Yuma Art Center
Art, Theatre, Music & Performing Arts
in Yuma, Arizona

Located in Historic Downtown Yuma Arizona, The Yuma Art Center is a great place to be creative, meet new people, enjoy live music and theater, get involved, relax, and experience the arts. The Yuma Art Center brings three levels of participation into the arts that quench the desire of residents and visitors alike to “Be a Part of the Arts”. Four museum galleries, a 1912 refurbished theatre, and art studio classrooms combine to create the commitment of what art means to this area of Arizona. The Center is an ideal facility to host meetings, wedding, special events and parties.

Three distinct architectural types comprise
the Yuma Art Center:

• Original theatre building built in 1912 and what you see today is the rebuild from 1936.

• The United Building that houses studios/ classrooms for local art groups and instructors is poured concrete dating back from the 1950’s.

• The Art Museum brings modern architecture to create 4 galleries for local and national exhibits.

Historic Yuma Theatre - The task at hand for the Yuma Art Center is to “…advance the arts by providing diverse opportunities for community participation and artistic growth.”  With the Historic Yuma Theatre, originally built in 1912 and having its life morphed by fires and other store front properties, owners, the Desmond Sisters rebuilt the theatre in 1936, with that same task in mind. The 1936 theatre had a 24 foot stage and 800 seats that entertained countless adults and children in the Yuma area with movies. Since 2004 the theatre has recaptured its grandeur and elegance providing stage space for local acting companies, dance studios and national touring performers with 640 seats and a 45 foot proscenium stage.

Classroom Studios - With our classroom studios we bring art, literature, music, and dance to children beginning with the first year of their life. Our instructors create a stimulating environment where a child and parent can interact on a level that develops motor skills, social skills and is exposed to colors, sounds and movement. Each age group is brought to a level of creative challenge that is fun and thought provoking with all aspects of what art is. Our adult classes offer brush-up in skills, such as painting, pottery and dance that might have been forgotten. With each class that old skill can be recaptured or learned as well as advanced levels to increase on those basic skills. One of our many focuses is to present new and current trends in art techniques such precious metal clay jewelry making and scrap booking techniques based on the 5 elements of design, keeping patrons aware of the ever changing world of artistic endeavors.  

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