Editing Waterloo, Iowa (section)

===Waterloo Center for the Arts===
The [[Waterloo Center for the Arts]] (WCA) is a regional center for visual and performance arts. It is owned and operated by the City of Waterloo with oversight by the advisory Waterloo Cultural and Arts Commission. The center is located at 225 Commercial Street. It is also an anchor for the Waterloo Cultural and Arts District (a State of Iowa designation).<ref name=WCArts>{{cite web|url=http://www.waterloocenterforthearts.org/|title= Waterloo Center for the Arts/Directory|publisher= Waterloo Center for the Arts|access-date= August 4, 2011}}</ref>

The permanent collection at the WCA includes the largest collection of Haitian art in the country, Midwest Regionalist art (including works by Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton), Mexican folk art, international folk art, American decorative arts, and public art.<ref name=WCArts/>

President [[Barack Obama]] gave a speech here on August 14, 2012, during the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 presidential campaign]]. Originally scheduled for 7:45&nbsp;pm, the speech was delayed by about 15 minutes, when Obama made an unannounced stop in neighboring [[Cedar Falls, Iowa|Cedar Falls]] for a beer at a pub.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Vote-2012-President-Obama-Campaigns-in-Waterloo-166204856.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823030541/http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Vote-2012-President-Obama-Campaigns-in-Waterloo-166204856.html|archive-date=August 23, 2012|title=Local}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/state-and-regional/iowa/excitement-builds-for-obama-s-waterloo-iowa-appearance/article_04010aa3-1197-5181-94c5-9ff98eb0673f.html |title=Excitement builds for Obama's Waterloo, Iowa, appearance &#124; Iowa news |website=siouxcityjournal.com |date=August 14, 2012 |access-date=2016-08-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/obama-stops-for-just-one-more-beer/ |title=Obama Stops For 'Just One' More Beer – ABC News |website=Abcnews.go.com |date=August 14, 2012 |access-date=2016-08-19}}</ref>

Included in the WCA is the Phelps Youth Pavilion (PYP), which opened in 2009. The PYP is an interactive children's museum. PYP provides additional gallery and studio space.<ref name=WCArts/>

The Riverloop Amphitheater, completed in 2011, is an outdoor plaza and amphitheater available to rent for events and weddings. The Riverloop Amphitheater also is home to Mark's Park, a water park playground open to the public.<ref name="WCArts" />

The WCA also houses the Waterloo Community Playhouse, the oldest community theatre in Iowa (operating since 1916), and the Black Hawk Children's Theatre, that started in 1964, then, merged with the Waterloo Community Playhouse in 1982. Both perform in the Hope Martin Theatre, which opened in 1965. The theatre's administrative offices are located across the street in the historic Walker Building.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wcpbhct.org/history.html|title=The History of Our Theatre in Waterloo|publisher=WCP & BHCT|access-date=August 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328123902/http://www.wcpbhct.org/history.html|archive-date=March 28, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>