Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
As Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts nears the end of its 50th anniversary season, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts will celebrate the milestone at the ARTrageous Gala on April 11.
Scottsdale Arts plans to highlight five decades of creativity, performances and community contributions at the event, according to a press release.
“We are excited to bookend our golden anniversary season with a spectacular ARTrageous Gala,” Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, president and CEO of Scottsdale Arts, said. “After kicking off our anniversary season back in November with the extraordinary Alison Krauss performance, the ARTrageous Gala will celebrate some of the important people who have supported this decades-long success story of art and culture in Scottsdale.”
The event will recognize patrons, artists and others who have shaped the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the broader Scottsdale Arts organization. In addition to operating the center, Scottsdale Arts oversees Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence, Civic Center Live and Scottsdale Arts @ Cattle Track.
The gala will include a groundbreaking ceremony for a renovation project at the center. The smaller Stage 2 theater, originally known as the cinema when the facility opened in 1975, is scheduled to be transformed into a modular performance space.
Event programming will feature acrobatic entertainment, music, food and cocktails. Organizers say the evening will look back at the center’s history while outlining its future direction.
“The ARTrageous Gala is our annual opportunity to not only celebrate creativity but also to rally support for the arts here in Scottsdale,” Alycia Elfstrom, chief development officer for Scottsdale Arts, said. “It’s a chance to celebrate those who have done this important work in decades past while renewing our commitment to uplifting artistic expression and access to the arts.”
The center opened to the public in October 1975. The nonprofit Scottsdale Arts — then called the Scottsdale Cultural Council — began operating the venue in the mid-1980s.
