With artists and galleries galore, the southern Arizona town of Tubac is a true art destination

KINETIC SCULPTURES BY MARK WHITE OUTSIDE OF SHELBY’S BISTRO

Beneath the Santa Rita Mountains in southern Arizona, just 20 miles from the Mexican border, there’s a little town with no traffic lights, no chain stores or fast-food restaurants, not even a Starbucks. What you will find in Tubac are more than 30 upscale art galleries lining the streets of its picturesque “downtown.” From its beginnings as an artists’ colony in the 1940s, Tubac has grown into a fine-art destination, a hidden gem that many consider one of the best-kept secrets in Arizona.

It was in the years after World War II that artist Dale Nichols discovered the sleepy little town. He was drawn by the scenic beauty of the high desert, the quality of light, and the quaint charm of the historic village. Nichols moved to Tubac in 1948 and started an art school. The school lasted only a year, but many of the artists who came to town decided to stay, setting up studios and selling their work directly to those who wandered in from the dusty streets.

Today Tubac (population 1,500) remains an artists’ community, though many of the working studios have been replaced by a galaxy of galleries and shops. Local artist Tom Hill, a watercolorist who is a member the “Tucson Seven” group of artists, and his wife, Barbara Hill, known for her oil paintings of animals and desert scenes, are both represented by Karin Newby Gallery, one of the oldest galleries in town. Reached by a small footbridge over an arroyo, the gallery carries an impressive roster of artists—sculptors such as Bill Worrell, Rebecca Tobey, and Star Liana York and painters Andrzej Skorut, Gabor Svagrik, and Louisa McElwain, among many others.     

“We ship artwork all over the country, but I’d say 50 percent of our clientele is from Arizona,” says owner Kim Roseman, who purchased the gallery five years ago. “There are a lot of snowbirds who winter in Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tucson, and many of them come down every few weeks to see what’s new.” A straight shot down Interstate 19, Tubac is just 40 miles south of Tucson. “It’s a perfect day trip,” says Roseman.

NATIVE AMERICAN PORTRAITS BY MICHELLE MARIE, A FEATURED ARTIST THIS MONTH AT MANOS GALLERY

But spending only a day in Tubac would be skimping a bit. In addition to the galleries and shops, there’s Tubac Presidio State Historic Park plus hiking, biking, world-class birding, and 27 holes of golf at Tubac Golf Resort & Spa. The best strategy for a first-time visit to Tubac is to simply park the car and wander. More than 100 independent businesses are tucked into the eight-block downtown, a hamlet of Spanish Colonial and adobe architecture. Stores overflow with an incredible selection of crafts and goods. Galleries offer an equally broad selection, from modern art at Renee Taylor Gallery to American Indian art at Red Willow Gallery to an eclectic mix of contemporary paintings, ceramics, art glass, and jewelry at Cobalt Fine Arts Gallery.

A number of the galleries’ owners are artists themselves. C.K. Wearden, owner of The Red Door Gallery, paints stylized portraits of Native Americans. Esther Rogoway’s abstracted paintings of women and horses share space with the work of 24 other painters and sculptors at Rogoway’s Turquoise Tortoise, which over the past two decades has grown from 400 to 3,000 square feet. Roy Purcell, known for his Southwestern landscapes and historic western series, runs Purcell Galleries of Fine Art. A professional artist his entire working life, 71-year-old Purcell lived and worked in Las Vegas for more than 40 years. When he decided Vegas was no longer a good fit, he hired an international art consultant to find the next best place. She researched art towns throughout California and the Southwest and recommended Tubac, predicting it to be the next Carmel.

Big Horn Galleries opened its Tubac location five years ago after 25 years in business in Cody, WY. “Cody has very little walk-in traffic in the winter, so opening a second gallery here allows us to stay busy all year,” says gallery director Kelly Jones. Big Horn carries 60 western painters and sculptors, including nationally known artists Donna Howell-Sickles, Larry Pirnie, Buckeye Blake, Fritz White, Deborah Copenhaver-Fellows, Mehl Lawson, and Gerald Balciar and regional artists Darcie Peet and Richard Iams.

“There’s a tremendous amount of growth in the Santa Cruz Valley, and we saw Tubac as an emerging opportunity,” Jones continues. With year-round sunshine and a casual lifestyle, the area is attracting baby boomers retiring to Arizona or building second homes here. New construction is evident, yet wide-open spaces prevail. “There’s a real western feel to Tubac,” says Jones.

Next door to Big Horn is the studio and gallery where legendary Arizona artist Hal Empie worked from 1984 until his death in 2002 at the age of 93. His paintings and cartoons graced the pages of Arizona Highways magazine for years, and his work remains in demand. Empie’s daughter, Ann Groves, runs the gallery as well as the gift shop next door, appropriately named The Artist’s Daughter.

When you’re ready for a break from gallery hopping, take some time to delve into the town’s fascinating past. The oldest European settlement in Arizona, Tubac dates from 1752, when the Spanish built a presidio here to protect missions from Indian uprisings. Ruins of the old fort are visible through the glass walls of an underground archeological dig in Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. From the park’s trailhead, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail winds along the cottonwood-shaded banks of the Santa Cruz River, following the route that de Anza took in 1775 as he led 240 men, women, and children west from Tubac to the Pacific Coast to claim and colonize San Francisco.

Just north of town is Tubac Golf Resort & Spa, carved from the vast Otero Ranch, the first Spanish land grant in Arizona. In 1959 a portion of the ranch was developed into the resort; Bing Crosby chaired the board of directors, and soon Hollywood stars were sinking putts on the Red Lawrence-designed course. Today there are three nine-hole courses, fairway homes, luxury guest accommodations, three restaurants, and the spa, which opened last fall.      

“Where Art & History Meet” is Tubac’s tagline, writ large on the welcome sign at the entrance to town. The chamber of commerce sponsors the Festival of the Arts each February [see sidebar] as well as several art walks. The art season generally runs from October to May, but don’t let that dissuade you from visiting any time of the year; at 3,200 feet above sea level, Tubac is generally 5 to 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix. And away from city lights, the night sky shines with a million stars.

“It’s a mystical place,” says local artist Michelle Marie. “I was drawn by the spirituality of the area.” It’s a sentiment shared by many here. Ask artists and gallerists what brought them to Tubac, and their answers are unfailingly similar: the beauty of the desert, the small-town friendliness, the relaxed pace.

“It’s peaceful here,” says Mary Helen Watson, owner of Manos Gallery. Watson moved from Tucson 20 years ago. She worked at numerous galleries in Tubac and also as education director for the Tubac Center of the Arts, a visual and performing arts facility. Two years ago she opened her own gallery and says she is living her dream. “It’s almost like being on vacation every day,” she says. “People are happy to be here.” And that holds for locals and visitors alike.