Scottsdale Arts Launches New Partnership With Cattle Track Arts Compound

Scottsdale Arts has announced a new creative partnership with Cattle Track Arts Compound in Scottsdale, AZ, that will bring expanded programming, artist residencies, and a career-development initiative for emerging artists to the historic site.

Under the agreement, Scottsdale Arts will manage various elements of Cattle Track while the compound retains its own board and property oversight through its nonprofit trust. Current studio artists, residents, architecture offices, and The School of Architecture will remain in place as Scottsdale Arts introduces new events, including musical performances, talks, and community activities.

A centerpiece of the partnership is ArtSpark, a yearlong program providing emerging artists with a stipend, studio or rehearsal space, and professional development. Each cohort will also mentor the next and contribute to community projects. Applications for the inaugural ArtSpark cycle, running October 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, close September 15 at 11:59 p.m. MST. The first group will be introduced at the ArtSpark Kickoff Barn-Raising on Friday, September 26, at 6 p.m.

Scottsdale Arts will also launch a new Artists-in-Residence program at Cattle Track, hosting national and international visual and performing artists for residencies lasting one week to two months. Works created during these residencies may be premiered at Cattle Track or presented through Scottsdale Arts’ other divisions.

Cattle Track, founded in 1937 by George and Rachael Ellis and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, has long been a hub for Arizona’s creative community. Over the decades, it has hosted notable figures including sculptor Louise Nevelson, painter Philip C. Curtis, and future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Upcoming Events & Exhibitions Connected to Cattle Track

• James Perkins: Burying Paintings, opening September 20 at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).

• Artists of Cattle Track, October 6–December 2025 at the Civic Center Public Gallery, with an opening reception on October 9.

• “Whimsical Layered Paper Art Scenes” workshop with Aimee Ollinger on October 18 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library.

• A Pivotal Point in Time: Art in Scottsdale in the 1970s, opening October 3 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information, visit ScottsdaleArts.org or call (480) 499-8587.

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