Scottsdale Art Week’s Cultural Programming presents a curated series of panel discussions and conversations that bring together museum directors, curators, artists, scholars, art professionals and market specialists. These dialogues explore the ideas, practices, and perspectives shaping the art world today—bridging institutional insight, creative vision, and market expertise in a setting that encourages both reflection and discovery.

The programming unfolds within the Cultural Programming Theatre, an intentionally designed space located between booths A11 and A12. Access to Scottsdale Art Week’s daily Cultural Programming at the fair from Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22 is included with all tickets.

Friday, March 20

12pm: Caring for your Art Collection
Acquiring a work of art is only the beginning. Leading art professionals share insider knowledge on how to properly care for and preserve a collection. From appraisal and documentation to handling, installation, and long-term conservation, this discussion offers practical guidance for collectors at every level. Moderated by Aundria Arneson Communications and Marketing Manager for Art Solutions and Installations, with panelists Scott Talbott, owner of Art Solutions and Installations and appraiser Tiffany Fairall who work behind the scenes to ensure artworks are protected, displayed, and maintained.

1:30pm In Conversation: Cara Romero and Emilia Mickevicius

Join leading contemporary photographer Cara Romero, Scottsdale Art Week’s Indigenous Artist of the Year, and curator Emilia Mickevicius for an exciting behind-the-scenes look at Romero’s exhibition “Panûpünüwügai (Living Light).” Cara and Emilia will discuss the creative process of bringing the show to life at Phoenix Art Museum and the centrality of collaboration in Romero’s practice, spotlighting the artist’s momentous new commission unveiled with the exhibition. Emilia Mickevicius, Ph.D. is the Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography, a dual appointment between the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona and Phoenix Art Museum.

3pm Exploring the Intersection of Art + Design

A dynamic panel discussion exploring the relationship between art and design, and how the two disciplines inform and elevate one another. Moderated by Phoenix Home & Garden Editor-in-Chief, John Roark, the conversation brings together Architect Mark Candelaria of Candelaria Design, Interior Designers Anita Lang of IMI Design and Britany Simon of Britany Simon Design House, and Landscape Architect Dan Waters of Creative Environments, to examine how art and design work in unison to shape thoughtful, engaging environments.

5pm Keynote Inside the Studio with Naiomi and Tyler Glasses

Accomplished Diné weavers, Naiomi and Tyler Glasses, are the design day keynote speakers. The Glasses create textiles inspired by the traditions of their grandmother. The Arizona-based siblings have been sought out by national brands across the country and Naiomi served as the first ever artist in residence for Ralph Lauren. The pair just also teamed up for their second collaboration with Lauren, this one a collection for the home called Canyon Road. The two speak regularly about their work and process and participate in fashion and art events around the country.

Saturday, March 21

12pm Trends in the International Contemporary Art Market

A panel of global art professionals from three continents shed light on the current state and trends of the international contemporary art market. From Europe we have Phillip Blond of Blond Contemporary in the UK and Matthias Nijs founder of L.E. Gallery in Belgium. From Asia we have Motti Abromovitz of Bruno Fine Art in Tel Aviv, Israel. From South America we welcome Laura Giamberti of Imaginario from Argentina. Moderated by Josh Rose of Scottsdale Art Week.

1:30pm Who Shapes the Art World? Markets, Money, and Meaning

Led by Jeremy Mikolajczak, The Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum, this conversation examines the forces shaping today’s art world. From private banks managing wealth, collectors and philanthropists funding institutions, galleries building markets, art fairs hosting conversations, and museums shaping cultural narratives, the art ecosystem is fueled by both passion and capital. Artists drive the ideas, but bankers, collectors, galleries, fairs and museums determine how those ideas circulate, gain value, and enter history. At a time when private patronage, acquisitions, and institutional support are converging in powerful ways, this discussion asks: who is shaping the market—and what does that mean for artists and culture?

3pm Arizona: Past and Present

Sade Moore, Windgate Curatorial Fellow at ASU in conversation Dan Clevenger of DLR Architects, who is leading the exhibition design for the upcoming exhibition Land and Legacy: Bennie Gonzalez and Dennis Numkena. Together, they will explore how Bennie Gonzalez (1924–2008) and Dennis Numkena (1941–2010) shaped the Scottsdale art scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Moore will then spotlight the present moment by introducing two contemporary creatives working in Arizona, artists Jesús Robles, and Selina Martinez—highlighting the ongoing evolution of the region’s artistic legacy.

5pm Curation, Conservation, Presentation – Facets of a Contemporary Art Museum

Moderated by Scottsdale Arts President and CEO, Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, this discussion covers the role and impact of contemporary art museums in today’s art world with SMoCA’s Lauren O’Connell, Frank DeCurtis, and Carrie Tovcar with interdisciplinary artist and ASU Associate Professor, Erika Lynne Hanson.

Sunday, March 22

1:30 pm: Shaping the Southwestern Spirit: Conversation with Alissa Ford and Mark Sublette

This conversation explores the evolution of Western and Native American art across the 20th century and into the present. Heritage Auctions Vice President of American & Western Art Alissa Ford and Medicine Man Gallery founder Dr. Mark Sublette examine key movements—from the Taos Society of Artists and Transcendentalism to the rise of Native contemporary art—while discussing the enduring influence of artists such as Maynard Dixon and Arizona modernist Ed Mell. The discussion will also offer insight into the current Western art market and the continued shaping of the Southwestern artistic identity.

3pm Curt Walters: Resilience—A Conversation on Art, Place, and a Life in Painting

Celebrated for his luminous and deeply observed paintings of the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest, Curt Walters is one of the region’s most distinguished living artists. On the occasion of his new book and retrospective exhibition at Western Spirit Museum, Walters joins Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chief Curator of Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, to reflect on his remarkable career and the ideas, experiences, and discipline that have shaped his work.