Welcome to Spanish Art Center

Established in 1936, Spanish Village Art Center, in Balboa Park, is San Diego’s premiere artist collective. Located in historic Spanish Village, between the NAT and the Zoo, we are a community of working local artists creating art…year round…right before your eyes!

While our location and architecture are distinctly old-world, our art is not. Most noteworthy is that Spanish Village Art Center boasts over 200 living, contemporary artists from diverse backgrounds, experiences and art forms with patrons worldwide.  Independently juried and award-winning painters, sculptors, metalsmiths, jewelry designers, clay, gourd, fiber, mixed media, glass, enamel, leather and digital artists along with photographers, printmakers and many more will be creating art in the Village on any given day!

Above all, our mission is to share our passion for art along with our personal creative journeys. Therefore we welcome you into our studios to observe artists at work and invite you to ask questions. Some artists will even encourage you to handle and enjoy their work. Art pieces large and small are available for purchase every day.

Our studios are open to the general public, free of charge, 7 days a week from 11am to 4pm.  Any artist who is a San Diego County resident has the opportunity to become a member of this celebrated artist collective. Find more information about this on our membership page.

Built in 1935 for the second California Exposition, Spanish Village depicted a quaint town complete with restaurants, shops, cantinas, and an open courtyard. Many structures built for this Exposition were to be temporary. Consequently in 1936, after the event drew to a close, some exhibits were slated for demolition. At that time, a group of visionary local artists approached the city with a proposal to convert the buildings in Spanish Village into working art studios. In exchange, the artists agreed to provide community outreach both to other local artists and the general public. As a result, local artists have an affordable place to work, show and sell in a creative environment. In addition, the artists of Spanish Village Art Center open their studio doors to the public…offering them the rare opportunity to watch the artists at work.

The Village has remained open to the public for nearly 80 years, closing only for a short time during World War II when the military occupied much of Balboa Park. Over the years thousands of dedicated artists have been members of this artist collective. While cosmetic changes have been made to the Village…adding beautiful trees and flowers, brightly colored doorways and the signature painted patio tiles…Spanish Village Art Center’s mission remains the same. We invite you, the public, into our studios to watch artists at work and we continue to welcome new artists to join us. So come visit us and share our passion for art! We are open 7 days a week, 11am to 4pm, free of charge.