Civic Center Public Gallery

Scottsdale has a long history of support for art and artists. Many of the community’s original settlers—recruited from the East and Midwest by Scottsdale’s founder, Chaplain Winfield Scott—had an appreciation for cultural activities.

These early settlers established a public school system in 1896, promoted Scottsdale’s affiliation with the earliest area resorts like the Ingleside Inn (1909) and the Jokake Inn (1922), and, by the early 1900s, supported a burgeoning artists and writers culture. The Depression era saw an influx of artists to Scottsdale, where they set up their studios in Old Town and sold their artworks to visitors from all over the nation. By the 1960s, artists and Scottsdale residents began donating art and artifacts to the City to ensure that a record could be maintained of the Scottsdale’s history as a vibrant artistic community.

The earliest recorded artwork donations to the City of Scottsdale date back to 1968. Generous citizens continue to donate art to Scottsdale. There are currently 1,130 objects in the City’s portable works and public art collection. Seventy-five percent of the collection is on view in parks, city offices, libraries, and other municipal buildings.

On exhibit here are some of the more unusual objects in the collection, as well as some recent donations. From Scottsdale’s earliest days are antique fans, antique glass, ceramics, and a multi-panel weaving. We also include contemporary acquisitions of sculpture and prints.

Scottsdale Collects Art is on view through September 15, 2019, at the Civic Center Public Gallery, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251.