Canal Convergence Will Host Western-Themed Workshops and Performances

Scottsdale Arts’ Canal Convergence is known for the light-based interactive artworks that anchor the free event every November, but there are also nearly 100 creative workshops, eclectic performances, educational tours and other activities over the course of its 10 nights, Nov. 6–15. 

Among the things to do at Canal Convergence is a variety of workshops at the Nationwide Innovation Zone. Drawing from this year's theme, “Western Nature,” workshops and community engagement will be led by Indigenous and Latinx artists and organizations whose work is informed by cultural and historical practices of the region.  

Attendees can participate in painting with natural pigments with artists from the Center for Imagination in the Borderlands (Nov. 9), beading with Maxica Colectivo (Nov. 10) and bandana printing with Jeremy Arviso (Nov. 15), which will educate participants about historical practices and art forms through the lens of contemporary Indigenous artists and makers. 

The performances, drop-in workshops and some other activities are free, just like the main event itself, but nightly art tours, ticketed workshops and certain special events do require ticket purchases. 

The Scottsdale Arts Roundabout at Marshall Way will feature western-related engagements hosted by community partner organizations, including CALA Alliance, Monarca Center for Healing and Justice, Art Heals Arizona, RUMBO, Puente, Cahokia, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, Arizona Dream Act Coalition and S'edav Va'aki Museum. 

'For Canal Convergence, I wanted to create a space where the roundabout could hold many forms of knowledge, memory and collective imagination,” said Yaritza Flores Bustos, community engagement coordinator for Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation. “I invited organizations whose work is deeply rooted in Arizona’s communities and whose practices engage questions of belonging, migration, land, climate, healing, cultural memory and place. Together, these partnerships create a constellation, one where art functions as a meeting point for storytelling, learning, making, organizing and healing.' 

The Dress-Up Space returns to Canal Convergence under the title “Working West.” Curated by Phoenix-based Indigenous designer and creative director Jeremy Arviso, in collaboration with Diné hatter Geri James and Diné weaver Gloria Fain, “Working West” will explore the relationship between Arizona’s working landscape, reclaimed materials, contemporary Indigenous design and personal expression. 

“Together, the collaboration creates an environment where fashion, textiles, design, and participation intersect, encouraging visitors not simply to look at the work but to enter it, interact with it and become part of the story,” Arviso said. “’Working West’ is an invitation to customize, create and wear your story.” 

Attendees looking to relax, grab a drink and listen to live music can stop by the Herberger Stage at Soleri Plaza. Every night, the Canal Convergence Beer and Wine Garden, adjacent to the stage, will feature food trucks and dessert vendors, along with wine, beer, canned cocktails and soft drinks. On the weekends, the stage will also host live music from various Arizona-based and regional performers, including headliners QVLN (Latin pop) and Nodaway (indie rock). 

New to this year’s Canal Convergence are weekday activities at the Herberger Stage, including “WEARABLE WILDS: Fashion, Technology & Ecologies of the West” (Nov. 12), a fashion show produced by Arizona State University FIDM students. Through fashion and wearable technology, students imagine the West as a laboratory for the future — where fashion, technology, ecology and human adaptability converge on the body. Additionally, a selection of Arviso’s “Working West” garments from the Dress-Up Space will take the stage during his fashion show (Nov. 12). 

Dance has a long tradition at Canal Convergence, and this year is no different. NicoleOlson|MovementChaos returns on Nov. 14 with a performance at the artwork “APOGEE” by Chalk River Labs, and Scottsdale Community College Dance will entertain audiences with two site-specific performances on Nov. 15 at 7 and 8 p.m.