Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture

“Tubac is a Destination you don’t want to miss" Condé Nast Traveler

Join the Celebration of Tubac’s Art, History, and Culture

 

Tubac is a small place with an incredible amount of nature and history. The little pueblo has died and come back to life many times, and each time it has come back as something completely different. Tubac has gone from an O’odham village to a Spanish fort, to a Mexican settlement, to a mining community and now proudly hosts world class artists. 

Artists say Tubac’s location in the world’s ecosystem is embellished with “good light.” This good light provides a stimulating environment for an artist to express their creativity and talent. Art in Tubac consists of every medium available to an artist – oil, watercolors, charcoal, glass, ceramics, metal, and wood. Old Native American jewelry abounds in the various galleries and shops, as do extraordinary new modern designs.  Galleries display the works of artists from all over America as well as local established and emerging artist.

The Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum is the site of the first Spanish settlement and fort in Arizona. This wonderful park, Arizona’s first state park, holds artifacts, structures and ruins showcasing 2,000 years of Arizona history. The museum is considered to be a must see for tourists, with a history museum, a transportation museum and exhibits discussing the important history of the Santa Cruz Valley. 

Tumacácori National Historical Park, located 3 miles south of Tubac, protects the ruins of three missions founded during the Spanish colonial era. The park preserves and tells the stories of these Spanish missions and their influence on the American Indian communities of the Pimería Álta and on the continuing culture of the American Southwest. The visitor center offers a 15-minute video, an excellent museum, and a bookstore. 

The Tubac Center of the Arts, TCA is a member–supported nonprofit organization with multiple galleries, a lecture and performing arts series, a gift shop representing local and regional artists, youth programs, and adult art workshops at the Tubac School of Fine Art, the adult education division of TCA.

The center is open to the public and admission is always FREE. You’ll see and learn about the roots of Tubac’s artistic community and enjoy the permanent collection of Tubac’s Master Artists, those who embodied the spirit and practice of Tubac’s tagline, “Where Art & History Meet.”

TCA offers opportunities for artists to participate in gallery exhibitions and sell their work. Special events such as the annual home tour and open studio tour attract visitors from across the country. Tubac Center of the Arts is the artistic gem of the Southwest. Plan your visit today!

The Tubac School of Fine Art hosts the adult education division of the Tubac Center of the Arts. From October through May, the school offers art workshops with professional artists in a variety of media and skill level. The school is located in Old Town Tubac at the El Presiditio near St. Ann’s Church and the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum.

El Presidito is a historic site with its distinctive architecture and alluring patios. Built in the 1950s, it once served as a residence, post office, and restaurant before eventually becoming a haven for painters, sculptors, and other artists.  This historic building is the home to the Tubac School of Fine Art and is a working artist studio.