Jerome Art Center — Attraction in Jerome

POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 500 REVIEWS I HAVE EVER FOUND IT APPROPRIATE TO POST A WARNING OF ANY SORT:

I visited the Jerome Arts Center on June 20th, 2023. The building was pretty much empty with regard to other artists and patrons, but I did Encounter an older man with a ponytail. I am guessing he lived or worked there. I did not solicit any advice and tried to explain that I was not interested in the art he was showing me outside one of the rooms. (I collect optic-kinetic only.) With no known provocation, he then threatened twice to physically assault me and ordered me out of the building. He repeatedly used both vulgar and otherwise offensive language. I remained calm throughout and focused upon descalation techniques I had learned during my career. If I had reacted, this likely would have become a very dangerous situation.

During my visit, there were no office or Open Studios I could find. If this facility is otherwise closed to the public during the week, if there are tenants predisposed to this kind of aggressive behavior and/or if the Center cannot assure visitor safety, they should consider keeping the main doors locked.

I have not, as yet, reported this to the Jerome police, but I could have. In any case, I will never return. I warn other tourists about possible risks associated with visiting at any time other than what I later heard are regularly scheduled once-a-month Saturday openings. Perhaps Disregard the art signs outside at any time other than officially announced viewings.

Finally, if anyone reading this review feels he or she has been the victim of intimidation or an assault at the Jerome Arts Center, feel free to reach out to me via Facebook. I will be happy to support your position in any reasonable complaint that is filed with the Jerome Police Department or the State of Arizona.

(See also Sharon Carpenter and Don Rubens'...

You need to stop at this location if you're a fan of old buildings and vergioning art scenes. This is not the polished stores you'll find along the center of town, which IS the reason why you need to go!

You can walk the grounds of the old Williams school. It is an astonishing large campus for such a small town. The buildings are raw and true to their design for that era.

The restrooms are male or female, so you can walk in, not knowing what you'll find. We found empty bathrooms that day!!

The old school doors with the room numbers and/or labels beckoned you back to what it must have been like for the students in the 1960 and 1970s. Pictures of the different classes adorn the walls as you step back in time with the styles and trends of that year.

Signage NEEDS to be better to get people to stop because this is outside the main town area, and it took us a handful of visits before we decided to turn into this fenced parking lot. I'm...

Old high-school smells, old lockers. Great place to stop on the way in or out of town. My favorite place is the Art studio in building B. She has very interesting art. Her studio is very clean and cozy. I recommend going to see her art in town first to get a better idea...