Long favored for its desert climate, championship greens, posh hotels, and tony shops, Scottsdale is also a top destination for art lovers. The resort setting combined with the number and assortment of top-notch galleries generates an artistic energy that’s rivaled only by Santa Fe, N.M.
Oh-so-haute traditional art galleries and antiques shops are just steps from funky galleries, sculpture gardens and high-end craft galleries vie for attention with public art and hotel collections. The sheer volume and concentration create a juxtaposition of artwork ranging from new works by emerging artists to museum-quality masterpieces. It’s a mix that makes Scottsdale’s visual arts scene equally appealing to both browsers and buyers, paupers and poppers.
Gallery hopping downtown
With more than 125 galleries, Scottsdale, is perhaps more a marathon than a hop. Three downtown districts cater to arts enthusiasts. All are adjacent to each other and navigable on foot in this pedestrian-friendly city. Another plus: Parking is plentiful and free.
Tying the districts together is a fabulous collection of public art, including Ed Mell’s “Jack Knife,” at the intersection of Marshall Way and Main Street; Bob Parks’s “Horse Fountain,” at the intersection of 5th Ave. and Marshall Way; and Robert Indiana’s “Love” sculpture, near the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.
• Main Street Arts & Antiques District
Begin with the expected. Hold tight to your wallet and avoid any quick moves while browsing the Main Street District galleries, where high-end shops and galleries are clustered. Many show museum-quality work, and even if a bit hoity-toity, they’re well worth visiting. Most gallery and shop owners welcome questions and enjoy the opportunity to educate about their collections and the artists they represent.
• Old Town Scottsdale District
After viewing the Native American cowboy artwork in Old Town’s shops and galleries, venture to the unexpected. At the cutting-edge Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, rotating, thought-provoking exhibits often push boundaries. Allow plenty of time to soak it all in, and don’t miss the “skyspace,” designed by James Turrell, where an open-air skylight plays with the light and prism-like windows line a hallway.
• Marshall Way Arts District
Contemporary art is also the focus of the Upper Marshall Way galleries, and while anytime’s a good time to browse and explore, the weekly Thursday-evening ArtsWalk, a 30-year tradition, adds a festive environment. Not only are the galleries open, but many also serve wine and hors d’oeuvres, and some even have live entertainment. Better still, many of the artists are on hand to discuss their works.
Cattle Track
Cattle Track is a treasure, a rural refuge amidst the sprawl. The city grew up around this historic artists’ colony that now houses a fine-art printer and studios, including ceramics, photography, painting, and forging. Various works of art accent the grounds. This is a somewhat funky, off-the-beaten-track site that evokes Scottsdale developers discovered it.
Architectural Treasures
While nature inspired both Frank Lloyd Wright and Paolo Soleri, they implemented their visions in dramatically different ways. Wright’s designs sprawl; Soleri’s soar. Wright preferred natural materials; Soleri utilized manmade ones. Wright encouraged isolation; Soleri promoted community. Whereas Wright is the architect of suburban sprawl, Soleri is the mastermind behind a compact, car-less city. The two architectural styles are yin and yang, complementary, yet exclusionary. And it’s possible to view both styles back to back at Wright’s Taliesin and Soleri’s Cosanti.
The Artful Lodger
Some of Scottsdale’s tony hotels do double duty as art galleries. It’s not necessary to stay, dine or purchase services to tour these properties, but if you want to linger, all have excellent restaurants and a few have spas that are open to the public by reservation. And of course, if you need a room…
• Hermosa Inn and Lon’s Restaurant
The Hermosa Inn and its Lon’s restaurant occupy the former home of cowboy artist Ron Magargee in Paradise Valley. Magargee, best known for his painting that’s on the label of Stetson hats, built the home, and some of his works are still on view there.
• The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch
Be sure to walk through the reception and bell desk areas and the conference wing, where sculpture, mixed media works and paintings are displayed. Don’t miss the Native American Learning Center on the mezzanine level, where native artists demonstrate crafts. Then tour the grounds, where bronze sculptures, many by Apache artist Craig Dan Goseyun, accent the Fountain Court.
• The Phoenecian Resort
Pick up a print-out for a self-guided art tour from the concierge or just wander the public areas of the property. Among the highlights:
–Seventeenth-century French tapestries and Flemish paintings;
–Paintings by early Taos school artists such as Jozef Bakos and Sven Sandzen:
–Works by Kenji Yoshida, named a National Treasure in his native Japan
–“Ferriccio Ferrazzi,” a 15th-century painting by Cavello that’s believed to be one part of a triptych; the other two parts are alleged to be at the Mosaic School of Art at the Vatican.
–Eleven sculptures by Allan Houser.
• The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
Cuban artist and political exile Nelson Garcia-Miranda arrived in Phoenix in 1999. It took a few years before he revealed his talents in his new home, but now his vibrant cubanidad-style paintings are displayed in the hotel’s Latin-influenced Deseo restaurant.
—————–
Hilary Nangle is writes frequently about travel and is the author of three guidebooks — Moon Coastal Maine, Moon Acadia National Park, and Moon Maine.
Visit her Web site and read her blog.
