For nearly 65 years, the nonprofit Tubac Center of the Arts has been fostering and supporting robust artistic expression within their community.

Tubac, located about 45 miles southeast of Tucson, became well known as an art colony between the 1930s and 1960s. The Tubac Center for the Arts was formed in 1961, on the heels of that recognition, and has grown to more than 3,500-square-feet of creativity that houses three galleries.

This fall, TCA was one of 18 nonprofits awarded a grant from the Santa Cruz County Community Foundation, with TCA planning to use the funding to continue its mission of sustaining and encouraging local art from both established and developing artists in the community. 

Guests come from all around the nation and beyond to visit the center, with its art not limited to indoor exhibits.

The experience starts outside of the building in the center's sculpture garden, which includes a pack of  javelina spread throughout the exhibit as part of a community-wide plan developed by local artists Virginia Hall and Nicholas Wilson to bring more art to the area.

As part of the initiative, 50 javelina sculptures were brought to Tubac and distributed to local artists to paint, decorate and add their own creative touch.

The Main Gallery, also known as the Smith’s Gallery, includes a stage and a donated piano. The room functions as both an exhibit space and a place to hold performances and lecture series. 

“When we do that we have to change this into theater style or we have bistro tables with chairs,” executive director Karin Topping told Tucson Spotlight during a recent visit to the center.. “They are surrounded by art and they have music or a play going on and they can see all the art at the same time. It works.”

The Master Gallery currently displays an exhibit of Albert Kogel titled “Shards.” The exhibit features three-dimensional artwork lining the walls, the pieces intense and colorful, and seeming to jump out of the wall as people pass.

The gallery was built in 2012 as a space to display historical and contemporary artist's work, showcasing the connection of the works to the rich history of Tubac.

“In this gallery we want to show solo shows of really interesting and well-known artists that people will want to see more than once,” Topping said. “We call them master artists because they are people who have lived and worked in Tubac.”

The center’s third and final gallery, the Studio Gallery, is a shared space that contains a library, meeting room, and workshops. This area fills three different gallery spaces with a year-round rotating schedule of works by professional artists and art produced by local high school students in TCA’s annual Hi-Art exhibit each May.

This program allows students the opportunity to gain professional art experience. Those selected this year will be presented live at TCA’s opening on Friday, April 18. 

“They're doing art that speaks for them, it is a way for them to express themselves,” said office manager Sarah Vickery. “It is interesting to see what they come up with. I’m the lucky one that gets to meet with the kids and go to the schools so it’s a lot of fun.”

TCA is working on expanding its library collection by developing an online catalog, with the initiative aiming to make borrowing books easier and more convenient for the community.

“So far I have cataloged over 880 books and I think I have maybe 150 to 200 to go,” said TCA volunteer Ray, who has been working on the catalog since last January. “I’m a retired librarian but library work gives me joy from cat logging to reference work and I’ve done all of that in the last 33 years.”

McKenna Manzo is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at mckennamanzo@arizona.edu.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please support our work with a paid subscription.