Tubac, Arizona

WHERE ART AND HISTORY MEET!

As Arizona’s first European settlement, the village of Tubac, Arizona has seen its share of history and change. First settled in 1752 when Spanish soldiers built a presidio here, five flags have flown over the community. Tubac has been home to Native American peoples, Spanish Colonialists, has been part of the New Mexico Territory, a Mexican community and an Arizona Territory.

Today, art and history are juxtaposed amid the stunning beauty in Santa Cruz County. After years of conflict over the land, the town had virtually vanished. In the 1940s, the late painter Dale Nichols visualized an art colony and started a school in 1948. Fascinated with the seclusion and simplicity in the desert landscapes, Nichols painted in a Tubac studio for six years.

View the Tubac Map

Tubac has grown and changed significantly since 1948, and notable artists such as (the late)Hal Empie, Hugh Cabot, Nicholas Wilson and Michael Gibbons have made Tubac their home. Dozens of painters, potters & sculptors are among the many artists who make their home in the village and they produce works in every medium. Works by internationally known artists fill the galleries and bring national acclaim to the area.

EVENTS IN TUBAC

Each year a host of colorful festivals and events bring thousands of visitors to Tubac. The first of these is the annual Tubac Festival of the Arts. Here, craftpersons and artists from around the country descend on Tubac for a celebration of the diversity of the arts. For more than 40 years the festival has drawn visitors to the village.

March brings the annual Tubac Art Walk, an artistic tour through the art galleries and working studios of Tubac. Some of the artists demonstrate their craft, creating works from a dab of paint or a pile of clay.

Fall’s Anza Days commemorates the historic travels of Juan Bautista de Anza, the area’s leader in the 1700s who led an expedition to find an overland route to the San Francisco Bay area. Each year, participants dress in period costume and re-create the start of Anza’s 1,200-mile journey. A local scholar leads the reenactment on horseback. Beginning at nearby Tumacacori National Historic Park, trekkers hike four and a half miles along the Santa Cruz River to the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. Games for children and a re-created Spanish Colonial village are among the highlights of the weekend.

Year-round at the park, a museum, underground archaeology displays and living history demonstrations invite the public to learn about Tubac’s rich tapestry of history. The award-winning group, Los Tubaqueños perform on weekends, giving visitors a sense of what life was like in the days as a rustic Spanish settlement. It was at the presidio that conflicts of the Old West raged and soldiers protected the area.

In the fall, Tubac: An Art Experience brings art up close and personal to the village. During this November event, artists create works right before visitors’ eyes throughout the weekend that celebrates the artistic process. Local musicians entertain guests while artists provide demonstrations of their works that capture their imagination.