AUG/SEPT 2021 | 58 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA W ith new exhibits, timed entries and reimagined, distanced events, Scottsdale Arts racked up a string of successes during the past year. But it’s the future that the arts umbrella organization — made up of Center for the Performing Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art, Public Art, Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence, and Arts Festival/ Events @ Civic Center — has its eyes squarely on. “Scottsdale Arts exits the pandemic in exceptional financial shape and without ever laying off a single staff member,” said Gerd Wuestemann, Scottsdale Arts president and CEO. “We have been able to work hard and prepare our most star-studded, most diverse and most extensive season ever.” Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza - Scottsdale, AZ - June 29, 2021 February 20 – August 22, 2021 ark of bulrushes presents a new series by Los Angeles-based artist D the artist’s first woven sculptures and photographic representations. queer histories, Brackens has developed a process of combining the the artworks tell timeless narratives about emancipation and remedia Brackens’s deeply colored weavings pull imagery from 19th century f traveling along the Underground Railroad—and star constellations th psyche for thousands of years. The central focus of Brackens’s artwo implied in absence. Intertwined with the patterns are dynamic human positioning aligns the body within the cosmic proportions of the unive The sculptural basket boats in this exhibition take different forms th ark is Brackens’s sculptural prototype of a boat that he hopes to flo passenger to sit upright or lie down, the body and boat can float an is significant in legends of deliverance, including the biblical story of the infant Moses up the Nile River. Taking its name from this story, a the passing on of tradition, technique, and narrative. Brackens prac new definitions of what it means to live today. This is the inaugural exhibition for PROJECT SPACE—an initiative th practice. Organized by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art an Support provided by The S. Rex and Joan Lewis Foundation and T Diedrick Brackens: ark of bulrushe Project Space Dates are subject to change Images (left to right): (1) Installation view of Diedrick Brackens: ark of bulrushes at the Scottsdale Mus pigment print, 24 × 36 inches. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, and Various For more information about the exhibition, please contact Jen and chief curator of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, ScottsdaleArts.org or call 480-874-4637. To learn about spons funding contact Denise Wisdom, corporate and foundation rel In addition, Scottsdale Arts has taken on a visionary construction project. The concept creates a walkable corridor of galleries, art facilities, public art, museums and concert venues, studded with hotels, restaurants and bars, all in an easily walkable span. “We are very excited about this design. It will transform our campus,” Wuestemann said. You can hear the excitement when he talks. “There’s a new outdoor stage on 75 th Street, which will play up to 2,200 in lawn seating. Right in front of Center for the Performing Arts, there will be an ingenious 360-degree stage which allows us to play in four directions and to 50 to 1,500 people,” he said. Construction starts this September and is set to wrap in December 2022, in time for Super Bowl 2023 Fan Zone events. “We are planning to ramp up to 80 annual outdoor events over the first three years — from large and small festivals to community engagement, concerts, free family shows, theater, dance — all under starry skies,” Wuestemann said. SCOTTSDALE ARTS Gerd Wuestemann, Scottsdale Arts president and CEO

FRONTDOORS MEDIA | 59 | AUG/SEPT 2021 THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY W hen Suzanne Wilson became president and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony in late January 2020, she could never have imagined what was about to unfold seven weeks later. With 140 performance cancellations, Wilson and her team were forced to make heartbreaking decisions to ensure the survival of the historic institution. “Looking back, I am struck by the warm and remarkable community who welcomed and supported me and helped steward this orchestra through a tumultuous time,” Wilson said. During those difficult months, The Symphony’s commitment to being a catalyst for connection, wellness and hope was stronger than ever. It produced digital content to enrich students’ remote learning and entertain vulnerable communities. Musicians even organized impromptu performances outside of hospitals and vaccination sites to show their gratitude for frontline workers. At the same time, the state’s largest performing arts organization discovered just how much gratitude the community has for it. “Thanks to our extraordinary friends, board of directors and all who stood by our side, as well as our highly anticipated award from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, we now see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Wilson said. The upcoming season marks The Symphony’s 75 th anniversary and Wilson looks forward to a spectacular celebration. “This season feels like a homecoming and will be less about what we are playing and more about the fact that we are performing and returning to live concerts surrounded by our community,” she said. With its official season announcement coming soon — “It’s worth the wait,” Wilson said — The Phoenix Symphony is looking forward to its orchestra performing as a whole once again. Excitement is in the air, not just for the orchestra, but for all of the collaboration, compassion and creativity that the challenges of the pandemic have brought about. “Stay tuned — there’s so much more to come, not just from The Phoenix Symphony, but from all of the cultural organizations,” Wilson said. “I believe that as we continue to emerge from the pandemic, you’ll see an explosion in the arts and a celebration of what it truly means to be a community.” Suzanne Wilson, president and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony