We ran across this blog from the Yuma Fine Arts Association. It was complete with pictures which brought back great memories of my mother deeply involved in the promotion of the arts in Arizona. The blog also proved pictures of her at work as an accomplished artist, paintings that have endured time and are most relevant today and hanging in homes and private collections in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. Besides being “just Mom,” she did great things in the art world and especially Yuma, which still have impact today. Enjoy this snap shot of the life of Louise Tester.

Hank & Luly Tester



Biography and Artwork of Louise Tester, founder

(YFAA Blog Archive - Monday, September 9, 2013)

Louise Tester was a force of nature and a force to be reckoned with when it came to the arts in Yuma and in our state. She was a founding member of the Yuma Art Center in 1950, became the executive director of Yuma Fine Arts after its incorporation in 1962, and in 1967 she was appointed by Governor Jack Williams to serve as a member of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. She became the first executive director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts in 1969-1980.

As the executive director the Arts Commission grew from a fledgling agency supporting programs in the visual and performing arts to an agency nationally recognized for its services and technical assistance, supporting activities in all disciplines of the arts in communities throughout Arizona. This growth represented over $5.5m for the arts during the years Louise Tester directed the agency.

As a leader in the arts in Arizona, Louise’s broad interests had a wide impact on the diversified cultural growth in the State. She was the founding president and first director of the Yuma Fine Arts Association. Upon becoming executive director of the Arts Commission, she continued to work closely with the Yuma community, taking a keen interest in the restoration of the old Southern Pacific railroad station into a home for the Yuma Art Center. 

As executive director, Louise established the Arts Commission’s Traveling Exhibitions program serving small communities throughout Arizona. Many traveling exhibitions programs in other states were patterned on her pioneer efforts in this area. 

In 1976, she started the Art in Arizona Towns project to bring performing artists to rural Arizona towns; and, in 1979, implemented the awarding of fellowships to individual artists. In 1974, a weekly creative writing workshop was instituted in the Arizona State Prison at Florence which grew into weekly workshops in music, theater and creative writing in all adult correctional institutions in the state.

She initiated the formation of a consortium of eight Arizona organizations to seek a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1979, this effort resulted in an award of $480,000 for the consortium. It was the largest grant to a state agency in the history of the Endowment. 

Louise’s interest in the cultural development of Arizona’s ethnic minorities led to the organization of Ariztlan, a statewide Hispanic arts coalition; and ATLATL, a national Native American arts advocacy organization. 

Awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1978 to research the feasibility of cultural exchanges with Mexico, Louise worked with Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA) and Fonda Nacional para Actividades Sociales (FONAPAS) in Mexico and the International Communication Agency (ICA), Partners of the Americas and the NEA. She traveled throughout Mexico studying Mexican cultural activities and establishing contacts for bi-cultural exchanges between Mexico and the U.S. border states. Her work led to the formulation of the Arts Commission’s Bi-Cultural Program which operates in conjunction with Casas de le Culturales in Mexico and community organizations in the U.S. 

In addition to guiding the development of the Arts Commission in its formative years, she represented Arizona on numerous national arts boards and panels and was a founding member of Western States Arts Foundation. She served as chairman of that organization from 1974-77. 

In recognition of her contributions to the arts, Louise C. Tester received the Distinguished Achievement Award from Arizona State University, College of Fine Arts in 1977. 

In 1982, Louise was an individual award recipient for the second Governor’s Arts Awards for her many years of contributing to the arts in Arizona. She told the Arizona Republic that she was “thrilled with the honor. It is wonderful to be recognized in this way, and surprising. I have never pretended to win any popularity contests.” 

In her tenure at the Arts Commission, she had more than her share of fights, including a few to save the agency from abolishment. 

Louise Tester fought for the arts all her life. We owe her a debt of gratitude. She led the way — and got her way. She was truly a force of nature and a force to be reckoned with.