The Dunbar Coalition

The Dunbar Coalition serves as the governing and stewardship organization for the revival of the ‘campus’ — now called the Dunbar Pavilion: An African American Art & Culture Center. The mission of the Coalition is to convert the campus into a space that 1) will exhibit the contributions of African-Americans to the development of Southern Arizona, and 2) anchor and house programs and organizations that support education, arts, social justice, health, economic well-being, and civic engagement reversing the effects of segregation throughout the region.

The Coalition has recently taken several critical steps to increase its effectiveness in this mission. It has completed a strategic planning process, a reorganization of accounting procedures, and development of a formal partnership with the University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (UA College of SBS) for assistance with increasing capacities for fundraising, programming, and creating synergy in the new uses of the campus. The Dunbar Pavilion currently houses the Dunbar Barber Academy, Visual and Textile Arts of Tucson, Tucson Black Film Club, Tucson Slide Society, Kore Press, and IDEA School. The refurbished commercial kitchen is leased to a nutrition and catering business.