The momentum is building toward a family festival to celebrate visual and performing arts created by Scottsdale students as it returns in late March for its third year.

Scottsdale Family ArtsFest at SkySong will be held on March 21-22 at SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center in south Scottsdale. The event is a partnership between Arizona State University, the Scottsdale Unified School District, Scottsdale Arts, the city of Scottsdale, and the SkySong development team.

Scottsdale Family ArtsFest at SkySong will be a free, two-day festival of creativity that includes performances, interactive demonstrations, creative interventions, and culinary delights from local food trucks throughout the SkySong campus.  

Over the course of the event, attendees will experience performances and art exhibitions delivered by Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) students, family friendly arts activities presented by Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, and interactive demonstrations from city of Scottsdale departments.   

The event will also include six partner organizations to further expand its programming and impact.

• Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation: The foundation will be leading building activities, including blocks, bridge building, cardboard construction tools, and more.
  
  
• Scottsdale Artists’ School: They will be encouraging guests to think outside the paper box and learn how to fuse natural, found, and recycled objects with traditional techniques to explore contemporary themes and develop artistic style.
  
  
• Blue Zones Project Scottsdale: Their presence at the event will be focused on healthy choices and creating a happier, healthier Scottsdale for everyone.
  
  
• Scottsdale Community College: The college will be providing resources to promote the visual arts and SCC.
  
  
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale: They will be leading do-it-yourself pins with drawings or magazine images.
  
  
• AZ(LAND): They will utilize artistic activities to engage participants in climate and environmental issues endemic to the Sonoran Desert.

Additionally, Scottsdale Community Partners (SCP) will be holding their annual Alli Ortega Empty Bowls Fundraiser in the lobby entrance of the event in SkySong Building 1. There will be bowls crafted by SUSD students and the Scottsdale community available for purchase, in addition to an online auction featuring class bowls, art, and various goods donated by the community. Funds raised will support all SCP programs, in partnership with city of Scottsdale Human Services, such as the Vista del Camino Food Bank, Back-to-School, and Healthy Packs weekend food program for SUSD students.

The event starts on Friday, March 21, and runs from 5 to 9 p.m. that day, and will resume Saturday, March 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be several different areas to explore, including:

• Main Stage: Relax under the iconic SkySong tent and enjoy performances throughout the event by SUSD choirs, bands, and orchestras. Festivities kick off on Friday, March 21, at 5 p.m. with a welcome by SUSD Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel and other special guests.   
• Art Exhibitions, Building 3, Synergy Room: See artworks created by more than 1,000 SUSD elementary, middle, and high school students.   
• Arts Zone: Anyone can be an artist! Come make art with Scottsdale Arts through a variety of all-age friendly activities.   
• Café Stage: Grab a snack and enjoy performances throughout the event by SUSD musical theater students, student choirs, strings, and orchestras.   
• Community Zone: Meet our city of Scottsdale and community partners and learn all about the services and programs the city has to offer!
• Alli Ortega Empty Bowls: Scottsdale Community Partners (SCP) will be holding their annual Alli Ortega Empty Bowls Fundraiser in the lobby entrance of the event in SkySong Building 1. There will be bowls crafted by SUSD students and the Scottsdale community available for purchase, in addition to an online auction featuring class bowls, art, and various goods donated by the community.

Last year’s event was attended by more than 5,000 attendees and featured more than 800 choir, orchestra, theater, and band students performing on the Main Stage and Café Stage. It also featured art exhibitions with work created by nearly 1,200 SUSD elementary, middle, and high school students from 39 schools. The event raised $46,834 through Scottsdale Community Partner’s Alli Ortega Empty Bowls program.

Seed funding for the event was provided by a grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to Arizona State University. Sponsorships for the Scottsdale Family ArtsFest at SkySong are available as well.

For more information on the event, visit SkySong.com/ArtsFest.