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Gallery Row, lightly toasted
Main Street and Marshall Way hold more art per block than anywhere in the state. Thursday night is when it comes alive.
The Scottsdale Arts District runs along Gallery Row on Main Street, from Scottsdale Road west to Goldwater Boulevard, then north up Marshall Way, across Indian School Road, all the way to the Horse Fountain on Fifth Avenue. It's a short walk end to end. The galleries sit shoulder to shoulder in low Western storefronts, close enough that you can see a dozen in an hour.
It's the most underrated stoner zone in Scottsdale. Air conditioning, free entry, quiet rooms full of giant bronze horses and paintings that do something different every time you look. The historic core next door is on the Old Town page. This one is all about the art, the Thursday walk, and where to eat once your eyes are tired.
Scottsdale ArtWalk: Thursday night on Main and Marshall
ArtWalk happens every Thursday evening, every week of the year except Thanksgiving, and it's free. The Scottsdale Gallery Association says it's been going since 1975, which makes it the longest running art walk in the country. Galleries keep their doors open late, artists show up, and the street fills with people holding plastic cups of wine and pretending to know about patina.
In the cooler months the association runs Gold Palette ArtWalks with themes like Native Spirit and Western Week, extra performances and valet on Main Street. Those are the nights to come. In summer it's mellower and you get more face time with the gallery folks, which is its own kind of nice.
Eat dinner first, then walk. Start on Main near Scottsdale Road and drift west, then hook up Marshall Way. Bring a light layer in winter. Desert nights drop fast once the sun is gone.
Galleries and museums in the Arts District
There are more than 100 galleries in Scottsdale and a couple dozen belong to the gallery association, most of them on these few blocks. These are the ones worth building a walk around.
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Arts District
Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West
3830 N Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251Opened in 2015 and a Smithsonian affiliate since then, this two story museum covers the art and history of 19 Western states plus Western Canada and Mexico. Collections that rotate through include Edward S. Curtis photographs, Hopi pottery with pieces by Nampeyo, and a huge Western poster collection. A national Western magazine called it the country's best Western museum six years running, 2016 through 2021.
The building is half the show. The concrete ribs outside mimic saguaro ribs and throw vertical shade, and the courtyard has a weeping wall that recycles AC condensation into the landscaping. Very good place to be quietly baked on a hot afternoon.
TipHit the sculpture courtyard last and sit with the bronzes for a minute.
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Arts District
Wilde Meyer Gallery
4142 N Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251Contemporary work in a lot of directions: abstract, figurative, desert scenery and a modern take on Western art, across paintings, bronzes, sculpture and glass. The color here is loud in the best way.
They stay open for ArtWalk on Thursday nights, and the shows change monthly, so it's a different room every time you come back.
TipMake it your Marshall Way anchor and work south from here.
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Arts District
Faust Gallery
7100 E Main St, Ste 4, Scottsdale, AZ 85251Faust focuses on American Indian art: paintings, pottery and Hopi Kachina dolls. It's a different speed from the big Western canvases up the street, more detail, more to lean in and study.
Main Street has several Native art dealers, and this is a solid one to start with if you've never looked closely at Kachina carving.
TipAsk about the carvers. The stories behind the pieces are the good part.
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Arts District
Scottsdale Artists' School
3720 N Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251Not a gallery, a working art school that runs workshops right on Marshall Way. If looking at art all night has you itching to make some, this is where people actually learn to paint and sculpt.
Check their workshop list if you're in town for a while. Sober hands are recommended for the clay wheel.
Where to eat and drink around the Arts District
The Arts District has a quiet little wine trail and a few kitchens that locals actually go to. Here's the short list.
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Arts District
Citizen Public House
7111 E 5th Ave, Scottsdale, AZ 85251Chef Bernie Kantak's gastropub at the north end of the walk, known for the Original Chopped Salad: smoked salmon, couscous, arugula and a buttermilk herb dressing. It's famous for a reason.
Bernie's Mac 'N Cheese and the meatloaf are the munchie orders. The bar's deep, and the room is open and easy.
TipGet the chopped salad for the table and a mac for yourself.
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Arts District
Craft 64
6922 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251Wood fired Neapolitan pizza, house made mozzarella and a long list of Arizona craft beer on tap, right at the west end of Gallery Row. Casual, loud, patio friendly.
The Fico and the Carne are the pies people come back for. The tiramisu is a good way to end it.
TipIt's a perfect pre-ArtWalk dinner since the walk starts a few doors away.
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Arts District
Aridus Wine Co. Tasting Room
7173 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251One of several tasting rooms in the district. Aridus pours wines made from grapes sourced around Arizona, New Mexico and California, and most rooms on the Scottsdale wine trail do flights so you can try a few without committing.
It's a nice mid-walk pause on a Thursday. Sit down, sip, let the art settle.
TipKeep the cross-fade gentle. Wine plus a strong edible sneaks up fast.
Questions about Arts District
When is Scottsdale ArtWalk?
ArtWalk runs every Thursday evening along Main Street and Marshall Way, except Thanksgiving. It's free. Themed Gold Palette ArtWalks happen in the cooler months with extra performances.
How long has Scottsdale ArtWalk been running?
Since 1975, according to the Scottsdale Gallery Association, which calls it the nation's longest running art walk.
Where is the Scottsdale Arts District?
It follows Gallery Row on Main Street from Scottsdale Road to Goldwater Boulevard, then north on Marshall Way across Indian School Road to the Horse Fountain on Fifth Avenue. It sits right next to historic Old Town.
Is Scottsdale's Museum of the West worth it?
Yes. Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West is a Smithsonian affiliate at 3830 N Marshall Way, with Curtis photographs, Hopi pottery and Western art from 19 states. A national Western magazine named it the best Western museum in the country six years in a row.
Can I smoke weed at Scottsdale ArtWalk?
No. Public consumption is a petty offense in Arizona, and the walk is on public sidewalks. Sesh on private property before you go, then let somebody else drive afterward.