The expanding arts scene in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Sedona translates into a host of options for groups.
“We’re the fifth-largest city in the country but have been a little behind most in arts and culture,” says Phil Jones, executive director of the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.
But in recent years, the active transformation of existing buildings into art spaces is helping the Phoenix-area art scene grow. Now there are 30 to 40 such art spaces, according to Jones.
In Scottsdale, a popular group-friendly art space is the Bentley Gallery (www.bentleygallery.com), available for receptions.
The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts (www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org) offers facility rentals in various capacities, such as the Virginia G. Piper Theater. Stage 2 is also available for lectures and meetings, while the 6,200-square-foot atrium is open for receptions.
Other top area options include Phoenix’s Heard Museum (www.heard.org), which houses the country’s largest collection of Native American art, and the Phoenix Museum of Art (www.phxart.org).
The Tempe Center for the Arts (www.tempe.gov), which presents everything from the Tempe Symphony Orchestra to the Tempe Ballet, features a 600-seat proscenium theater, a 200-seat studio theater and a 3,500-square-foot gallery.
Tempe is also home to Arizona State University’s Gammage (www.asugammage.com), a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed theater that seats 3,000 and serves as the premier theater house for the Phoenix metro area. Gammage has a deck that can be utilized by groups for cocktail receptions.
Mesa boasts the largest arts and entertainment center in the Southwest, the Mesa Arts Center (www.mesaartscenter.com). The center is launching the Corporate Discovery program, which is tailored for groups seeking an interactive, educational team-building experience in the visual arts. The center has 14 artist studios that can accommodate groups. The program can be completely customized based on the needs of the group, whether participants want to do a half-day of oil painting, ceramics, glassblowing, or welding. Arrangements with the center can be made for private instruction.
Sedona is home to more than 100 galleries and hundreds of artists. The Sedona Gallery Association (sedonagalleryasso ciation.com) will work with groups to host receptions as well as organize one-on-one contact with artists. Sedona also offers a First Friday gallery event, featuring live entertainment and artists on the premises.
The Sedona Art Center (www.sedonaartscenter.com) in uptown Sedona is focused on education but does cater to groups with specific art classes.
“One-day classes can be arranged—watercolors, oils and figure painting,” says Nancy Wilson, development director for the center. “We have artist workshops. There are a lot of options.”
The center, the oldest arts nonprofit in Northern Arizona, features workshops and exhibitions, and hosts the annual Sedona Plein Air Festival in the fall.
Meanwhile, the annual Sedona Arts Festival (www.sedonaartsfestival.org), held in October, features works by more than 150 nationally known artists and craftspeople.
