FEBRUARY 24, 2011
Award-winning Scottsdale Arts Festival shines with three days of Fine Art, music, Local Gourmet Foods
SCOTTSDALE – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will present the 41st annual Scottsdale Arts Festival on March 11–13, in the beautiful downtown park at Scottsdale Civic Center. The Festival is made possible by 99.9 KEZ and Mix 96.9, SRP Earthwise Energy and Cuties Clementine.
Recently named one of the country’s favorite arts festivals by the readers of AmericanStyle Magazine and “Best Arts Festival” by Phoenix New Times, the award-winning Scottsdale Arts Festival showcases the creativity of 200 jury-selected artists from throughout the United States who work in painting, sculpture, glass and ceramics, jewelry, photography and more. Works of art are available for purchase directly from the artists and through the Festival’s online art auction.
Throughout the weekend, visitors also enjoy delicious local cuisine from the hip food trucks of the Phoenix Street Food Coalition; wine tastings; live music and entertainment from Arizona’s top bands and performers; creative activities for children and families at Imagine Nation; a performance by CircusYoga and an interactive camera obscura commissioned by Scottsdale Public Art; free admission to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA); demonstrations by artists from the Scottsdale Artists’ School; and free parking and trolley service.
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.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org or through 480-994-ARTS (2787), ext. 2. Pets are not allowed, except for trained assistance dogs.
ARTISTS
Long recognized for its high-quality fine arts and crafts, the Scottsdale Arts Festival showcases 200 of America’s premier artists. Selected by a jury of arts professionals, the artists are based 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. A complete roster of participating artists is available online at www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org.
TAKING GOURMET TO THE STREET
New to the Scottsdale Arts Festival this year, gourmet food trucks from the Phoenix Street Food Coalition will offer delicious locally sourced cuisine. These mobile eateries have earned rave reviews throughout the Valley for their innovative specialty street foods. Among the vendors will be Beet Street, Hey Joe! Filipino Street Food, Jamburritos Cajun Grille Express, Paradise Melts, Riteway Catering Company, Short Leash Hot Dogs, Sunshine and Spice, Sweet Republic, Tom’s BBQ and Whiskey Ranch Wood-Fired Pizzas.
WINE TASTINGS AND SPIRITS
Sponsored by Republic National Distributing Company, the Scottsdale Arts Festival Wine Garden features fine wines from Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Kobrand Wines & Spirits and Trinchero Family Estates. A variety of other beverages are available for sale, including Skinny Girl Margaritas, Pinnacle Vodka, Sweet Tea Vodka, Deschutes and Full Sail craft beers.
LIVE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
Many of Arizona’s top musicians and entertainers perform during the Scottsdale Arts Festival. This year’s featured performers include Caribbean Cruisers, The DelRayz, Marmalade Skies, Mark Zubia & Los Guys, The Samba Project, Sara McAllister Band, Sugar Thieves, Walt Richardson and many more. Concerts take place continuously at the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater and Fountain Stage. A complete entertainment schedule is available online at www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org.
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, titled “Looks at Books,” explores favorite children’s books through storytelling, dancing, arts-and-craft projects and more.
ONLINE ART AUCTION
The Scottsdale Arts Festival’s online art 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 12, at 10 a.m. and has a rolling close starting on the morning of Monday, March 14. Bidders may view images of all auction items and place and track their bids at any time through www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org.
SCOTTSDALE PUBLIC ART
In conjunction with the Scottsdale Arts Festival, Scottsdale Public Art has commissioned a unique camera obscura designed by the photography and architecture departments of ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Functioning much like an early camera, the device projects images of the surrounding Festival into room-sized, darkened chambers – one for kids, and one for adults. Julie Anand, assistant professor of photography at ASU, will give a free talk about the project on Sunday, March 13, at 3 p.m. at SMoCA. Also commissioned by Scottsdale Public Art, CircusYoga will perform participatory 'live art actions' on Sunday afternoon, March 13, including creative movement and dancing.
FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION
Visitors to the Scottsdale Arts Festival enjoy free admission to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, which features the exhibitions Dance with Camera and Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other, as well as artist James Turrell’s skyspace Knight Rise. SMoCA also will host free bubble print workshops for kids from noon – 2 p.m. on all three days of the Scottsdale Arts Festival. The Museum is located next to Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts at 7374 E. Second St.
ARTIST DEMOS
Professional artists from the internationally recognized Scottsdale Artists’ School will present live demonstrations of drawing, painting and sculpting techniques during the Scottsdale Arts Festival.
LOCATION AND PARKING
The Scottsdale Arts Festival takes place downtown at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the park at 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 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 along the route of the Downtown Scottsdale Trolley.
