Tonight marks the 2nd Annual Glass Act ArtWalk, which is the kick-off event to this festival weekend.  Art will take center stage along Main Street and Marshall Way, and glass will be in the spotlight at this unique event featuring more than 20 exhibitors.  There will also be live music and artist demonstrations (which are really fun because they use fire) staged throughout  the Arts District.  The event takes place from 7-9 pm on Thursday, March 11 and is compeletely free.  Be sure to come early and grab a bite to eat (and do some great people watching as well) before browsing through the galleris.  Not familiar with the Arts District?  Click here for a map.

After you’ve become an expert in glass, expand your horizons by checking out the 40th Annual Scottsdale Arts Fesival, which takes place this weekend at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall.  Gates will be open Friday and Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am – 5 pm.  Consistently recognized as one of the top in the country, The Scottsdale Arts Festival features more than 200 jury-selected artists from throughout North America to display and sell their work at this three-day event. In addition to an assortment of the finest arts and crafts, attendees can enjoy live entertainment and music, tasty food and beverages, interactive public art, fun art activities for children and families, an online art auction and much more. A $7 admission fee also gets visitors free admission to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), free parking and shuttle service. For more Festival information visit www.scottsdaleartsfestival.org or call 480-994-ARTS.

Related posts:

1. Award-winning Scottsdale Arts Festival Celebrates 40 Years as Arizona’s Finest
2. You’ve Gotta Walk – ArtWalk – Before You Can Run!
3. Best of Scottsdale ArtWalk Soiree

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.

Related posts:

1. It’s Gonna be an Art-Filled Weekend!

The [almost] week-long celebration of glass art kicks off with a lecture on world-renowned glass artist Lino Tagliapietra at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) on Wednesday, March 18 at 7:00pm.  Art historian and independent curator Susanne K. Frantz will give a comprehensive overview of Tagliapietra’s life and career and will showcase his evolution as artist, designer, craftsperson and educator, as well as his influence on international studio glass.  Tickets are $7 for SMoCA and Arizona Glass Alliance Members and $10 for non-members.  Click here for more information or call 480-994-ARTS to purchase tickets.

After you are armed with information on one of best-known glass artists of all time, continue to indulge your love of glass with Glass Act: A Festival ArtWalk and Tour on Thursday, March 19.  The Glass Act event begins with a private behind-the-scenes tour of the jaw-dropping Dale Chihuly exhibit at Desert Botanical Garden.  Total tour time is 1:00 – 7:00pm and tickets are priced at $65 each.  The tour will be conducted by Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours and includes transportation to and from the garden, admittance into the garden, and private glass-art receptions at three prominent Scottsdale galleries. 

After the private tour, the Glass Act event will continue with a Festival ArtWalk in the Downtown Scottsdale Arts District.  This special ArtWalk features exhibits by more than 30 renowned glass artists at participating galleries. There will also be live entertainment and flame working demonstrations along the streets that will add to the festival atmosphere.  This part of the Glass Act event is free and runs from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.  Click here for a list of participating galleries, artists and demonstrations.

You do not have to attend one part of the Glass Act event to participate in the other but, if you are a true glass lover (or aspire to be one), my recommendation is that you simply cannot miss either.

Segway into the weekend with the 39th Annual Scottsdale Arts Festival, which is consistently ranked as one of the top arts festivals in the country.  The festival takes place Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall and showcases 200 artists selected by jury from a pool of nearly 1,000 applicants. Participating artists come from throughout the United States and Canada and work in all media, from ceramic, glass (your new favorite, right???), 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.  Click here for more information about the Scottsdale Arts Festival.

With all of the great glass and art events taking place in Scottsdale in the next week (never mind the fantastic weather we should be experiencing!), there’s no reason to not get out and experience the thriving Scottsdale Arts District.  Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Experience Scottsdale Like a Pro

Scottsdale is throwing a joint celebration for two of its longest-running arts events – the Scottsdale ArtWalk and the 39th Annual Scottsdale Arts Festival. Together, the events are presenting the Glass Act Festival ArtWalk on Thursday, March 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. in downtown Scottsdale. The Arts Festival kicks off the following day and runs through March 22 on the nearby grounds of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

A Glass Act will feature more than a dozen top glass artists from the Scottsdale Arts District galleries and this year’s Arts Festival. Those featured include Lisa Chernoff at Occasions! by Design, Kathleen Doherty in the Textures Gallery at artspace, Carole Perry at Duley Jones Gallery, Tsunami glasswork at LeKae gallery and more. In addition to the special ArtWalk event, the Desert Botanical Garden will partner with Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours to offer guests a half-day glass art tour for $65 which includes a behind-the-scenes look into the stunning Chihuly: The Nature of Glass exhibit in the Garden followed by exclusive receptions with glass artists at three of downtown Scottsdale’s prominent galleries. The tour will take place on March 19 from 1 to 7 p.m. and include transportation.  

A Glass Act Festival ArtWalk also will boast a diverse musical lineup including the eclectic Watershade, folk-rocker Jeordie, jazz by Actual Proof Trio, original classical pianist Elijah Bossenbroek and the Soliloquies singer-songwriter area with some of ArtWalk’s favorite street performers. Guests also can sample great tastes from culinary sponsors like Café Carumba, Icelandic Glacial Waters, Malee’s Thai on Main and more.