The Shemer Art Center & Museum, located in the beautiful Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix, is currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary. But even though it is a City of Phoenix Point of Pride and was currently named “One of the 10 Best Museums in Phoenix” by USA Today, it is still one of the city’s best kept secrets.
Built in 1919, the Shemer Art Center was the very first home in Arcadia. Originally built for the foreman of the Arcadia Water Company, it was renovated twice more over the years as it next became the residence of a Kansas City banker and then the summer home of the Suhr Family from Oil City, Pa. In 1984 it was purchased by Martha Evvard Shemer, who donated it to the City of Phoenix not only to preserve the historic property but to also ensure it was used as an art education facility and community center for residents. In 1992 it was selected as one of the original 25 City of Phoenix Points of Pride, and today is one of the city’s 13 successful public/private partnerships.
According to Jocelyn Hanson, executive director of the Shemer Art Center, it continues to fulfill its mission to serve as a ‘home for the arts” for all residents and visitors to Phoenix, thanks to the work of its board plus the involvement of many Arizona artists, especially one in particular who stepped up to help benefit the Shemer during its anniversary.
“We were so fortunate to be approached by Arizona artist Agustin Vargas, who offered to create a special set of high-quality, giclée images for our 30th Anniversary, featuring five iconic sites he chose throughout Phoenix,” said Hanson. “In addition to the five original works of art he created, which include the Shemer Art Center, the Orpheum Theatre, Brophy Chapel, the Westward Ho and the Luhrs Tower, Vargas has compiled a limited number of beautiful portfolios for the Shemer Art Center to offer to its new Friends of Martha Legacy Club donors, which contains a print of each of the five images on archival paper, which he has personally signed,” she said. “These portfolios are limited to the first 30 donors at this new $3,000 level. They are stunning and would be beautiful hung as a set in any home, restaurant or office building.”
As an artist and architect, Vargas has a fascination with almost all art techniques, including watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, and printmaking, and ancient techniques such as egg tempera, silver point and gold leaf are found in his work. His artwork is currently featured in numerous private and corporate collections in the United States, Mexico and Italy. He has taught at both the University of Mexico and the University of Juarez Chihauhua State, Mexico. Agustin has instructed students privately in his Artery studio since 1985, and as a dedicated instructor, shares his knowledge of technique and composition with students at both the Shemer Art Center and Mesa Arts Center.
Today the Shemer Art Center has become a cultural center for all ages. It provides a unique and inviting atmosphere for residents and visitors to enjoy, promote and learn about visual art, through classes, exhibitions and outreach programs. The range of exhibitions shown at Shemer Art Center is diverse and includes traditional and non-traditional works by Arizona artists. It is also a museum, featuring temporary exhibitions as well as a permanent collection. Fun and affordable visual art classes are offered year-round by professional teaching artists. Areas of instruction include drawing, painting, print making, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, photography, metals and jewelry-making. A gift shop offers a variety of unique pieces produced by Arizona artists, and the sculpture garden on the beautiful grounds of the Shemer Art Center features large-scale outdoor works of art produced by some of Arizona’s premier sculptures.
