By Natalia Serrano
Act One Culture Pass stand at PCC West Campus. Photo by Natalia Serrano.
As a Tucson native, I can say I have not experienced enough of the arts culture here in town. There are dozens of art and history museums in Tucson, and thanks to something offered at Pima, I was able to get out to the Tucson Museum of Art.
All PCC libraries offer what is called a Culture Pass. The Culture Pass is through an organization called Act One. Act One has been in operation since 2011, and was created because there was a need for more funding for field trips at Title 1 schools.
Their goal is to make sure Arizona schools and families get the experiences they deserve in their communities, primarily focusing on helping schools incorporate art experiences and field trips into their curriculum. Act One pays for transportation and provides educational materials that teachers can use to prepare the students for their arts experience.
These passes offer a unique opportunity to explore not only Tucson, but also places all across Arizona. I went to the library at Pima West and talked to Lupita, one of the library team members, more about the Culture Passes.
Pima Community College West Campus Library. Photo by Natalia Serrano.
To get one of the passes, all you need is your A number. Take the pass you want to check out to the circulation desk at the library. The pass then distributes a receipt and that is what you’d take as your tickets to the place you decide on. The receipt acts as two tickets for the place you decide on and they expire if not used after a week.
Lupita let me know that the culture passes do rotate, so if you see one you are interested in, it’s better to check it out sooner than later because you don’t know when you’ll see it again. I took this opportunity to check out the Tucson Museum of Art with my sister.
Tucson Museum of Art in Downtown Tucson. Photo by Natalia Serrano.
The museum rotates certain exhibitions, but they display a variety. Collections from the American West, Europe and Latin America. They display both contemporary and modern pieces. My personal favorite pieces were in the Raphael Collazo exhibition.
My favorite part about this was that I got to see some incredible art. It’s a nice walk indoors and with such a nice selection, one could easily spend hours in there. I truly would not have gone to the museum if not for the passes acquired and I will definitely check out more passes in the future.
Tucson Museum of Art gallery. Photo by Natalia Serrano.