Field Trip: The Haute 5 Cultural Institutions in Phoenix

Whether you’re in search of entertainment, education, beauty, or answers in Phoenix, these Haute 5 cultural institutions have a little of each while affording you the opportunity to learn more about yourself, your city, and the world around us. Now get out there and explore.

Phoenix Art Museum

The most prominent institution in the Southwest dedicated to the visual arts, the Phoenix Art Museum houses more than 18,000 works in a range of collections, including American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary, and fashion design. In its current location since 1959, the 203,000-square-foot building offers everyday visitors the opportunity to see works by Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, and many others. A true place of tribute to all forms of art, the PAM also regularly hosts festivals, performances, screenings of independent art films, and conducts education programs open to the public.

The Phoenix Art Museum is located at 1625 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix (602) 257-2191

Phoenix Symphony Hall

Home to The Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, and Ballet Arizona, Phoenix Symphony Hall has been welcoming performers of all kinds since it opened in 1972. Today, more than 180 events are held annually at the hall, including performances by touring Broadways productions, instrumentalists and other nationally recognized entertainers. Thanks to this grand venue, Phoenicians can enjoy world-famous operas, ballets, and musical works in their very own city.

Phoenix Symphony Hall is located at 75 N. Second Street in Phoenix (602) 495-5048

Desert Botanical Garden

Created to celebrate and conserve the Southwest’s desert environment, the Desert Botanical Garden, located in Papago Park, is a unique outdoor “living museum,” showcasing countless plant species across its 50 acres. Dedicated to educating individuals of all ages about desert flora, the garden conducts research on rare and endangered plant life, as well as participates in environmental stewardship and educational programs. The DBG has also been known to combine other art forms with its efforts, having hosted Arizona Opera singers, musicians, dancers, and sculpted works throughout the garden.

The Desert Botanical Garden is located at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway in Phoenix (480) 941-1225

Burton Barr Central Library

Designed by architect Will Bruder with Wendell Burnette and the firm DWL Architects-Planners, the 280,000-square-foot Burton Barr Central Library is not only an institution of learning in Phoenix, but also a symbol of municipal progress and a city landmark. Housing more than 705,000 total items in its collection, the library features 151 computer with Internet access and all the traditional collections like fiction, non-fiction, and reference, plus audio-visual, international languages, large print, special needs, government documents, and ESL collections. Chase any and every curiosity you may have ever had right here at Burton Barr.

Burton Barr Central Library is located at 1221 N. Central Avenue in Phoenix (602) 262-4636

Arizona State University

Arizona State University comprises four campuses throughout the Phoenix area, with the main campus located in Tempe, and is touted as the largest public research university operated by a single entity in the entire U.S. Since its establishment in 1185, the educational atmosphere on campus has been drawing forward-thinking types from all over the world, and today, ASU claims its academic programs are among the best in the country, with its business, education, public affairs, design, and arts programs rated in the top 25 percent in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The university’s engineering programs were rated to be in the top 10 percent.

Arizona State University is located at University Drive and Mill Avenue in Tempe (480) 965-9011