Phoenix Center for the Arts expanded its existing partnership with the city of Phoenix to open a new location, the Thunderbird Arts Center, in northeast Phoenix.
Lauren Henschen, deputy director of Phoenix Center for the Arts, said the idea for the newest location, which will host its grand opening on Saturday, came from the need to serve more of the Phoenix community. The Thunderbird Arts Center will serve as the first facility in the area to have an all arts-based focus and will host various classes, including painting, mosaic, glass and teen and youth art, Henschen said.
“Convenience is a huge benefit,” said Chi Isiogu, an instructor for both the downtown and northeast arts centers. “For students who love our programming but have trouble getting downtown, it is a whole new opportunity.”
Henschen said an increased number of student sign-ups for classes at the downtown Phoenix facility resulted in a need for more classrooms. Cynthia Brown, acting deputy director for the city of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Northeast Division, said the Thunderbird Arts Center serves as an extension to Phoenix Center for the Arts by expanding the resources for a “very special need” in the northern Phoenix community that was previously unavailable.
“We do not have the resources, and that is why the partnership is so important,” Brown said. “We will now have art classes in a socioeconomically disadvantaged community, so it is kind of special.”
Class fees and facility rentals at the original arts center served as resources for the additional location. The arts center also received a grant from Cox Communications to create a computer lab at Thunderbird Arts Center that will offer new digital art classes and serve as a computer lab for teenagers after school, Henschen said.
“Our tuition prices are the lowest I have seen in the valley, and there are high-quality instructors teaching small classes, so I see us being able to make a big difference in this community,” Isiogu said.
Writing and photography classes taught in Spanish will also be provided at the Thunderbird Arts Center.
“It’s sort of a way to serve different communities,” Henschen said.
The new location will feature summer camps with shorter sessions than the camps hosted at the downtown center. One-week programs will be provided to fit the needs of families with busier summer schedules, Henschen said.
Henschen noted the camps at the Thunderbird Arts Center will stand out in comparison to other arts camps because they will provide both visual and performing arts sessions.
“Our camps have a little bit of everything,” Henschen said. “The kids get to dance, sing and do ceramics.”
Brown said the partnership with the center is a good fit for the city.
“We are focused on offering programs for youths, teens and adults, and [Phoenix Center for the Arts] have a similar mission,” Brown said.
Henschen said the new center hosted “test” classes to ensure the programs were ready for the official opening on May 2.
“The best part of being a teaching artist is the opportunity to be inspired by your students, and I have already benefited from that in the few test classes I have taught here,” Isiogu said.
Contact the reporter at jmagtiba@asu.edu.
