Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
While Scottsdale Arts’ Canal Convergence is best known for its illuminated, interactive art installations, the annual event will also feature nearly 100 workshops, performances, tours and community activities during its 10-night run from Nov. 6-15.
This year’s event centers on the theme “Western Nature” and includes arts programming led by Indigenous and Latinx artists and organizations, according to a press release. Many activities are free to attend, while select workshops, tours and special events require tickets.
Workshops focus on culture, art and community engagement
The Nationwide Innovation Zone will host a variety of workshops and community engagement opportunities inspired by cultural and historical practices of the region.
Participants can create artwork using natural pigments with artists from the Center for Imagination in the Borderlands on Nov. 9, learn beading techniques with Maxica Colectivo on Nov. 10 and take part in a bandana-printing workshop led by Jeremy Arviso on Nov. 15. The activities highlight traditional and contemporary Indigenous art forms.
The Scottsdale Arts Roundabout on Marshall Way will feature community programming presented by organizations including CALA Alliance, Monarca Center for Healing and Justice, Art Heals Arizona, RUMBO, Puente, Cahokia, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, Arizona Dream Act Coalition and S’edav Va’aki Museum.
“For Canal Convergence, I wanted to create a space where the roundabout could hold many forms of knowledge, memory and collective imagination,” Yaritza Flores Bustos, community engagement coordinator for Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, said. “I invited organizations whose work is deeply rooted in Arizona’s communities and whose practices engage questions of belonging, migration, land, climate, healing, cultural memory and place. Together, these partnerships create a constellation, one where art functions as a meeting point for storytelling, learning, making, organizing and healing.”
‘Working West’ explores fashion and identity
The event’s Dress-Up Space returns this year as “Working West,” an installation curated by Phoenix-based Indigenous designer and creative director Jeremy Arviso in collaboration with Diné hatter Geri James and Diné weaver Gloria Fain.
The exhibit explores connections between Arizona’s working landscape, reclaimed materials, contemporary Indigenous design and personal expression.
“Together, the collaboration creates an environment where fashion, textiles, design, and participation intersect, encouraging visitors not simply to look at the work but to enter it, interact with it and become part of the story,” Mr. Arviso said. “’Working West’ is an invitation to customize, create and wear your story.”
Live music, fashion and dance performances planned
Visitors looking for entertainment can stop by the Herberger Stage at Soleri Plaza, where the Canal Convergence Beer and Wine Garden will feature food trucks, dessert vendors, wine, beer, canned cocktails and soft drinks throughout the event.
Weekend performances will include Arizona-based and regional musicians, including Latin pop artist QVLN and indie rock band Nodaway.
New weekday programming includes “WEARABLE WILDS: Fashion, Technology & Ecologies of the West” on Nov. 12, a fashion show produced by Arizona State University FIDM students. The presentation explores the intersection of fashion, technology and ecology through wearable designs inspired by the American West. A selection of garments from Mr. Arviso’s “Working West” collection also will be featured.
Dance performances are also returning to Canal Convergence. NicoleOlson|MovementChaos will perform Nov. 14 at the installation “APOGEE” by Chalk River Labs, while Scottsdale Community College Dance will present site-specific performances at 7 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15.
The free event takes place along the Scottsdale Waterfront and features large-scale, light-based installations, interactive art experiences, performances and educational programming throughout its run.
