February 2012

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	An outfit put together with merchandise from Bazaar del Mundo in San Diego, Calif. Ponchos, ruanas, sweater wraps and shawls with Southwestern motifs are popular for the store.

prawling vistas, vibrant colors and dry, hot weather make the Southwest region of the United States a popular tourist attraction. The region’s diverse culture has also inspired an unmistakable style that’s been adopted into fashion, home goods and art. More recently, top designers have even been inspired by these uniquely American style cues, featuring the "Southwest look" on runways as far flung as Milan and Paris. For shop owners in the region where it all got started, appealing to tourists, as well as blossoming Southwest aficionados, it’s become a big business.

Just ask Marcia Wenbert, chair of the Mesa Arts Center’s MAC Store Artists Cooperative in Mesa, Ariz. “We are a new artists’ cooperative that opened September 9,” Wenbert said.

The cooperative is housed in a building that was previously the Mesa Arts Center Gift Store. “The gallery opened with 56 artists and we are currently holding our second Jury Call for up to 18 additional artists," she said. Not only does the facility give artists in the region an opportunity to display their work, but it’s also become a popular place for tourists to purchase authentic, one-of-a-kind goods made in the region.