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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 31, 2021
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Kierland pop-up festival kicks off holiday shopping BY JORDAN HOUSTON Progress Staff Writer
T
he POP: Art in Unexpected Places Festival is returning to Kierland Commons for its fifth year, offering the public a creative opportunity to shop, eat and connect with the arts in a meaningful way. The Kierland POP festival, presented by the Kierland Master Association, will offer a series of interactive art installations and experiences, including live art, music, philanthropy, culinary, wellness and more throughout Kierland Commons and The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. The festival is Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7, at the shopping center, 15205 N. Kierland Boulevard. The event is a product of the collaboration between Kierland Commons, The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, The Kierland Master Association and the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance. Known to have attracted over 15,000
Presented by the Kierland Master Association, the POP: Art in Unexpected Places Festival will flood Scottsdale’s Kierland Commons on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7 with interactive art installations and experiences, as well as an artisan market featuring up to 40 vendors. (Courtesy of David Seeber)
visitors, this year’s attendees can expect to see performances and setups covering the entertainment gamut, according to SAACA Executive Director Kate Marquez.
“The name kind of describes it all,” she said. “You can be shopping in Anthropologie and in the corner, you see a popup painter, or you’re getting something to
eat at Shake Shack and see a Chinese line dance performance, or you’re walking down the sidewalk at Kierland Commons and see an eight-foot chalk art mural in front of you and violinists on the corners,” Marquez said. “That type of experience you would have when you go somewhere like San Francisco or New York and you’re bombarded with painters on the street and musicians as you walk by that make you participate and experience art in creative ways.” Visitors can also peruse the festival’s artisan market on Main Street, showcasing up to 40 artists and vendors selling a variety of hand-crafted goods. Products for sale include candles, artisan foods, sculptures and paintings For Marquez, the most rewarding part is the capacity to highlight local artists while strengthening the bonds between people, “place and purpose” through “collaborative, arts-driven experiences.”
see KIERLAND page 25
Scottsdale Quarter completing its grand vision BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
A
fter nearly three years of construction, what has become known as the L-Block at Scottsdale Quarter has neared its completion along with other projects that are part of a grand vision for the outdoor shopping mall. To commemorate the achievement, a ribbon cutting was hosted outside of Culinary Dropout on Oct. 22. The ceremony featured speeches from Mayor David Ortega and Scottsdale Quarter General Manager Richard Hunt and guests at the nd of the event painted a section of a new community mural. Scottsdale Quarter began the initial
Richard Hunt, general manager of Scottsdale Quarter for Washington Prime Group, spoke at the ribbon cutting. (David Minton/Progress Photographer)
phases of its grand vision in 2008. Since then, it has blossomed into something bigger than conceptualized. “It is now a retail center on steroids,” Ortega joked. For Ortega, this groundbreaking not only displayed the progress made at the center but reminded him of the history of the property. “This is an exciting property,” he said. “Originally there was one research and pharmaceutical facility here where health-conscious products were created.” Ortega also recalled hearing about the original plans for the quarter 20 years ago.
see QUARTER page 25
