Award-winning Tucson novelist Nancy Turner is among the presenters who will participate in Celebrate the Arts, a week of free live performances, a juried art show, creative workshops, and youth programming scheduled March 13-20 at the Cochise College Benson Center.

Turner, author of the historical fiction books These is My Words, Sara’s Quilt, and The Star Garden, a journal-style trilogy about Southeast Arizona homestead heroine Sarah Agnes Prine, will lead a book discussion and autograph books during a presentation scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 19.

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 13 with a keynote address by Cochise College President J.D. Rottweiler, a reception featuring the culinary artistry of Benson and St. David High School students, and live Dixieland and swing music by the Duane Reilley Quartet.

The rest of the week includes artistic performances and demonstrations by painter Clement Scott, literary performer Don Edmunds, author and artist Ron Fritts, barbershop-style performers The Minstrels, Celtic bard and harpist Gareth MacKenzie, encaustic painter Karon Leigh, and youth Mariachi Aztlan of Pueblo High School.

A vegetable stamp and printing class for kids is scheduled on Tuesday, and creative workshops for adults on topics such as beading, crochet, art paper making, and creative writing are scheduled Wednesday and Thursday.

Visitors can view the juried art show daily. Work includes painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, mixed media and prints, with prizes given for Best of Show, Award of Excellence, and Awards of Merit during a presentation and mixer scheduled for Saturday, March 20.

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Celebrate the Arts is a collaborative effort sponsored by Cochise College, the San Pedro River Arts Council and the City of Benson, the Benson San Pedro Valley Chamber of Commerce, Walmart, Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Many of the events are free, however, pre-registration or a small fee is required to help with supplies for some classes. A detailed schedule of events is available at the Cochise College Benson Center, 1025 State Route 90, (520) 586-1981, and local libraries throughout the county.

Anyone needing an accommodation in order to attend should contact the Office of Disability Services, (520) 515-5337 or (520) 417-4023, at least 72 hours in advance.