BUSINESS

from Scottsdale Progress - 10.31.2021

by Times Media Group

NEIGHBORS

Scottsdale.org l @ScottsdaleProgress /ScottsdaleProgress

Kierland pop-up festival kicks off holiday shopping

BY JORDAN HOUSTON

Progress Staff Writer

The 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 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.”

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)

seeKIERLAND page 25

Scottsdale Quarter completing its grand vision

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

After 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 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.

“To me, that is what fills me up,” Marquez said. “And we get the opportunities to present that to the community in really dynamic ways so we can break down those participation barriers that exist in the art world. Having that opportunity to reshape people’s minds around arts and culture really allows for more dialogue in really connecting and meaningful ways.” SAACA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the arts, champions Marquez’s sentiments. The nonprofit seeks to address the needs of artists by creating programming spotlighting local creatives while simultaneously extending opportunities to sell and profit from their work. “We are a local nonprofit arts organization who primarily focuses most of our diverse programming in working directly with local artists of all genres, diversities and mediums,” Marquez said, citing filmmakers, digital designers, architects, musicians, visual artists, photographers and chefs, among others.

SAACA has created over 300,000 artsdriven experiences, from innovative community festivals and cultural celebrations to creative sector development, and accessible arts enrichment programs.

Marquez, who has been with SAACA for 15 years, attributes her motivation to join the movement to the organization’s tangible results seen throughout the local community.

“The inspiration really was to get to

QUARTER �� page 24

“I recall being on the development review board when this project came forward when this was called the French Quarter,” he said. “I remember there being conversations about large murals going up on the walls to dress up the area.”

The L Block houses 575 apartments and 10 stores, including Amazon Books and Vineyard Vines and Culinary Dropout. “Everything has matured nicely and I look at it this way,” said Ortega. “There is a portfolio of stores and a portfolio that has been selected to complement one another and as mayor of Scottsdale, I have to say, ‘Welcome on behalf of the city council.”

Quarter has ambitious plans for the re-

VOTE NOW!

work with a kind of organization that I can see the impact locally, and that’s tough to do sometimes, whether it’s for-profit or nonprofit,” the executive director said.

“We actually get to interact with so many diverse cross sections of the community, from working with engineers and creative robotics teams to papier mache artists. It changes your view of humanity and kind of the piece where we see how the arts are so integral into everything we do, from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.”

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kierland POP festival will operate this year in a “modified structure” to accommodate safety guidelines, according to Marquez.

All events and experiences will take

mainder of the year with the additions of a Yeti Coolers store, Levi’s, Peloton and Landmark Theaters.

It also will be welcoming U.K.-based favorite Puttshack next spring. “What has also happened is that this place has become a part of the portfolio of Scottsdale, which has pretty high expectations when it comes down to being outstanding and what is provided,” Orte-

25

place in an outdoor setting while promoting social distancing, local ordinance face mask restrictions and heightened sanitization for all shared spaces, she continues. “We’ve definitely prioritized supporting individual artists in giving them opportunities that are safe and mostly a way for them to present and sell their work within the community,” she said.

Although a “solid list” detailing the 2021 festival performers has not yet been finalized, it is slated to be released in early October,

Marquez said, adding that the public “can rely on the fact that there is going to be the same levels of action.”

Once announced, the list will be available at kierlandpop.com.

ga said.

Hunt said he is elated to see the dream of a place where people can live, work and play come true.

“Fall is the perfect time to celebrate the changing of seasons and the perfect time to commemorate the completion of the newest and final section of Scottsdale Quarter 12 years later,” he said.

Information Scottsdalequarter.com

WHO’S the BEST?

The votes are in. The people have spoken... It’s the BEST OF SCOTTSDALE!

Our reader poll is designed to let YOU tell us about your favorite people, places, shops, restaurants and things to do in Scottsdale. PEOPLE | PLACES | SHOPS | RESTAURANTS | THINGS TO DO WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG VOTE NOW FOR YOUR FAVORITES!

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 31, 2021

Scottsdale Princess readying gala Christmas display

BY PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

With Halloween almost in the can, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is getting ready for its 12th consecutive Christmas display and related activities.

The Scottsdale resort’s Christmas at the Princess, running Nov. 16-Jan 2, will be adding to popular attractions such as Desert Ice, Lagoon Lights and the Princess Express Train.

Among the additions is the Christmas Wish Forest, with voluntary donations to support LoveUP, a nonprofit that aids foster children. Families will be able to make a wish on “magical wish paper” that lights up and flutters into the air.

There also will be a 120-foot sledding experience on Snow Mountain, a 90-foot chairlift, an ice maze for kids and a chance to glide along the “Alpine Skate Trail.”

Unlimited skating will be available for $40 per person on two outdoor 6,000-square-foot rinks.

Ten VIP climate-controlled igloos with adjoining heated patios also will be available, though tickets must be purchased in advance. Private fire pits and the private igloos can accommodate eight people and come with VIP table service.

The Santa Experience includes up to eight people per reservation, a meet and greet with Santa and his elves, Santa’s elf pledge, one digital photo and the opportunity to take your own photos and videos. Other photo ops will be available inside a life-size snow globe or a snowmobile. Twinkle Town offers younger children the Polar Glide Ice Slide, a smaller version of Snow Mountain, a new Christmas carousel and Lolli Swings.

The resort also will be displaying 70,000 lights that “dance” to 18 holiday songs in the plaza and nearly 300 trees wrapped in lights and other holiday décor.

A new installation features a 12-foot a 12-foot 3D hippo, octopus, hot air balloon and 15-foot princess.

There are welcoming and closing ceremonies at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively, that feature dancing by a number of costumed holiday characters that include a walking s’more.

The Christmas Shoppe features oneof-a-kind Christmas gifts, stuffed animals and pajamas and a costume ornament commemorating 2021.

The resort also will offer a socially distanced Christmas brunch at 1 p.m. Christmas Day and offer take-home brunch kits for people who prefer eating at home. Call 480-585-2694 for reservations.

For more information and for nonguests to buy admission wristbands: ScottsdalePrincess.com. This year’s sponsors include BMW North Scottsdale, Barrett-Jackson, Stuffed Puffs Marshmallows and Cox Media.

The Princess Express Train is a popular attraction at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess’ holiday extravaganza, which runs Nov. 16-Jan. 2. (Special to the Progress)