Maricopa Arts and Culture

Maricopa County's cultural makeup is woven from the strands of many societies, including Native American, Hispanic, Asian, and African American, giving way to a vibrant and diverse arts scene. The area's natural beauty has fostered the celebration of art for centuries, from the expression of ancient O'odham petroglyphs to the outstanding contributions of today's performing and visual artists. In recent years the economic prosperity and booming population of Phoenix have injected new livelihood and culture into an already inspiring place, turning the city's metro area into a world class arts center. Maricopa County's unique variety of museums, art galleries, and entertainment venues is the widest in the Southwest, and its historic architecture is a testament to the area's Mexican and Spanish Colonial heritage.

For a spirited introduction to the local arts community, Phoenix offers its Artlink First Fridays, which transform its two main art districts into open houses. As the name implies, on the first Friday of every month downtown galleries and studios offer informal tours open to anyone. A range of live music and entertainment acts accompany First Fridays, so you can enjoy a few different types of art at once. The monthly event centers around galleries on Roosevelt Street, Jackson Street, and Grand Avenue, and usually runs from 6pm to 10pm, with shuttles available for pedestrians. Galleries taking part in First Fridays include Modified Arts, Thought Crime, ICON Studio, Cob4lt Blu3, and many others.

Maricopa County's many live performance venues feature everything from local theatre to world famous touring bands, with a wide range of facilities to suit any event. Some of the city's best venues include Great Arizona Puppet Theatre, established in 1983, America West Arena, home of the Phoenix Suns and many large-scale concerts, Gammage Memorial Auditorium, an acoustically perfect hall and one of Frank Lloyd Wright's last designs, and Mesa Arts Center, a new dramatic arts complex.

Phoenix Artlink