Movimiento Artístico del Río Salado.

The Movimiento Artístico del Río Salado (MARS), a Southwestern art co-operative located in Phoenix, was formed in 1978 after the Floricanto Culture Week. The group consisted primarily of Hispanic members. The impetus behind MARS' formation was to establish an independent exhibition space to display the works of various under-represented artists in the Southwest. The immediate goals of the group have been to bring art to schools, social and political functions, to create stronger visual artists in the community, and lastly to build the Salt River Valley as a cultural center of the Southwest. MARS opened its first gallery in South Phoenix in 1981; it later established a satellite gallery at the Fina Cocina Restaurant. The organization has sponsored various Mexican-American visiting artists from across the country as well as sponsoring several exhibitions. MARS artists have displayed annually in the Ariztlan Group Exhibition and in La Phoeniquera, a special juried exhibition.