Tempe Center for the Arts
Encyclopedia
Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA), completed in August, 2007, with a grand opening on September 9, 2007, is a publicly owned performing and visual arts center in Tempe, Arizona
.
of Los Angeles and Architekton of Tempe. A citizens group, formed in 1998, spearheaded a ballot initiative to create an arts center. The resulting increase in the sales tax of .1% was used to fund seed money for the management, design, and construction of the facility.
A management firm (Kitchell CEM) was selected by the city government to oversee a three-phase design competition, leading to the selection of the design team in 2000. Following public input, the design was completed in 2003. Construction began in April 2004 and took 40 months.
The Center features a roof made of complex geometric folded plates. The roof is highly visible from the surrounding freeways and the man-made Tempe Town Lake
, which occupies the natural watercourse of the Salt River
, immediately adjacent to the site. It is also visible by many airplanes landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
, two miles west of the building.
The project is home to Tempe’s Homegrown Cultural and Arts Groups:
Four public art pieces were included in the design:
The Center includes the Gallery at TCA, a visual arts gallery featuring free exhibits of two- and three-dimensional artwork by local and internationally-recognized artists.
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
.
About
The building was designed by Barton Myers AssociatesBarton Myers
Barton Myers, FAIA is an American and Canadian architect and president of Barton Myers Associates, Inc. in Los Angeles, California....
of Los Angeles and Architekton of Tempe. A citizens group, formed in 1998, spearheaded a ballot initiative to create an arts center. The resulting increase in the sales tax of .1% was used to fund seed money for the management, design, and construction of the facility.
A management firm (Kitchell CEM) was selected by the city government to oversee a three-phase design competition, leading to the selection of the design team in 2000. Following public input, the design was completed in 2003. Construction began in April 2004 and took 40 months.
The Center features a roof made of complex geometric folded plates. The roof is highly visible from the surrounding freeways and the man-made Tempe Town Lake
Tempe Town Lake
Tempe Town Lake is a reservoir that occupies a portion of the currently dry riverbed of the Salt River as it passes through the city of Tempe, Arizona just north of Tempe Butte....
, which occupies the natural watercourse of the Salt River
Salt River (Arizona)
The Salt River is a stream in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the largest tributary of the Gila River. The river is about long. Its drainage basin is about large. The longest of the Salt River's many tributaries is the Verde River...
, immediately adjacent to the site. It is also visible by many airplanes landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States...
, two miles west of the building.
The project is home to Tempe’s Homegrown Cultural and Arts Groups:
- Theater companies - Childsplay
- Dance companies - A Ludwig Dance Theatre, ConderDance, and Desert Dance Theater
- Music ensembles - Tempe Symphony Orchestra, Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Arizona Wind Symphony, Tempe Community Chorus
Four public art pieces were included in the design:
- Entry Marquee – Ned Kahn
- Fireplace– trueNorth - Mayme Kratz and Mark Ryan
- Fountain Reflections – Ned Kahn
- Lobby Carpet – Ramona Saskiestewa
- Aurora - Brower Hatcher
The Center includes the Gallery at TCA, a visual arts gallery featuring free exhibits of two- and three-dimensional artwork by local and internationally-recognized artists.