Sylvia Armstrong, president of the PebbleCreek Art Club, stands with a portrait of Bill Cupit, one of the founders of the club in 1993.
Emily Grotta
Thirty years ago, when PebbleCreek was just beginning, two persistent residents of the new community attended every HOA meeting to ask a single question: “When will the promised Arts and Crafts Center be built?”
“Not sure,” the board told Dee Smart and Bill Cupit. Not to be deterred, in 1993 they established the PebbleCreek Art Club and, finding the new Tennis Center was available, they offered free classes for any resident: Dee teaching watercolors; Bill drawing and colored pencil.
Dee remembers the Art Club was the very first PebbleCreek Club, and this April the club is celebrating its 30th anniversary by honoring past presidents, whose work will be displayed in the Creative Arts Center, and hosting a party for members and guests.
With continued growth, the club soon outgrew the Tennis Center and moved to the unfinished kitchen in the Eagle’s Nest Clubhouse. Fred Alves, John Balogh, Dottie Mitchell, Shirley Smith, and other residents joined in teaching classes. Soon professional artists in the West Valley were coming to PebbleCreek to teach free classes, eager to help the fledgling Art Club become established.
Bill Cupit tirelessly worked to create space for artists in PebbleCreek. He chaired the Creative Arts Committee, and actively championed for the Eagle’s Nest Creative Arts Center (now housing the Activities Center and HOA offices), which opened in 1996, giving the club its first home. It was soon joined by the Woodcarving, Sculpture, and Lapidary clubs. Most important, Bill was one of the kindest, most giving people, who always was available to help others with any facet of their art, said Linda Strauss Louis, a former member of the club.
But PebbleCreek was still growing, and Bill pushed for the establishment of the new Creative Arts Center in Tuscany Falls. Now, having outgrown the space, plans are underway to expand the Center for the many clubs that use the facilities.
From its early beginnings the Art Club has grown and flourished, adding new classes in various mediums, recognizing Artists of the Month and Year, introducing field trips, and bringing experienced artists to PebbleCreek to teach. The club’s Fine Art Shows are an opportunity for homeowners to purchase art for their homes while appreciating the talent of the community. Professional artists—too many to list—continue to give of their time to help others grow and improve.
Bill Cupit, Shirley Smith, and Fred Alves have since passed away, and Dee Smart and Dottie Mitchell have moved, but their vision of a thriving artistic community has come to fruition.
“They are the backbone of what the artistic community is today,” said Sylvia Armstrong, president of the Art Club. “Their presence can be felt in the way everyone works together and helps each other, and, most of all, how everyone enjoys the company of other artists like themselves. The PebbleCreek Art Club has grown to what it is today because of those fabulous pioneers who had a vision.”