Armory Center For The Arts

Armory  History:

The Armory Center for the Arts has been a leader in the field of art education since 1947 when it began as the education department of the Pasadena Art Museum. Classes were led by artists whose teaching concepts grew out of the museum's exhibitions of modern art.

When the museum closed in 1974, the education program became the Pasadena Art Workshops. With no space to present exhibitions, the Workshops' focus was on the continued involvement of professional artists as teachers and the development of arts programs which promoted alternative forms of learning. The Workshops brought the arts to new audiences by working in partnerships with schools, libraries, parks, neighborhood groups, community centers and city agencies.

In 1989, the name became the Armory Center for the Arts when the organization moved into the renovated National Guard Armory in Old Pasadena. The 20,000 square foot building, divided equally into studio art workshops and a gallery, provided the space for reintroduction of contemporary exhibitions and performances as an integral part of the Armory's programming. The unique floor plan encourages ideas to flow freely between exhibitions, classes, artists, teachers and students.

In 2002, the Armory completed a second renovation of the building interior. The architects for this $2.4 million renovation were Donna Vaccarino and Aleks Istanbullu. Vaccarino was also the architect on the original renovation 13 years earlier. With this renovation, new studio spaces for drawing and painting, digital arts, and photography were added, which created an additional 6,800 square feet for arts programming.

In 1989, the Armory had about 40,000 visits. After 2000, the number of visitors has increased to more than 60,000 per year. The Armory maintains its commitment to providing an accessible public space for the exhibition of contemporary art and experiences in art making.