Phoenix is home to a number of performing arts venues, museums, galleries and interesting architecture, and is considered the cultural center of the Phoenix metropolitan area, in which more than four million people make their homes.

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

• An art gallery and performance space in downtown Phoenix, Modified Arts opened in 1999 as a live music venue, before a change in director hailed a new era for the venue. Today, the space houses a wide range of contemporary, concept-based art including installation, printmaking, video, mixed media and sculpture.

• At the Phoenix Art Museum, a permanent collection of over 18,000 Asian, American, Latin American, artworks, including contemporary and fashion design pieces, is displayed alongside travelling, international exhibits. Serving as a cultural center since 1959, the museum is the largest visual art venue in the southwestern United States. In addition to regular exhibits, the location offers independent art films, educational programing, and year round festivals.

• Shemer Art Center and Museum was established in 1984, and offers education progaming in addition to a gallery. Located on a three acre property that was donated to preserve the land and promote art education. The venue can be rented for private events, and also hosts a variety of unique exhibits including a sculpture garden along the grounds that features works on loan by regional artists.

• Tempe Center for the Arts
• Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
• African American Multicultural Museum
• North Central Art Gallery
• Heard Museum
• Perihelion Arts
• Arizona Capitol Museum
• Tilt Gallery
• Arizona State University Art Museum
• eye lounge
• Arizona Science Center
• Bentley Gallery
• Children's Museum of Phoenix
• Phoenix Art Group, Inc.

Phoenix, Arizona

ARTISTIC INSTITUTIONS

• At South Mountain Community College, students can earn certificates in Web and Graphic Design, and Creative Writing, an AA in Web and Graphic Design, or a university transfer degree in Art, Dance or Theatre. Established in 1978, the college is named after the mountain that rises a short way from the campus. Each year, more than 7,000 students enrol in the college's variety of certificate programs. The campus is also home to a library with over 100,000 documents, which is open to the public as well as the student body.

• Artistic students can find their niche in one of Arizona State University's many degree programs. Visual artists can specialize in ceramics, drawing, fibers, metals, museum studies, printmaking, and more, while those more inclined to other areas can study dance, theatre, film or design, graphic design or landscape architecture. First established in 1885, the university has six campuses in Arizona, and has the highest enrolment of any public university in the country.

• The Art Institute of Seattle offers programs in graphic design, fashion, photography and more, in a hands-on environment. With more than 50 campuses across North America, the Art Institute provides masters, bachelor and associate degrees and certificates in a wide range of artistic concentrations. Well known individuals such as tennis player Venus Williams and photographer Carol Guzy are graduates of AI.

• Study visual arts, dance, music or theatre at Paradise Valley Community College.
• Received a Bachelor Degree in graphic arts or web design through College America.
• Art For Fun Studio & Gallery offers classes in watercolor painting, ceramics and silk painting.
• A variety of art classes are available for adults, teens and children at the Phoenix Center for the Arts
• At Phoenix Art Workshop,artists teach drawing, painting, and more.

NATIVE ARTISTS

There are plenty of artistic people originally from, or currently living in Phoenix, Arizona!

• Photographer Betsy Schneider has shown her work at galleries around the world, and teaches at Arizona State University.

• Multi media artist Thomas Kuntz creates moving sculptures, automatons and machines.

• Kevin Caron is a sculptor whose steel artworks are exhibited all around the United States.

• Musicians Stevie Nicks, Jordin Sparks and Dierks Bentley.

ART AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Annual Events

• The Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts is an audience-drive community event that was established in 2006. The original procession of 300 people has grown to more than 2000, and often includes well known professional artists and musicians. The goal of the parade is to present art in a fun, free environment and encourage participation and creativity.

• A colorful roadmap identifying studios and galleries around the city is your ticket to Art Detour, an event held each March since the late 1980s. Guided by the scattered bright dots, guests and natives alike can discover and experience the art the city has to offer. A trolley takes passengers from place to place, while bike or walking tours cater to the more mobile-inclined. Exhibits, food trucks and kids' activities make the event great fun for the whole family.

• Each year from January through the end of March, the Arizona Fine Art Expo guides visitors through the process of the artist. Beneath a white tent that spans 44,000 square feet, studios and galleries are displayed with the art and work spaces of over 100 emerging and established artists from across the country. The event celebrates the practice of art with this unique, interactive experience.

Other Events and Sights to See

• Japanese Friendship Garden
• Phoenix Mountains Park
• Pueblo Grande Museum
• Wrigley Mansion
• The Arizona State Fair, in September
• Candyland Concert, for children, in November
• The Phoenix Botanical Gardens

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