Scottsdale Blog - Things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona » Arts and Culture

Invest in the Community by Joining in Community Love

Kelly Tope — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:36:10 +0000

This past Fall, artist Jesse Fairchild recruited dozens of volunteers to create over 100 signs which feature expressions of positivity. “Paint the most positive word in your life,” he instructed. The results range from love, to dance, to ice cream. Now it is time to use these optimistic expressions to create one simple act of community kindness.

On Wednesday, March 24th Scottsdale Public Art and artist Jesse Fairchild will stage Community Love along the entire 25 miles of Scottsdale Road. Scottsdale Public Art is seeking volunteers to help stage this happening.

WE NEED YOU to help us stage this performance of hope and encouragement to the typical passerby. On an otherwise-mundane spring afternoon one hundred volunteers will be given the hand painted poster boards to display on select street corners along Scottsdale Road. Everyone will be placed in proximity to one another to create a visual sequencing that impacts an unsuspecting public audience.

WHEN: Wednesday, MARCH 24th
3:00pm Meet at the LOVE Sculpture at Scottsdale Civic Center for instructions and to pick up your sign. You will randomly select your “message” by pulling from premade hand painted signs.
4:00pm Station yourself at designated street corner. All stations to be filled for allotted duration. To create an impact, we are filling as many Scottsdale Road corners as possible.
6:00-6:30pm With sunset comes the close of the happening. Volunteers return signs to group leaders at Scottsdale Civic Center.

WHERE:
Meet at the LOVE Sculpture at Scottsdale Civic Center: 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Proceed to designated corner along Scottsdale Rd.

WHY:
One simple act of community kindness. A social experiment to change the commute in Scottsdale, then goes viral via social media, and reaches the world.

INTERESTED? Contact:
Anne Gatz
agatz@sccarts.org
(480) 874-4667

Scottsdale Events Season 2010

Award-winning Scottsdale Arts Festival Celebrates 40 Years as Arizona’s Finest

Josh Kenzer — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:47:35 +0000

40^th Annual Scottsdale Arts Festival
March 12–14, 2010
Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts / Scottsdale Civic Center

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will present the 40^th annual Scottsdale Arts Festival on March 12–14, 2010, on the beautiful grounds of the Scottsdale Civic Center. The Festival is sponsored by SRP Earthwise Energy and Abby Bella Dance Studio. The Arizona Republic is the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ 2009–10 season media sponsor.

Consistently ranked among the top arts festivals in the country by the readers of American Style Magazine, the Scottsdale Arts Festival has been an Arizona tradition since 1971. The three-day event features 200 jury-selected artists from throughout the United States. Works of art are available for purchase directly from the artists and from the Scottsdale Arts Festival’s online art auction. Visitors also will enjoy continuous live music and entertainment from Arizona’s top bands and performers; Virginia Fleck’s eye-popping OVERFLOW!, a monumental installation of thousands of recycled plastic bags commissioned by the Scottsdale Public Art Program; creative activities for children and families at Imagine Nation; free admission to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA); fine-arts demonstrations by artists from the acclaimed Scottsdale Artists’ School; delicious cuisine and wine tastings, including a Wine Country Market and Beer Garden featuring ingredients from local farmers and producers; and free parking and trolley service.

Additional information, including details on trolleys and parking, is available online at www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org or through (480) 994-ARTS (2787).

ADMISSION

Admission to the Scottsdale Arts Festival is $7 for adults, $5 for students and free for children 12 and under and members of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and SMoCA. A two-day pass is available for $10. Tickets may be purchased at any Festival entrance, and advance tickets are available online at www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org or through (480) 994-ARTS (2787). Pets are not allowed, except for trained assistance dogs.

LOCATION AND PARKING

The Scottsdale Arts Festival is held at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the landscaped grounds of the surrounding Scottsdale Civic Center, four blocks south of Indian School Road and three blocks east of Scottsdale Road. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located to the west of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and directly behind Los Olivos restaurant on Wells Fargo Avenue. Additional free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Corral at East Second Street and Brown Avenue and at the Civic Center Library parking garage located on Drinkwater Boulevard at East Second Street. Shuttle service is available at the Loloma Transit Center at East Second Street and Marshall Way and along the route of the Downtown Scottsdale Trolley.

ARTISTS

Long recognized for its high-quality fine arts and crafts, the Scottsdale Arts Festival showcases 200 artists selected by jury. Participating artists come from throughout the United States and work in all media, from ceramic, glass, jewelry, metals and textiles to painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking and drawing. Visitors have the opportunity to meet and talk to each artist and buy works of art directly from them.

ONLINE ART AUCTION

The Scottsdale Arts Festival’s online auction features original works of art in all media donated by participating artists. Auction items are displayed at the event and through the Scottsdale Arts Festival Web site. Benefiting the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, the auction opens on Saturday, March 13, at 10 a.m. and has a rolling close starting on the morning of Monday, March 15. Bidders may view images of all auction items and place and track their bids at any time through www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org.

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT

Many of Arizona’s top musicians and entertainers perform during the Scottsdale Arts Festival. This year’s featured performers include Arizona Opera, Bata Ire, Fushicho Daiko, Mark Zubia & Los Guys, Marmalade Skies, Musical Nomads, Sarah Vanell Band, Traveler and more. Concerts take place continuously at the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater and Fountain Stage. A complete entertainment schedule will be posted online at www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org.

PUBLIC ART PROJECT

In conjunction with the Scottsdale Arts Festival, the Scottsdale Public Art Program has commissioned OVERFLOW!, an eye-popping, monumental installation made from thousands of colorful recycled plastic bags by Austin-based artist Virginia Fleck. Each plastic bag is inflated to transform the mundane and disposable into a shiny, buoyant, off-kilter bag balloon. OVERFLOW! will be viewed in multiple locations and encountered in surprisingly delightful ways throughout the Festival. The thousands of colorful, animated bag balloons take on humorous anthropomorphic traits as they make their whimsical journey from the roof of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts to the fountains in front of City Hall and beyond.

IMAGINE NATION

Located on the north side of Scottsdale City Hall, Imagine Nation is open throughout the Scottsdale Arts Festival and offers free arts activities and entertainment for children and their families. This year’s Imagine Nation is titled Family Time/Family Fun and features storytelling, dancing, arts-and-craft projects and more.

FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION

Visitors to the Scottsdale Arts Festival enjoy free admission to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, which features the exhibitions Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration and Rewind, Remix, Replay: Design, Music & Everyday Experience, as well as artist James Turrell’s skyspace Knight Rise. SMoCA is located next to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts at 7374 E. Second St.

ARTIST DEMONSTRATIONS

Professional artists from the internationally recognized Scottsdale Artists’ School will present live demonstrations of drawing, painting and sculpting techniques during the Scottsdale Arts Festival.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

The Scottsdale Arts Festival features a tempting variety of delicious cuisine and refreshing beverages available for sale throughout the grounds. Highlights include the Wine Country Market and Beer Garden presented by Arcadia Farms near the scenic Marshall Garden that will offer gourmet foods and ingredients from local farmers and producers. Among the other festival vendors are Alaskan Salmon Grill, Barrie’s Original Kettle Korn, Big Belly’s B.B.Q. Co., Crepe Tyme, Euro Gyro, The Gelato Spot, Paradise Noodles, Repicci’s Real Italian Ice of Arizona and Sally’s Mesquite Grill and B.B.Q.

FESTIVAL ARTWALK

To kick off the Scottsdale Arts Festival in style, the Scottsdale Gallery Association will host A Glass Act, its 6^th annual Festival ArtWalk, on Thursday, March 11, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown Scottsdale. The event showcases glass artists from Scottsdale Arts District galleries as well as live music, art demonstrations and more. The ArtWalk is free and takes place just west of Scottsdale Road and north and south of Indian School Road along Main Street, Marshall Way, Stetson Drive and Sixth Avenue. Free parking is available throughout the downtown area. For directions or more details about Scottsdale ArtWalk visit www.ScottsdaleGalleries.com.

THE STORE
The Store @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is open throughout the Scottsdale Arts Festival and, in addition to official Festival t-shirts, offers a unique selection of art-related merchandise, including handmade jewelry, imaginative toys, decorative objects from around the world, original furnishings for the home and office and music, books and greeting cards. Members receive a 10-percent discount, and gift wrapping and shipping also are available. Purchases are tax-free and support the programs of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

It’s Gonna be an Art-Filled Weekend!

Meet Artists at Indian Fair & Market

Josh Kenzer — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:36:20 +0000

Three visionary artists who encompass many different mediums will be showing works for sale at the Berlin Gallery, February 19 – March 19.

Meet the Artists
All three artists will be in the Berlin Gallery at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market on Saturday, March 6.

See new works by master Rick Bartow, Wiyot/Yurok. Transformational mythology – both personal and shared – is central to many of his drawings, prints and sculptures. Bartow has traveled to Germany, Japan and New Zealand, seeking knowledge of traditions beyond his own American Indian experience.

Sarah Sense, Chitimacha/Choctaw, explores questions of identity, heritage and gender roles. She weaves with digitally manipulated photographs of her reservation, Hollywood imagery, archival photographs and herself acting out cultural stereotypes of her heritage. Each print is then deconstructed and woven into traditional Chitimacha basket patterns.

The disarming paintings of Hoka Skenandore, Oneida/Oglala Lakota/Luiseño, explore his clear fascination with popular culture: music, street art, graffiti, outsider art and skateboarder culture. He notes, “The ability to take an image and reconstruct, modify and manipulate it simply is a reflection of a constant process …”

Best of Scottsdale ArtWalk Soiree

Josh Kenzer — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:19:04 +0000

Join us on Thursday, February 25th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm for the Best of Scottsdale ArtWalk Soiree. Enjoy food and wine throughout the evening. Guests are encouraged to walk ArtWalk throughout the evening and experience the Best of Scottsdale. A “special” performance at 9 pm for all guests. Participate in the $500 restaurant raffle by having your “Best of Scottsdale” Passport stamped at a minimum of 12 Galleries to enter and win.

This is an evening of support, art, performance, food and drink!

We hope you’ll join us.

Flyer for the Best of Scottsdale ArtWalk Soiree

Giant Book and Treasure Sale at the Heard Museum!

Mitchell Tay — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:46:16 +0000

The Heard Museum is hosting their 14th Annual Guild Library Book sale at the end of the month on January 30-31. If you’re looking for a good bargain on more than 30,000 books or even other fine items such as katsina dolls or American Indian and vintage jewelry, this is one event that you you don’t want to miss out!

Saturday, January 30th: 9:30am – 5:00pm
Sunday, January 31th: 9:30pm – 4:00pm
Members also have the opportunity to shop early for books on Friday, January 29 from 1:00 – 5:00pm.

All sale proceeds benefit special projects of the museum’s Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives.

For more information on this event, click here.

Raise Your Glasses to the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival this Weekend

Kelly Tope — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:57:51 +0000

Travel the world over and you would be hard-pressed to find a more spectacular gathering of artists than at the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival. The streets of downtown Carefree are closed this weekend, making room for more than 160 artists and in excess of 5,000 original masterpieces of fine art. You can find exceptional pieces of work in all mediums, including bronze, sculpture, jewelry, painting and more!

The beautiful backdrop of Carefree, its many splendors and the fantastic art on hand isn’t all the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival has to offer the thousands of people who attend each year. The festival holds the title of Arizona’s largest wine-tasting event, featuring first-class wines from Arizona, California, Australia, Germany, Austria, France and Italy.

Live entertainment is a mainstay at this annual festival and this year is no different, featuring the enchanting music of the “Lord of the Strings” Arvel Bird, an internationally known violinist.

The festival runs today thru Sunday (January 15-17) from 10am – 5pm each day. Parking is free and admission is only $3. Get out and enjoy great weather, art and wine this weekend at the Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival!

**Please note that the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & 1/2 Marathon takes place Sunday, January 17. For road closures and tips on getting around town on Sunday, please click here.

The Art of Maintenance

Josh Kenzer — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:21:03 +0000

As a follow up to the fish roundup post from last week, I received an email tipping me off to the following video. It was shot and edited by Pat Shannahan.

Apache master sculptor Allan Houser

Josh Kenzer — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:35:26 +0000

For the first time, see the breadth of Houser’s work at two of Scottsdale’s most prestigious destinations: the Desert Botanical Garden and the Heard Museum. this collaborative exhibition features 18 large sculptures and a variety of paintings, drawings, sketches and smaller sculptures by this master artist.

Fish Roundup at the Scottsdale Waterfront this Saturday

Josh Kenzer — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:04:20 +0000

Join Salt River Project and Scottsdale Public Art in the first fish roundup at Scottsdale Waterfront since its construction. Come out and enjoy permanent and temporary public art, meet Dewey the Waterdrop SRP’s water safety mascot, and learn more about the canals from experts and educational displays. Watch SRP crews herd the white amur fish, employed by SRP as natural canal cleaners, in preparation for draining the canal for routine inspection and repairs.

Art installations include Flowing Overlapping Gesture and Transfix.

Flowing Overlapping Gesture is a 100-foot-long artwork designed specifically for the canal by Phoenix painter Fausto Fernandez. Beginning 8:00 am on January 9th, crews will spend 3 days installing the artwork at the Marshall Way Bridge. The artwork will be on display while the canal is dry. Once the canal is refilled, the artwork will float in the canal for 3 days.

Transfix at Sunset Point

Transfix is a collaborative , interactive urban intervention that will be performed by 20 performers on January 9th from 8:00 – 10:00 am. Wearing white and weaving in and around the urban architectural spaces of Scottsdale Waterfront, Rachel Bowditch’s Vessel will transform the canal into a stage, revealing the poetry and beauty of the mundane. Performers break out of the traditional theatre arena into a public space where the audience becomes part of the performance, coming and going as they please and often intermingling with the
performers.

Bring your family and friends down to the Scottsdale Waterfront and explore why the canal is critical and why canal maintenance is so important to Scottsdale.

UPDATE: Here’s a video that SRP sent over that shows the fish herding process

Fish Herding

The Art of Maintenance

Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth

Josh Kenzer — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:34:41 +0000

Now through November 29th, 2009
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

Experience the “Soundsuits” of Chicago-based artist and former Alvin Ailey dancer Nick Cave—multi-layered mixed-media, wearable sculptures named for the sounds made when worn. Reminiscent of African and religious ceremonial costumes as well as high fashion, they are made using scavenged ordinary materials—fabrics, beads, sequins, old bottle caps, rusted iron sticks, twigs, leaves and hair—that Cave re-contextualizes into visionary masterpieces.