Three-day event celebrates art, music, food and family fun!
SCOTTSDALE – A weekend-long celebration of creativity, the 47th annual Scottsdale Arts Festival will shine on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 10–12, at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Civic Center Park. Tickets are available at all Festival entrances and through www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org. The award-winning event is made possible through the generosity of Title Sponsor Bank of America.
Known for its high-quality art and beautiful park setting, the Scottsdale Arts Festival will showcase 175 jury-selected artists from throughout the United States and abroad, who work in painting, sculpture, glass, ceramics, jewelry, photography and other media. Works of art are available for purchase directly from the artists and through the Festival’s online art auction.
Throughout the weekend, more than 20 Arizona bands and performers will provide continuous live music and entertainment on two stages, including blues, country/folk, jazz, R&B, rock and more. Among the musical acts are The Apaches, The Blood Feud Family Singers, Cascabel, The Everyday Players, Jay Allan & the Uncommon Good, Jovert, Jan Sandwich and Friends, and Moonlight Magic. New Orleans-based soul-rock singer Nikki Hill will perform the headline concert on Saturday at 4 p.m., and Valley-based Beatles tribute band Marmalade Skies will close the Festival on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Foodies will enjoy a moveable feast with more than a dozen of the Valley’s gourmet food trucks and eateries serving up savory dishes from around the world, from classic American comfort food to Asian, Latin American and Mediterranean delights. Vendors include Affogato, Barrie’s Original Kettle Korn, Frites Street, Hibachibot, Lu Lu’s Italian Ice, The Maine Lobster Lady, Mustache Pretzels, Paletas Betty, Pita Jungle, Press Italian, Que Sazón, Satay Hut and United Lunchadoras.
New this year, the Soundbite food truck, a collaboration between Short Leash Hotdogs and Friends of Public Radio KJZZ, will make its Festival debut. The interactive vehicle combines food and sound with a drop-down stage for live entertainment and a state-of-the-art recording studio. In addition to delicious food, Soundbite will feature programming in partnership with KJZZ 91.5 FM throughout Festival weekend.
A variety of fine wines, beers, cocktails and beverages will be offered at the Festival, including happy-hour drink specials and build-your-own Mimosas and Bloody Marys. The Deep Eddy Hideaway will feature Deep Eddy vodka samples on Saturday and Sunday (noon – 4 p.m.) along with giveaways and games. Deep Eddy’s new orange-flavored vodka will also make its Arizona debut at the Festival. And new this year, on Saturday and Sunday, Festival attendees may enjoy a glass of wine from Trinity Oaks while painting their own interpretation of the iconic LOVE sculpture with personal instruction from a professional art teacher ($25 per person; 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; limited seating).
Also new this year, the Festival’s Community Art Studio will offer creative activities for all ages as well as the opportunity to watch local artists in action – painting, sculpting, weaving and drawing! Visitors are invited to explore the art studio space and participate in hands-on art projects, including a community mural and fiber-art installation, jewelry making, paper-hat making and more. On Saturday and Sunday, kids will enjoy face painting and performances from Dance Theater West. The Community Art Studio is made possible by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, Children’s Museum of Phoenix, Dance Theater West, Free Arts of Arizona, PeaceKids, Rachel’s Young at Art Studio and Scottsdale Artist’s School.
In collaboration with the Festival, Scottsdale Public Art will showcase six of the interactive Los Trompos (“spinning-top”) sculptures created by Mexico City-based artists and designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena. Public Art will also offer a guided walking tour ($15) of Old Town Scottsdale at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 11. Led by Scottsdale Public Art Director Donna Isaac and Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Wendy Raisanen, the tour will start at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and highlight more than a dozen works of art, from Robert Indiana’s world-famous LOVE sculpture to Ed Mell’s dramatic Jack Knife. (Tickets for the tour and additional details are available at www.ScottsdalePublicArt.org.)
During the Festival, admission will be free to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), which features the exhibitions I Remember Not Remembering, presenting 12 internationally renowned artists who use personal home movies, photo albums and film footage as raw material for artworks; and The Kindness of Strangers: Recent Acquisitions and Conservation Projects; along with James Turrell’s Knight Rise skyspace. On view at SMoCA’s Young@Art Gallery inside Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will be For Mrs. Radio, an exhibition of paintings, sculpture and installations by young elementary school children from Scottsdale, which honors the memory of Scottsdale art teacher Allison Vredevoogd.
Other Festival highlights will include speed painter Randall Hedden from Tribute Art Live! who will demonstrate his skills while creating portraits of the Deep Eddy Bettys. His paintings will be offered for sale through the Festival’s online art auction. The Arizona Coyotes Youth Mobile Tour will make a stop at the Festival, offering immersive technology and hands-on hockey skills stations, among other fun activities. The Cottage Edibles & Marketplace will offer a tantalizing selection of locally produced goods, such as artisan chocolates, gourmet salsas, and handmade soaps and spa items. Among the vendors are Nuttylicious, Riley’s Spice of Life, Sophisticated Soaps, Untamed Confections and Xocolatl.
Official Festival T-shirts and gear with artwork by featured artist Julia Gilmore will be available at the Store at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and pop-up shops around the park, which will also offer a unique selection of artist-made jewelry, imaginative toys, decorative objects from around the world, well-designed furnishings for home and office, music, books and greeting cards. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s Shop@SMoCA features more art-inspired creations in its Arizona by Design section.
SPONSORS
The Scottsdale Arts Festival is made possible by Title Sponsor Bank of America; Presenting Sponsor Pita Jungle; Signature Sponsors Deep Eddy Vodka and First Impression Security Doors; Supporting Sponsors Arizona Coyotes, David Frank Design, Pella Windows & Doors, Renewal by Andersen and Silicon Valley Bank; In-Kind Sponsor McFate; and Media Sponsor AZCentral/The Arizona Republic.
ADMISSION AND INFORMATION
Admission to the Scottsdale Arts Festival is $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for children 12 and under and Scottsdale Arts members at the Friends level and above, who also enjoy exclusive access to the Member VIP Lounge. A two-day Festival pass is available for $15. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at any Festival entrance on the day of the event. Parking and trolley service are free. Pets are not allowed, except for service animals. Additional information is available through www.ScottsdaleArtsFestival.org or 480-499-TKTS (8587). Proceeds benefit the programs of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts.
LOCATION AND PARKING
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 7380 E. Second St. in downtown Scottsdale. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located on Wells Fargo Avenue, west of the Center and behind Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. 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. Festival visitors may use the free Scottsdale Trolley, which makes stops throughout downtown Scottsdale and at Civic Center Park.
SCOTTSDALE ARTS
Through its dynamic partnership with the City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational and outreach opportunities for the community, while fostering the active engagement of individuals, businesses, education and government with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through three acclaimed operating divisions – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) and Scottsdale Public Art – serving more than 400,000 participants annually.
