Professional Membership

Featured Member

From the 2003 Project entitled Espiral

For the past six years, West Valley Arts Council (WVAC) and Estrella Mountain Community College have been partnering to produce WVAC’s signature arts employment program, Gallery 37. Working together, these organizations are providing a six week program led by master artists, teaching 15–18 year old students how to design, develop, and install a permanent piece of public art for display in the West Valley.

Estrella Mountain Community College began by providing space for the program, but has expanded its involvement by providing instructors for job training and digital photography, supporting a portion of the lead artist’s salary, and providing up to five free credits for student “apprentices” in the program. The goals for this project were to first create a high quality project that allowed the students to receive as much hands-on experience with input and creation as possible. The second goal was to create a college experience for students, especially low-income students who may not have viewed college as an option. Since 2001, more than 100 students have participated in Gallery 37.

West Valley Arts Council and Estrella Mountain Community College are now in talks to partner on the construction of a brand new performing arts facility in the West Valley. The idea of the new facility has been well received in the arts community, and they hope it will bring retail and restaurant opportunities to the area as well.