Scottsdale Arts to Hold The ARTrageous Gala: Bloom at Newly Renovated Scottsdale Civic Center

Scottsdale Arts will bring its annual ARTrageous Gala back to the newly renovated Scottsdale Civic Center on April 1 for an outdoor celebration centered on a theme of "Bloom."

The gala, blooming with radiant living art experiences and fantastical creations, is designed to be an ultra-sensory evening that will reignite the attendees' passions for the arts.

"With the completion of the Scottsdale Civic Center campus and its new outdoor stages, we will have one of the most spectacular backdrops for a magnificent night under the stars," said Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, president and CEO of Scottsdale Arts. "Our outdoor campus will provide a setting unlike any other."

Wuestemann noted that over the past four years, Scottsdale Arts has reinvented its gala to become more engaging, glamorous and forward-thinking. During the pandemic, the nonprofit arts organization shifted its traditional gala date from winter to spring, with an eye on a potential outdoor event like this year's The ARTrageous Gala: Bloom.

The transformation began with last year's Luminescence gala, a cirque-style experience unlike any other in the Valley, thanks to entertainment throughout the night by the performance art collective Quixotic. This year's gala will again feature performances by Quixotic.

"Quixotic is very excited to come back to Arizona to work with the Scottsdale Arts organization and team," said Mica Thomas, executive producer of Quixotic. "We love this partnership that supports our group in exploring new creative collaborations. We are looking forward to the next adventure."

Festivities throughout the evening include a red-carpet arrival, living art activations, silent and live auctions, a delicious coursed meal, dessert bar and performances by Quixotic and the Valley's own Walter Productions.

Honorees and awardees include the Lifetime Award in Service to Oskar Knoblauch, a local Holocaust survivor who has worked with Scottsdale Arts on a number of educational arts initiatives; the Corporate Trailblazer Award to SRP, a valued partner for Scottsdale Arts events like Canal Convergence; and the Herberger Award for the Arts to Dorothy Lincoln Smith, a longtime supporter of the arts and committee member for Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

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