There’s a lot of buzz around Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week, a brand-new art and design fair that has attracted more than 100 leading galleries, curators and dealers from around the world to participate in its inaugural year. Staged in one of the top art destinations in the Southwest—in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the sprawling WestWorld event center—the show will feature a combination of contemporary, historic and Indigenous art and design. Cultural performances, fashion shows, installations, and insightful special programming add depth and context to the event, making it a truly immersive experience.
John Scheiffer, Glass Giants, oil on panel, 96 x 96”. Courtesy Bonner David Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, and New York, NY.
Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week is the brainchild of Trey Brennen, owner of the Scottsdale gallery T.H. Brennen Fine Art. “A couple of years ago I was returning from the Hamptons Fine Art Fair, and I was convinced that my city and state could not only benefit from a large fair but would thrive and support the fair in a way that elevates the state (and Southwest) both culturally and economically…As an art dealer here, I felt there was a cultural thirst for a fair of this size. Our state, and city, have benefitted from people all over the country moving here for its mild climate and favorable business conditions. Business has never been better and the amount of talented people coming into Arizona has been incredible. We are the fifth-largest metroplex in the country, and Scottsdale is one of the fastest-growing cities for millionaires in the world. Couple these important factors with Arizona’s art community, such an exercise makes you think why hasn’t this been done before?”
Some of the biggest gallery names in contemporary realism will be exhibiting at Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week, including New York’s Arcadia Contemporary. Arcadia will be showcasing works by figurative artists Alex Venezia, Aaron Westerberg, Ivan Franco Fraga, Arinze Stanley and floral artist Daniel Bilodeau, to name a few.
Brad Overton, Heart of Gold, oil on canvas, 48 x 36”. Courtesy Blue Rain Galleries, Durango, CO, and Santa Fe, NM.
Blue Rain Gallery, with locations in Durango, Colorado, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, will be presenting a wide range of contemporary, Indigenous and Western artworks by painters like Brad Overton, Dennis Ziemienski, GL Richardson, and glass artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit).
“Blue Rain Gallery is thrilled to be participating in Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week, an exclusive event that brings together the worlds of luxury and fine art,” the gallery shares. “This prestigious occasion offers a unique opportunity to showcase the gallery’s exceptional roster of artists to an audience that appreciates craftsmanship, beauty and innovation.”
Dennis Ziemienski, Air Line Diner, oil on canvas, 30 x 30”. Courtesy Blue Rain Galleries, Durango, CO, and Santa Fe, NM.
Bonner David Galleries, with showrooms in Scottsdale and New York, will be bringing a selection of works by its top-tier artists, among them Michael Carson and John Scheiffer. George Billis Gallery, Artemizia Foundation, Bentley Gallery, Gino Miles Sculpture, William Havu Gallery and de Sarthe Gallery are also among this year’s exhibitors.
Another highlight of the event is a special exhibition curated by Tony Abeyta, a Diné artist and member of the fair advisory committee. Desert Modernism will explore the intertwined trajectory of Phoenix artists of Native, Anglo and Hispanic descent between roughly 1930 and 1980.
Daniel Bilodeau, The Bouquet and the Bumblebee, oil and mixed media on paper, 48 x 36”. Courtesy Arcadia Contemporary, New York, NY.
Cultural programming throughout the fair includes discussions with museum curators and directors, authors, artists, gallerists and other art professionals. Topics will vary from art collecting tips, Latinx art, galleries’ role in fostering a thriving art market, the intersection of artificial intelligence and fine art, contemporary Indigenous art, the legacy of art dealer Elaine Horwitch, and more.
Michael Carson, Full Circle, oil on panel, 48 x 36”. Courtesy Bonner David Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, and New York, NY.
More than a year ago, Brennen and an all-star team of partners and staff set about creating what they believed would be the largest cultural event in Phoenix. “Fast forward a year, and now we describe the event as being the largest cultural event in Southwest,” says Brennen. “The artwork to be experienced will be very diverse, from contemporary indigenous, traditional, historical, to the more provocative and contemporary. If you step back and consider the amount of effort it would take (and money) to travel the world to see all of the artwork within WestWorld’s North Hall at Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week, it is a staggering thought.”
Aaron Westerberg, In the Artist’s Studio, oil on canvas, 36 x 36”. Courtesy Arcadia Contemporary, New York, NY.
Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week kicks off with an exclusive VIP preview event on Thursday, March 20, from noon to 5 p.m., followed by a gala benefitting Arizona State University Art Museum from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring an Indigenous fashion show, opera performance, Champagne and appetizers.
The fair continues through March 23 with engaging programming and entertainment daily. For details and to purchase tickets, visit www.scottsdaleartweek.com. —
Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week
March 20-23, 2025
WestWorld of Scottsdale
16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
www.scottsdaleartweek.com
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