Highlights
- Desert Perspectives opens Sept. 12 at SMoCA and runs for one year across three sequential rotations.
- Curator Keshia Turley assembled works by Ed Mell, Mark Klett, Jen Urso, and other regional artists alongside SMoCA permanent-collection pieces and new commissions.
- Admission is $16 for non-members; free for visitors 18 and younger, with free entry all day Thursday and Friday-Saturday evenings 5-9 p.m.
- SMoCA is managed by Scottsdale Arts, which also oversees Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Scottsdale Public Art.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art will open Desert Perspectives on Sept. 12, a year-long exhibition exploring the Southwest landscape through historical and contemporary artworks drawn from the permanent collection, loans, and new commissions.
Assistant curator Keshia Turley organized the show, which features works by Ed Mell, Mark Klett, and Jen Urso, among other regional artists. The exhibition unfolds through three sequential rotations, with core loaned and commissioned works remaining on view throughout the full year.
SMoCA, located at 7374 E. Second St. in Scottsdale's Old Town district, is managed by Scottsdale Arts, the same organization that oversees Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Scottsdale Public Art. The building is a renovation of a former movie theater designed by architect Will Bruder and includes a public skyspace by artist James Turrell.
Admission is $16 for non-members. Visitors 18 and younger enter free, as does anyone visiting on Thursdays all day or Friday and Saturday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m.
Desert Perspectives opens to the public Sept. 12.
Around the web
Public discussion (links to original posts):
- Reddit · r/arizona, u/Oraxy51 (766 upvotes · 351 comments)
- Reddit · r/phoenix, u/herbschmoaka (470 upvotes · 40 comments)
- Reddit · r/arizona, u/Chompif (127 upvotes · 61 comments)
- Reddit · r/scottsdale, u/UAPD_Official (95 upvotes · 8 comments)
- Reddit · r/scottsdale, u/Lucyleelilah (8 upvotes · 32 comments)
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- broadwayworld.com retrieved 18/05/2026 08:22
- experiencescottsdale.com retrieved 18/05/2026 08:22
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 18/05/2026 08:22. Every claim traces to a source.
