Art World Ascending
Scottsdale Stakes Its Contemporary Claim
Writer Joseph J. Airdo // Photography Courtesy of Scottsdale Art Week
Walk into WestWorld’s North Hall this March and the first thing you’ll notice is the impossible elegance: 117,000 square feet of black carpet stretching toward a horizon of pristine white walls soaring 10 feet high, each surface displaying blue-chip contemporary works from galleries spanning four continents. Monumental sculptures anchor the space while ambient music and carefully orchestrated sight lines pull you deeper into what has become one of the most sophisticated art experiences in the Western United States.
This is Scottsdale Art Week, and after drawing more than 14,000 attendees and generating multimillion-dollar sales in its 2025 debut, the event returns March 19-22 with an even more ambitious vision: 16 countries represented, participation from the prince of Bahrain, and an anticipated crowd exceeding 20,000 collectors, enthusiasts, and curious North Scottsdale residents ready to see — and be seen.
“Launching an international art fair in a community that’s never had one requires an educational process,” says Trey Brennen, co-owner of Scottsdale Art Week. “The maturation of what we’re doing really compounded after year one.”
What distinguishes Scottsdale Art Week from regional art festivals is scale and pedigree. This isn’t wine-and-browse at an outdoor mall. Brennen and his team have built something closer to Art Basel Miami than a Scottsdale Quarter art walk — a carefully curated convergence of international galleries, institutional partnerships and luxury branding that positions the Valley as a legitimate stop on the global contemporary art circuit.
“When you talk about an international art fair, you really need the international component,” Brennen explains. “This year we have at least 16 countries participating — we’ll probably have 20 by the time we’re finished — meaning they’re coming into the country, into Arizona, to exhibit their gallery. We even have the prince of Bahrain participating. That’s a big deal. That’s an international art fair right there.”
The roster skews 65% to 70% modern and contemporary — architecturally on-trend blue-chip works from established and emerging artists — but Brennen has deliberately preserved space for the Southwest’s artistic legacy: contemporary Indigenous art and Western historical pieces that honor Arizona’s cultural DNA. It’s a deliberate balancing act between global ambition and regional authenticity.
Title sponsor Scottsdale Ferrari returns for year two, bringing not just branding but product: sleek vehicles positioned throughout the exhibition floor as sculptural counterpoints to the paintings and installations. Four Ferraris sold during last year’s fair, a detail that underscores the event’s dual nature as both cultural experience and luxury marketplace.
“Ferrari is about as sexy a brand as it gets,” Brennen says. “The association between our fair and Ferrari elevates the entire experience — I can’t emphasize that enough.”
But perhaps the fair’s most significant credibility comes from its institutional anchors. Phoenix Art Museum serves as this year’s benefactor, joined by programming partners including the Heard Museum, ASU Art Museum, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and Western Spirit Museum. These organizations host panel discussions in the fair’s Cultural Programming Theater — intimate conversations about curation processes, the rise of contemporary indigenous artists, and other topics typically accessible only to museum insiders.
“Without the support of these institutions, I don’t think this event would be as nourishing as it is,” Brennen notes. “These organizations have been pillars of our young state for a very long time, and their involvement gives the fair real substance.”
The 2026 edition expands that institutional reach beyond state lines, bringing in directors and boards from museums in Denver, Santa Fe and California — a strategic move to activate collector networks across the region.
For North Scottsdale residents accustomed to world-class experiences, Scottsdale Art Week offers something rare: proximity to cultural infrastructure typically requiring international travel. Brennen, a 26-year Scottsdale art dealer, positioned the fair here intentionally.
“Scottsdale has become recognized around the country as the gem of our state,” he says. “All those big entities — the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, the Arabian Horse Show, the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament — they’re all here for a reason. Scottsdale is Arizona’s affluent playground.”
First-time visitors should expect sensory overload — the best kind. The compression of WestWorld’s modest entrance lobby gives way to the expansive exhibition floor, where monumental sculptures, carefully curated sight lines, and ambient music create an atmosphere of discovery. Last year’s fair featured several exhibitors hitting seven-figure sales, with sculptures selling off the floor almost daily.
“To see this caliber and diversity of work in person, you’d have to travel around the world three or four times over,” Brennen says. “Here, it’s all under one roof.”
Scottsdale Art Week
March 19–22 // See website for schedule // WestWorld of Scottsdale // 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale // See website for prices // scottsdaleartweek.com