The Arts in Tucson

An Oasis of Culture in the Desert

The Wall Street Journal has referred to Tucson as a "mini-Mecca for the arts." Here's a short list why:

Performing Arts - Art Museums - Galleries - Concerts - Public Art

Performing Arts in Tucson

Company Name	Phone Number
Arizona Friends of Chamber Music	520-577-3769
Presenting the world's finest chamber music groups: Evening Chamber Music Series, Tucson Winter …
Arizona Opera	520-293-4336
Five productions each season running Oct.–April in the Tucson Music Hall. All performances are …
Arizona Theatre Company	520-622-2823
Arizona's leading professional theater company. Performances Tues.-Sun., Sept.-May, at Temple of …
Ballet Arizona	888-3BALLET(322-5538)
Ballet Arizona is the Southwest's premier professional ballet company, under the artistic direction …
Ballet Tucson	520-825-9785
Ballet Tucson is the premier dance company in Tucson and Southern Arizona. Now in its 23rd season, …
Beowulf Alley Theatre Company	520-882-0555
Great theatre with a contemporary, innovative flair. Join us this summer for Out to Lunch Theatre, …
Broadway in Tucson/A Nederlander Presentation	520-903-2929
Broadway in Tucson/A Nederlander Presentation brings Broadway's best to downtown Tucson with performances …
Chamber Music PLUS	520-400-5439
Presents Rhythms of LIFE - powerful and personal stories of the most celebrated artists in history, …
Downtown Tucson Partnership	520-547-3338
Downtown Tucson offers an exciting mix of shopping, galleries, dining, and performing arts opportunities …
Flamenco Del Pueblo Viejo	520-309-8762
Tucson's leading Flamenco troupe. Flamenco Del Pueblo Viejo seeks to present, educate and preserve …
Pima Community College Center for the Arts	800-860-7462
The complex includes the Proscenium and Black Box Theatres, the Recital Hall, and the Louis Carlos …
The Fox Tucson Theatre	520-624-1515
The Fox Tucson Theatre has been designated as a Nationally significant building on the National …
Tucson Jazz Society	520-903-1265
Your source for Tucson's jazz scene. In our 32nd season of promoting, presenting, and preserving …
Tucson Symphony Orchestra	520-882-8585
The Tucson Symphony Orchestra, now in its 81st season, serves Tucson and southern Arizona communities …

Tucson Art Museums

Company Name	Phone Number
'La Fiesta de los Vaqueros' Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum	520-591-9585
Museum features 150 horse-drawn vehicles from buggies to elaborate coaches, historic artifacts …
390th Memorial Museum Foundation	520-574-0287
The 390th Memorial Museum was established to honor the legacy of courage and sacrifice established …
Arizona Historical Society Museum Downtown	520-770-1473
Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. History in the Heart of Tucson exhibit.
Arizona Historical Society/Fort Lowell Museum	520-885-3832
The museum depicts life at a frontier Arizona army post. Long-term and changing exhibits. Special …
Arizona Historical Society/Sosa-Carrillo-Frémont House	520-622-0956
Features period furnishings, special seasonal exhibits. Wed.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Walking tours …
Arizona Historical Society–Tucson	520-628-5774
Long-term exhibits recounting Arizona's history from Spanish Colonial times through the 20th century. …
Arizona State Museum	520-621-6302
Experience the vibrant native cultures of Arizona and northern Mexico through exhibitions, educational …
Center for Creative Photography	520-621-7968
A world-class photography archive museum and research center offering changing exhibitions, a library, …
Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum, Ltd.	520-888-2222
6,000 sq. ft. containing toy train operating layouts and railroad memorabilia. Over 15 different …
International Wildlife Museum	520-629-0100
Featuring natural-history collections from around the world, hands-on exhibits, Wildlife Theater …
La Pilita Museum Gallery	520-882-7454
La Pilita is a small museum gallery located in Barrio Viejo next to the Wishing Shrine (El Tiradito) …
Pima County Sports Hall of Fame	520-296-3788
A museum for sports fans, covering 90 years of Arizona sports history, honoring world champions, …
Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum	877-234-4111
Depicts the life of singer, songwriter, movie star, TV star, rodeo personality, and The Voice of …
The Amerind Foundation	520-586-3666
Archaeological, ethnographic exhibits of Native American cultures. Museum, art gallery, museum …
The Jewish History Museum	520-670-9073
Built in 1910 as the historic first synagogue in the Arizona Territory, the Jewish History Museum …
The Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures	520-881-0606
This 15,560 square-foot state-of-the-art museum is the only museum of miniatures in the Southwest. …
The Postal History Foundation	520-623-6652
World-class collection of postal history artifacts and resources. Free tours include a unique 1800s …
The Southern Arizona Transportation Museum	520-623-2223
Steam locomotive, outdoor/indoor exhibits exploring the impact of the railroad on Tucson. Steam …
The University of Arizona Museum of Art	520-621-7567
Superb collections of American and European art that include old masters, important works of the …
Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block	520-624-2333
Blending the traditional with the inventive, the museum presents original and traveling exhibitions …

Tucson Galleries

Company Name	Phone Number
art by illene	520-747-7050
Local artist Illene Hurley welcomes you to her studio by appointment. You can watch her create …
Chris Bubany Studio	520-885-2960
Chris Bubany invites you to visit her working ceramics studio, where you will see artists at work …
Conrad Wilde Gallery	520-622-8997
Featuring contemporary paintings, sculpture, and works on paper emphasizing abstraction and innovation …
Davis Dominguez Gallery	520-629-9759
Don't miss Tucson’s favorite contemporary art destination! This big, beautiful gallery holds the …
DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun	800-545-2185
A National Historic District, this 10-acre foothills site was designed and built by acclaimed Arizona …
Gallery West	520-529-7002
An exquisite gallery in the foothills. Antique and new American Indian art, textiles, baskets, …
Madaras Gallery	520-615-3001
Best selection of local desert and Southwest scenes by well-known Tucson artist Diana Madaras. …
Obsidian Gallery	520-577-3598
Obsidian Gallery presents contemporary fine art and crafts to Tucson residents and visitors. Both …
Old Town Artisans/La Cocina Restaurant & Catering	800-782-8072
El Presidio Historic District is home to the little city block of Old Town Artisans. The 150-year-old …
Philabaum Glass Studio & Gallery	520-884-7404
Featuring a wide collection of contemporary glass art for the home or office, and a glassblowing …
Sara Spanjers' Casita de Arte	520-731-1620
Sara Spanjers' Casita de Arte awaits your visit. Located in the desert, where art has no limits …
The Downtown Art Gallery	520-907-3720
Large-scale oversized abstract original art paintings for your home or office. 14K gold, silver, …

Concerts

Tucson Convention Center
The Tucson Convention Center is the place for intimate jazz concerts, major headliners, full-blown Broadway productions and more.

Desert Diamond Casino
Desert Diamond brings in music headliners and other events.

Casino Del Sol
The AVA Ampitheater at Casino del Sol hosts top entertainers in a beautiful open-air venue.

The Rialto Theater
The historic Rialto hosts a broad array of performers and talent, including rock bands, jam bands, comedians, heavy metal, hip hop, film, jazz, flamenco, country, skiffle - you name it, we've hosted it. Except chamber music. That belongs in chambers only.

Tucson Jazz Society
Your source for Tucson's jazz scene. In our 28th season of promoting, presenting and preserving America's music through concerts and educational activities.

Search for Music in our Major Events Calendar >>

Search for Music in our Community Events Calendar >>

Public Art

There are literally hundreds of works of public art in every part of Tucson. Here's a list of the must-see works. For more information call the Tucson/Pima Arts Council at (520) 624-0595.

Exchange at the Presidio, by Clyde Ross Morgan, 1996

El Presidio Park. 255 W. Alameda.
This sculpture commemorates the first raising of the American Flag in Tucson in 1846 by the Mormon Battalion. It depicts the peaceful entry of the battalion into the small settlement and the exchange of goods with settlers at the Presidio.

Father Kino, by Julian Martinez, 1988
Northwest corner of Kino Blvd. & Winsett St.
This equestrian sculpture commemorates the role of the Jesuit priest, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, in the European colonization of Northern Mexico and Southern Arizona. Additional castings of this sculpture are on display in Kino's birthplace, Trento, Italy and Magdalena, Mexico, where he is buried.

Gila Monsters, by Robert Vint, Dan Wilhelm & Mike Wilhelm
Bridge on Irvington Rd. over the Santa Cruz River near Mission Rd.
Two larger-than-life Gila Monster lizards rise out of the bridge deck, their tails touching at the exact center of the bridge. The work is built of sprayed concrete and encrusted in a mosaic of broken ceramic tile.

Murals at El Rio Neighborhood Center,
by Antonio Pazos, David Tineo & Others, 1975-1997
1390 W. Speedway Blvd.
There are more murals at the El Rio Neighborhood Center than at any other location in Tucson. Rich in Mexican and Mexican-American images, several of the early murals celebrate the success of the community in getting the center built.

Pioneer Memorial, by Benjamino Bufano & Bernard Maybeck, 1920
200 S. 6th Ave.
This sculpture is the oldest work of public art in Tucson. The large marble bench was designed by a pioneer of modern architecture, Bernard Maybeck. Beniamino Bufano executed the relief in Classic Revival style.

Sonora, by David Bleck, 1991
Main Library Plaza. 101 N. Stone.
The large abstract red sculpture was commissioned in conjunction with the construction of the Main Library downtown. The painted steel structure was funded by the "percent for the art" program, which sets aside one percent of all city and county capital improvement projects for public art.

Diamondback Bridge, by Simon Donovan, 2003
East Broadway Blvd, West of Euclid Ave.
Also known as "The Snake Bridge," this controversial work is a functioning pedestrian bridge in the shape of a diamondback rattlesnake. 

Tucson Downtown Alliance
Central Tucson Gallery Association
Broadway in Tucson
Tucson Scene
Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association