Arizona's Must-Visit Hotspots if You Love the Arts

Whether you’re looking for a museum to visit or a performance to attend, Arizona is chalked full of opportunities to expand your love of the arts. In fact, fairly recently, Phoenix (and its suburbs) has even been dubbed an art hub. And whether it’s street, southwestern, or performance art, there are a number of great places to get your art fix and see the latest that Arizona’s creative minds have come up with.

As more and more artists begin to call Arizona home, the art scene continues to evolve, change, and grow. Luckily, there are a number of wonderful spots where you can see the results of their creative minds in action.

Old Town Scottsdale

While Old Town is largely known for its nightlife, restaurants, and shopping, it’s also on the map for its art scene (specifically, southwestern art). In fact, a walk through Old Town usually means running into a number of different galleries, housing everything from jewelry to paintings to sculptures. You can even find shops that specifically cater to clientele interested in sports or hollywood memorabilia.

Phoenix Art Museum

Ah, the Phoenix Art Museum. This staple offers an incredible selection of sculptures, paintings, photographs, and yes, even tiny miniature houses. A visit to the art museum should also include a walk through Yayoi Kusama’s firefly installation, entitled “You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies.” The museum is an anchor for the Phoenix art scene, and hosts lectures, movies, fashion exhibits, and previously, even culinary events.

Herberger Museum

The Herberger Museum was designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and the building certainly counts as a beautiful work of art in and of itself. The museum is dedicated to advancing Native American art, and showcases both traditional and contemporary art. As one of Phoenix’s first attractions in the culture realm, its since become internationally recognized for its festivals, exhibits, and art education.

Arizona Opera

When it comes to performance art, the Arizona Opera is certainly a Valley option that’s not to be missed. The company offers a variety of beautiful works every season, and since its inception in 1971, and has successfully staged well over 200 operas and concerts. Performing in both Phoenix and Tucson, the opera group has staged performances like Carmen, The Barber of Seville, La Bohème, and more.

Arizona Ballet

If you’re looking for a beautiful dance performance, look not further than the Arizona Ballet. Performing at both the historic Orpheum theater, as well as Phoenix Symphony Hall, the company has about 30 dancers who are under the direction of Ib Andresen, former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet. While the Arizona Ballet is certainly known for their performance of The Nutcracker every year, the company has also done many other beautiful performances, including Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Swan Lake.

Roosevelt Row

Roosevelt Row is known as the walkable art district of downtown Phoenix. Not only does it have amazing dining options and boutiques, it’s also home to some amazing, vibrant street art installations, as well as a number of galleries. Even cooler? Roosevelt Row is the location of the First Fridays Art Walk. The monthly event includes open doors at the Row’s galleries, a vast number of booths where artists can sell everything from jewelry to paintings, musical acts, and delicious food options.

The Arizona art scene is continually getting bigger and bigger, encompassing a wide variety of venues, artists, and mediums. With ballet, musical performances, sculptures, paintings, street art, and so much more, the art scene has an incredible array of things to offer anyone who’s even remotely interested in learning more. Making Arizona a standout go-to for both artists and art lovers alike.