A CELEBRATION OF SUSD STUDENTS

1st Annual Scottsdale Family ArtsFest at SkySong

If anything, one impact of the recent pandemic was that it provided the opportunity to re-think how we go about things. That was certainly true for SUSD, for instance, when we found ways to embrace and take advantage of classroom technology.

The same can be said for the school district’s annual celebration of student visual, musical, and performing arts. Formerly hosted at a local church, the creation of new community partnerships in the intervening three years brought new event options to the table.

The result was on display March 24-25 at The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center at SkySong with the launching of the first Scottsdale Family ArtsFest. The free, two-day, community event was a collaboration of Arizona State University, SUSD, the City of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Arts and the SkySong development team.

The festive gathering showcased the talents of school bands, choirs, orchestras, smaller ensembles and theatrical arts, while visual arts exhibitions took over SkySong’s passageways. ArtsFest also featured familyfriendly arts activities from Scottsdale Arts Learning and Innovation, interactive demonstrations from Scottsdale city departments and culinary offerings from local food trucks. The city’s annual Alli Ortega Empty Bowls fundraiser took place there, as well. Its proceeds help support Scottsdale families facing food insecurity. Art classes from SUSD’s Hopi and Laguna Elementary, Cocopah Middle, and Chaparral and Coronado High schools contributed bowls to this year's auction.

Seed funding for the Scottsdale Family ArtsFest was provided by a grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to Arizona State University.