Scottsdale, Arizona hosts one of the most active commercial gallery markets in the United States. The city's gallery district, centered on Old Town, contains dozens of spaces ranging from blue-chip Western art dealers to contemporary galleries showing international artists. Add in the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and some of the country's most robust art fair activity, and you have a scene worth serious attention.

The Scottsdale ArtWalk

Every Thursday evening from October through May, galleries in Old Town stay open until 9pm for the Scottsdale ArtWalk. It's one of the longest-running gallery walks in the country — free, walkable, and an excellent way to survey the market in a single evening. Many galleries schedule opening receptions to coincide, making Thursday the optimal day to arrive in town if your trip is art-focused.

Essential Galleries

Bentley Gallery is one of the most important contemporary art spaces in the Southwest, with a roster that includes nationally recognized artists working in painting, sculpture, and new media. The programming is ambitious and the physical space — a converted warehouse near Old Town — is among the best in the region.

Wilde Meyer Gallery has anchored the Old Town gallery district for decades, with a focus on contemporary Southwestern artists. The scale and quality of their shows consistently surprises visitors who approach with diminished expectations for a regional gallery.

Trailside Galleries specializes in traditional and contemporary Western American art — paintings of the landscape, wildlife, and cowboy life that define the genre. If you're interested in Western realism, this is a mandatory stop.

Lisa Sette Gallery is the most intellectually challenging space in Old Town — a program of concept-driven contemporary art with a strong emphasis on photography and mixed media. Not for every taste, but consistently important.

Xanadu Gallery focuses on contemporary figurative and abstract painting, with an accessible programming approach and a strong roster of mid-career artists.

Museums

The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) anchors the cultural end of Old Town with a program of international contemporary art that rivals institutions in much larger cities. Admission is free on Thursdays — another reason to time your visit around ArtWalk night.

Practical Notes

  • Old Town Scottsdale is extremely walkable; most galleries are within 10 minutes of each other on foot.
  • Summer (June–August) sees reduced gallery hours; many operate by appointment only or close entirely.
  • The Scottsdale International Film Festival, the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair, and the Scottsdale Arts Festival (March) bring additional traffic and programming.
  • Several galleries have secondary spaces in the arts district east of Goldwater Blvd; worth the short detour.