Scottsdale Arts Festival Returns 3/8-10

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will present the 43rd annual Scottsdale Arts Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 8-10, in Scottsdale Civic Center Park.

Named one of the top arts festivals in the nation by the readers of AmericanStyle Magazine and "Best Arts Festival" by Phoenix New Times, the Scottsdale Arts Festival showcases nearly 200 jury-selected artists from throughout the United States and Canada 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.

More than 20 Arizona bands and performers will provide continuous live music and entertainment on two stages throughout the weekend, including the Alan Jones Jazz Quintet, The Blues Review Band, Carol Pacey and the Honey Shakers, C.C. Ryder Express, Grantman and the Island Beat, Los Guys, Mario Moreno and the Ramblers, Nancy McCallion and Her Wee Band, Ritmo Latino and Sugahbeat, among others.

Returning by popular demand, a dozen gourmet food trucks from the Phoenix Street Food Coalition will serve delicious world cuisine. Participating mobile eateries include The Grilled Cheese Truck, Hey Joe! Filipino Street Food, Jamburritos Cajun Grill Express, Luncha Libre, The Maine Lobster Lady, Mojo Bowl, Paletas Betty, Short Leash Hot Dogs, Spice it Up, Taste Rite!, Tom's BBQ and Whiskey Ranch Wood-Fired Pizzas. Also on the menu will be tastings of fine wines, beers and spirits courtesy of Young's Market Company and Deep Eddy Vodka, cocktails and Friday happy-hour specials, and Barrie's Original Kettle Korn.

In collaboration with the Festival, Scottsdale Public Art will present Pink and Blue Dilemma: The Foam Incident by Baltimore artist Scott Pennington. Wildly fun for kids and adults, this interactive work of art invites visitors to play with imagined 'industrial waste' made from non-toxic, water-based soap suds as Pennington's pink-and-blue-clad 'technicians' attempt to contain it. Thirty-minute-long 'foam incidents' will occur five times a day throughout the Festival.

Exploring the theme of "The Art of Being a Kid," Imagine Nation, the Festival's family area, will offer participants of all ages the opportunity to connect with their inner child and engage their creativity through free arts activities, storytelling, dancing and more.

Throughout the Festival's three days, admission will be free to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), which features the exhibitions Paolo Soleri: Mesa City to Arcosanti; The Human Touch: Selections from the RBC Wealth Management Art Collection; and Mashup: New Video Art. Museum visitors will be invited to experience an "Inflatable," a nomadic tent structure inspired by the Ant Farm, an experimental collective founded in San Francisco in 1968. Hands-on architecture-themed educational activities will be offered as well.

Official Scottsdale Arts Festival merchandise will be available throughout the grounds and inside the Stores at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and SMoCA, which also offer a unique selection of art-related merchandise, including artist-made jewelry, imaginative toys, decorative objects from around the world, well-designed furnishings for home and office, music, books, and greeting cards.