Meow Wolf OCTOBER 2021 | 20 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA Lisa Pagel I Associate Publisher CATCH THE SPIRIT KEY TO THE GOOD LIFE { creating culture } Have you visited this Smithsonian affiliate? Photos by Melissa Mulera

FRONTDOORS MEDIA | 21 | OCTOBER 2021 l ocated in the heart of downtown Scottsdale, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is a visual delight. As you stroll through the picturesque Cactus Garden, the surroundings perfectly complement the museum’s architecture — desert xeriscape with saguaros as sculpture, designs in the sidewalk that resemble tooled leather, metal sculptures and steel gently oxidizing in the Arizona sun. Designed by Studio Ma, the museum is LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The structure is energy- and water-efficient and built with sustainability as a top priority. An example is the “weeping wall” in the Christine & Ted Mollring Sculpture Courtyard. The water trickling down its surface is from rainwater collected on the roof as well as water from the HVAC systems, which is then used for landscape watering. “ We represent the past, present and future of Western art.” Scottsdale’s Museum of the West immerses guests in the unique story of the Greater Western region. Photo courtesy Scottdale’s Museum of the West