception & Sale — open to the public
• Festival Exhibition — a two week exhibition
• In celebration of Flagstaff’s 25th anniversary as the first designated International Dark Sky City, we have partnered with the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition to highlight events and programs that celebrate the darks skies surrounding Flagstaff.

Notable Dates
Early discount registration August 15, 2026
Registration Closes September 15, 2026
Festival Dates October 4-10, 2026
Awards Ceremony,
Reception & Sale October 10, 2026
Festival Exhibition October 11-25, 2026

Ticketed events and workshop registration will remain available until full.

Festival Information: flagstaff-Arts.org

About The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff
The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff encourages and promotes the artistic growth and professional development of local artists and to create a forum for the arts within the greater Flagstaff community and Northern Arizona through events, exhibits, and educational programs.

Media Contact Mike Frankel Executive Director acfexdir@gmail.com 928.856.2485

Cancer Support Community Arizona (CSCAZ) is celebrating five years of serving northern Arizona with A Walk to Remember, a free community event honoring those impacted by cancer while raising funds to keep CSCAZ's support programs free.

The public is invited to participate in two community walks: a 1.5-mile walk beginning at 9 a.m. from the CSCAZ Flagstaff office and a second walk beginning at 11 a.m. at NAU's Upper Observatory Field. Individuals and families impacted by cancer can also register for workshops, classes and a complimentary lunch throughout the day, including plant-based nutrition workshops, sound bath healing, a breast cancer education presentation, yoga and expressive arts.

Registration is open for the walks, and individuals and families impacted by cancer can register for classes and workshops. Community members who cannot attend can support the Flagstaff location by donating online. To learn more about CSCAZ, please visit cscaz.org.

Join us for the Fiber Artists of Northern Arizona monthly guild meeting. Doors open at 9:30 and meeting begins at 10:00. We will have a presentation by Carol James about Sprang.
Entrance is the double glass doors next to the green door.

Join Willow Bend and forager John Slattery for an information-packed, hands-on workshop that walks you through every step of processing acorns for food and provides recipes for preparing your leached acorn meal. We will process acorns from the locally abundant Gambel’s oak (Quercus gambelii), which can be found throughout Flagstaff's urban environment and the surrounding forests. Late September to early October is prime time for gathering these tasty acorns, so be sure to join us so you can be prepared to handle this prime wild food resource.

We’ll fully process acorns to prepare them for cooking, and weather permitting, we’ll enjoy a solar-baked bread together to wrap up the class. All participants will get hands-on experience with processing acorns, and everyone will leave with the knowledge and experience to properly process all acorns for food.

There is no equipment or prior experience necessary to participate in this class. Just bring an open mind and willingness to learn.