Scottsdale Art Galleries News

The Scottsdale Gallery Association is proud to introduce new members Gebert Contemporary (formerly Chiaroscuro) and River Trading. Stay tuned for more new members on the scene!

Sunrise bank has started an unprecedented “give back” program to support the arts — In conjunction with Meridian Payment Systems, Sunrise Bank of Arizona is preparing to launch a unique private sector program that will provide recurring income for the Scottsdale Arts District and its public arts programs in Downtown Scottsdale.

How it works — Sunrise Bank’s cause-related merchant card services program will “give back” funds from its total credit card sales generated by participating merchants within the Scottsdale Arts District, collecting those funds in an account earmarked for Arts District projects. To bring the program out of the gate at top speed, Sunrise has offered to set up its credit card system at no charge for participating merchants or will perform free conversions of existing credit card systems. In addition, Sunrise will provide ongoing credit card services at the lowest rates available in the market.

Launch date — Tentative launch date for the merchant card services program in the Scottsdale Arts District is July 1, 2008.

Participants in the Arts District — The Scottsdale Arts District boasts a world-famous concentration of private art galleries as well as restaurants, hotels and many other merchants. It is home to the Scottsdale Gallery Association (SGA) and its 33-year tradition Scottsdale ArtWalk. The SGA has officially endorsed Sunrise Bank’s new program and will administer any funds raised. The surrounding vicinity also includes the Old Town district, the Buckboard/3rd Ave district, and other areas, which may also participate in the Sunrise program.

Potential annual contributions to the arts — City records reflect up to $290 million of annual merchant card activity in Scottsdale’s downtown districts alone. Sunrise Bank and Meridian Payment Systems have a goal of contributing up to $500 per each $1 million in merchant services activity. It is hoped that the program may return more than $50,000 in annual income for the Scottsdale Gallery Association to promote Downtown arts, stage events and contribute to schools through its SGA Arts Education Fund.

Future rollout — Sunrise Bank hopes to develop additional community-based “give back” programs in a similar manner, but will initially focus all of its efforts on making the Scottsdale Arts District program a success…and a thriving prototype for the future.

The Scottsdale Gallery Association (SGA) has announced its officers for 2008-2009. Beverly Roman of ArtSpace and the Robert Roman Gallery becomes president of the nonprofit organization. She is joined by vice president Kathy Duley of Duley Jones Gallery, secretary Jane Phillips of Scottsdale Fine Art and treasurer Linda Sherer of LeKae Gallery.

Other SGA board members include Deborah O’Hara of Calvin Charles Gallery, Vicky Boyce of the Victoria Boyce Gallery, Clark Olsen of the David Bonner Gallery, Victor Ostrovsky of Ostrovsky Fine Art, Paul Piazza of Rain Bird Scottsdale and Liz Hernandez of Hernandez Contemporary Fine Art.

Scottsdale Artists’ School will showcase the very best art created by its students in its annual The Best and the Brightest Juried Fine Art Show and Sale. Featuring paintings, drawings and sculpture from professional as well as undiscovered artists, the annual juried show is considered a not-to-miss by collectors and enthusiasts. The show runs from October 16 through November 18, 2008 with an artists’ reception Thursday, October 16, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Now in its 24rd year, the show will offer for sale more than 100 works of art selected from over 300 entries submitted by students who have taken classes at the School during the past three years. Juried categories include oil painting, watercolor, pastel/drawing, and sculpture. Prices range from $200 to $5,000.

Hours are 8:30 am to 5:00 pm weekdays and 9 am to 4 pm Saturdays. Admission is free and open to the public. Scottsdale Artists’ School is located at 3720 N. Marshall Way in the Scottsdale Arts District (SW corner of 2nd Street and Marshall Way). Free parking is available in the school’s parking lot.

For more information call the school at (480) 990-1422 or visit the web site at www.ScottsdaleArtSchool.org.

Two of America’s foremost landscape artists return to celebrate SAS’ 25th Anniversary

Two of America’s foremost plein air landscape artists, Kevin Macpherson and Matt Smith, are coming back to Scottsdale to help celebrate SAS’ 25th Anniversary. They are “coming home” to demonstrate and exhibit the considerable artistic talent they began honing years ago as students at Scottsdale Artists’ School, which today is widely recognized as the Southwest’s premiere traditional art institution.

In an all-day special event commemorating the School’s founding, the two nationally acclaimed artists will conduct separate three-hour art demonstrations with accompanying commentaries beginning with Smith’s demo at 9 am followed by Macpherson’s at 2 pm on Saturday, November 8, 2008.

Because of anticipated demand for tickets, the Macpherson/Smith event will be held at Stagebrush Theater on 2nd Street and Marshall Way across the street from Scottsdale Artists’ School. Seating is limited and available on a first come first served basis. The demonstrations will be separated by a buffet lunch and followed by an evening reception with the artists and an exhibition of their work at Scottsdale Artists’ School.

Tickets are $195 per demonstration or $350 for both. Cost includes lunch, reception, the exhibition and a 20% discount on advance copies of SAS’ planned DVDs of the Macpherson-Smith demonstrations. A chance to purchase the paintings created by the artists’ during their respective demonstrations will also be held. Those attending both demonstrations will also be invited to participate in a “Coffee and Critique” session with the artists beginning 9 am, Sunday, November 9, at Scottsdale Artists’ School.

Each presentation will be digitally captured for large-screen overhead projection and recorded for later use in SAS’ planned production of commercial DVDs.

Highly-respected among collectors and fellow artists alike, Kevin Macpherson is past president of Plein Air Painters of America. His painting instruction book, Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light and Color, is in its ninth printing, including a Chinese language translation. Winner of numerous awards, Macpherson is the first artist named Master Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America. He began studying at SAS in 1983 and was recipient of SAS’ “Best and the Brightest” Purchase Award in 1986.

Following graduation from ASU with a BFA degree in painting, Matt Smith became an ardent student of traditional art at Scottsdale Artists’ School in 1984. He won Best of Show Award at SAS’ “Best and Brightest” show in1990. Today, Smith is a nationally prominent plein air artist, who spends half the year traveling, painting landscapes wherever he goes. He has participated in many major shows and exhibitions throughout the country and has received numerous awards at such prestigious venues as Prix de West, the National Museum of Wildlife Art and Western Rendezvous of Art. Like Macpherson, Smith’s work has been featured in many of America’s leading art magazines.

This special event is part of SAS’ Anniversary Year plan to add many more top-notch professional artists to its guest faculty and to expand the School’s curriculum to accommodate virtually all important genres of traditional art, including western art and wildlife painting.

Scottsdale Artists’ School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit school of traditional art founded in 1983. It is one of the country’s premiere art institutions, offering more than 2,000 students a year approximately 200 art classes and workshops featuring a roster of as many as 140 visiting artists-instructors, many of them nationally and internationally renowned.

Scottsdale's ArtWalk is Named 2007´s “Best Reason to Walk the Streets
of Scottsdale in Summer!” by Phoenix New Times

Phoenix New Times magazine has named Scottsdale ArtWalk BEST REASON TO WALK THE STREETS OF SCOTTSDALE IN THE DEAD OF SUMMER (2007). The article mentions one Thursday in July when "the place positively pops." This refers to our Summer Spectacular ArtWalk, which is next scheduled for July 10, 2008. Mark your calendars now for this fabulous event, and check out more special event ArtWalks coming soon!

Readers of AmericanStyle magazine ranked Scottsdale the No. 4 mid-sized city in the 9th annual Top 25 Arts Destinations readers' poll. In the mid-sized city category (populations of 100,000 to 499,999), Scottsdale was ranked No. 4, behind Buffalo, N.Y.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Pittsburgh, Pa.

Scottsdale has appeared on AmericanStyle magazine's Top 25 Arts Destinations list six times since the poll's inception. AmericanStyle is a bi-monthly magazine with a circulation of 60,000 published for arts enthusiasts, collectors and travelers.