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Celebration of Fine Art returns with high ambitions

BY ALEX GALLAGHER

GetOut Staff Writer

After seeing record sales of art last year, the Celebration of Fine Art has returned for its 32nd year with high energy and hopes for continued success.

Located off of Loop 101 and Hayden Road, 40,000 square feet of tents comprise home to 100 artists who have covered just about every inch of wall space with art and converted their slice of the space into their own studios where guests and buyers can get an inside look into the artist’s creative process. “It’s different than a gallery setting where we would put the art in the gallery and be void of the clients,” said Kirk Randle, one of the few artists who has displayed at every Celebration of Fine Art over the past three decades. “I have developed relationships and a client base over 32 years of doing this and that’s how this has come together.” While those who have been with the celebration since its inception admit it was a crazy idea at first, it has turned into an event that artists circle on their calendars every year. “I have been involved since the beginning and back then everyone thought it was a crazy idea to put a tent in the middle of the desert and put artists and collectors together,” said Susan Morrow Potje, the show director of the Celebration of Fine Art and daughter of the show’s founder Tom Morrow.

“But it’s turned into an amazing experience where people can stand at the elbow of the artists while they’re creating their work,” she said. Although the show has remained steady in its space size, Potje has noticed a demand for larger pieces in the years she has been involved. “We haven’t grown in size as we have stayed at 40,000 square feet of exhibit space and 100 artists but what’s grown over the years has been the quality of art in every aspect,” Potje said. “It used to be really simple where each artist had two 8’x12’ walls ….We learned over time that display is important and the size of paintings has substantially grown as Judith Dickinson adds details to a piece she is painting during the Celebration of Fine Art

2022. (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)

bigger homes were built here.”

“A lot of these artists sell almost as much art as they create in a year at this show,” Potje said. “It’s a great choice for artists to be here financially, the weather is also great and there’s such a sense of community. A lot of our artists have compared this to art camp only with the public there to buy and support it.”

Because of this, the artists are able to translate their enthusiasm to potential buyers and give a sneak peek into their creative process – which also happens to be a great sales tool.

“My biggest selling tool is sitting there painting while people watch me do what I do,” Randle said. “That makes it personal as people can see the person creating the art.”

Not only has this technique attracted buyers, but it has also drawn the attention of artists like Erin Matlock, who is displaying her art for the first time at the Celebration of Fine Art this year. “For me, it’s watching the progression of the artists and to see how their work changes and evolves over the years,” Matlock said. “To me, the growth of that spirit of art is interesting to me.” Other artists were sold on the opportunity to create a bond with the guests who walk through the spaces. “One of the reasons why I won’t do other tent shows is because by the time you set up, you don’t get the chance to paint or talk with the collectors or viewers like you do here,” said Priscilla Nelson, who has been showing her art at the Celebration for the past four years.

“It is fun, educational and the people coming through here learn a lot about what they like and the variety.” While Potje tries to create a show with good spirits, she also tries to keep the show diverse.

“Each year at the end of the season, any artist who is in the show and wishes to come back submits an application and goes through the jury process,” she said. “We look at the quality of work, sales, ability to play well with others and provide an artistic balance. However, we try to have at least 15 new spaces available each year for new artists to come in.” However, Potje admits this is a hard task at times.

“It does get harder to eliminate because we have so many high-quality artists,” she said. “But having the new art is exciting for our collectors who come back year after year.” Potje also believes that the show’s educational component has become a draw for guests, especially in the past two years. “One thing we’re also proud of is how much education we have provided the community through our website, podcast and art discovery series we host every Friday at 4 p.m. during our season in our cafe,” she said. “People can walk through and talk to the artists to get different perspectives on art all day but we thought it would be fun to put together an organized method to pick topics. We felt this would be more formal and it would build the educational platform.” In addition to being drawn to the educational component, there is a sense of longing among the guests who are eager to experience the arts once more. “I feel like this is an escape,” Matlock said. “We all have been through quite a bit so if someone can leave all of that behind and be completely immersed in art, that’s a therapeutic experience and the celebration of art for me.” “We’re hardwired as human beings to appreciate beauty and most of what we experience here is art that will take you back to a memory or inspire a creative thought process,” Potje said. There appears to be a consensus among artists and Potje that the show has picked up right where it left off in 2021. “As events and festivals have picked back up, artists are having their best years ever and 2021 was our highest year of sales ever,” Potje said.

“If it continues like this, it could be a banner year,” Randle added. ■

If You Go...

What: Celebration of Fine Art Where: 18400 N Hayden Road, Loop 101 and Hayden Road. When: Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Mar. 27 Tickets: $10 Info: celebrateart.com.

Parada Del Sol returns for first time in 2 years

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

After a two-year pandemic-driven hiatus, the streets of Old Town will be cleared once more for bands to march and horses to gallop along during the historic Parada Del Sol. While this year marks the 68th year of the parade, it is the first time the Scottsdale Charros will host one fo Scottsdale’s signature celebrations. “The parade is a long-standing tradition for the city of Scottsdale and is as old as the city is,” said Jose Leon, the Parada Boss and a member of the Scottsdale Charros. “We’re really excited to get the community together and get our spring events here in the valley going.” Though the Charros are excited to have the chance to host a historic event, the organization is looking to past operators of the event for ways to honor the longstanding tradition. “The Parada Del Sol started out as a Chamber of Commerce event before the Jaycees took it over in 1964 and branded it as the Parada Del Sol,” Leon said. “When the Jaycees disbanded as an organization, a committee that was really passionate about the parade took over and reorganized it as a 501 c-3. “Our main goal is to make sure we get it back to how it’s been in the past and then re-evaluate over time to make it an even better event.”

While the Charros had hoped to host last year’s Parada Del Sol, the event had to be curbed out of an abundance of caution during the first year of the pandemic. “Because this is an event that brings the community together, the health challenges In addition to nearly 30 school marching bands, several paradors will march through the streets of Scottsdale on horseback. (Special to the Tribune)

were essentially going to make the parade not feel like a community event, so the decision was made at the committee level to protect the community,” said Leon. “One of the other reasons why it was so difficult to make it work last year was because school bands were not able to participate at community events.” Traditionally the Parada Del Sol attracts between 100 and 140 entries with a third of them comprise school bands. “A lot of the directive from our perspective has come from the City of Scottsdale and from the city’s perspective and the community events perspective, everybody feels comfortable enough to go through with this event this year,” Leon said. “This year, the appetite to be able to go to community events is different and there is the two-fold benefit of having the entry of bands and the improvement in attendance of families who want to see their children perform.” Now that there has been a consensus that the Parada Del Sol can occur in a safer manner, the Charros are anxious to watch the parade they have waited two years to host.

“We’re extremely excited as an organization to give back to the community,” Leon said. “This is a western event that falls in line with what our values are as an organization. We focus on giving back to the community through scholarship dollars to kids while maintaining that western heritage in Scottsdale.”

Although the Scottsdale Charros are aiming to pay homage to the traditions that the Parada Del Sol has created for nearly seven decades, this year’s parade has a new theme.

“For this year, our theme is ‘Back in the Saddle” and if you’re looking at the microcosm of our environment here in today’s day and age, there is the fact that we need unity and the goal is to safely come together and meet the challenge head on,” Leon said. “People can expect to see some amazing events and entries in the parade and have some fun,” said Karen Churchard, the director of tourism events for the City of Scottsdale. “It’s just a fun time to celebrate the authenticity of Scottsdale and the western heritage that we have here.” Parade watchers can also expect to make memories that will last a lifetime. “Because this is an event that has been around since the inception of the city, we hear from community members that have been to the parade and remember going with their parents and are now taking the next generation,” Leon said. “Those memories are long lasting and partnering with an event like the parade can only provide more validation for a company that wants to get involved.” ■

If You Go...

What: 68th Parada Del Solt Where: The parade follows a route from Drinkwater Boulevard along Scottsdale Road, finishing at Brown Avenue and Indian School Road When: 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5 Tickets: Free Info: scottsdaleparade.com

ACROSS

1 Shade 4 Frontiersman Crockett 8 Pocket bread 12 100 percent 13 Dutch cheese 14 Pedestal occupant 15 Cowboy’s sweetie 16 Do math 18 Slowpoke 20 Hydrocarbon suffix 21 Cushions 24 Persian Gulf emirate 28 Nutritional label info 32 Flamingo’s color 33 Copper head? 34 Lauder of cosmetics 36 Summer on the Seine 37 Guns the engine 39 Toe of Italy’s boot 41 Fashion 43 Hit with a stun gun 44 Ms. Thurman 46 Gossip 50 Baseball’s “Iron Man” 55 Deluge refuge 56 Now, in a memo 57 Cowboy’s neckwear 58 Luau bowlful 59 Quick swims 60 Winter blanket 61 Novelist Rand

DOWN

1 Crones 2 -- Bator 3 First lady of scat 4 Proclaim 5 Nabokov novel 6 Batman portrayer Kilmer 7 Village People hit 8 Accumulate 9 Hollywood’s Lupino 10 Nanny’s charge 11 Hearty quaff 17 German conjunction 19 Wall St. debut 22 Platter 23 Attack 25 Coffin stand 26 Con 27 Furniture brand 28 2006 Pixar film 29 Help a hood 30 Tax 31 Actress Ward 35 “Calm down!” 38 Drinks noisily 40 Spell-off 42 Brit. record label 45 LAPD alerts 47 Wine valley 48 Helen’s home 49 Related 50 Scoundrel 51 “-- was saying ...” 52 Napkin’s place 53 “-- -Tiki” 54 “Evil Woman” band

Sudoku

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Contributor

Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad

Whoa! This recipe was the surprise of the century! I admit, I initially had the same reaction that most people have when I tell them about Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad. The comments range from

“Hmmm, not sure about this one” to “Nah, this just doesn’t sound right.” But once they taste it, and realize how many foods this delicious, refreshing salad goes with, it quickly becomes one of their favorites. Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad was a recipe that I turned into a video for Red Mountain Weight Loss. It’s the perfect salad if you’re trying to get and stay fit, but more than that, it’s a crunchy and flavorful addition to just about every dish from fried chicken, seafood, pork, beef and kabobs, to a great topper for hot dogs and brats! I love this salad so much that I can’t wait to share it with you and I’m hoping you have the same reaction that everyone else does!

The Crunchy Pickle Salad has just a few readily available ingredients, and the real stars of the salad are crispy pickles, fresh dill and sliced fresh fennel. I like that it has fennel for several reasons. While there are hundreds of recipes using cooked fennel, it’s harder to find dishes using fresh, thin slices of this versatile bulb. The sweet flavor of fennel gives the salad such a unique flavor, and the crunchy dill pickles are the perfect pairing. Also, fresh dill weed goes so well in the salad, adding more brightness and depth.

You may be tempted to use a soggier pickle and dried dill, but don’t! These two ingredients make the recipe! It’s the perfect picnic side as it doesn’t wilt and can be stored and enjoyed for 3 or 4 days after assembling!

I mentioned that this salad goes well with kabobs, so I’ve added a very simple and low calorie recipe for you to enjoy with your Crunchy Dill Pickle Salad! ■

Crunchy Pickle Salad Ingredients:

4 whole crunchy pickles, halved and cut into ½ inch cubes 3 tablespoons pickle brine from the jar of pickles 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes ½ small white or sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 large fennel bulb, outer layers removed and sliced thinly ½ cup chopped fresh dill Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and enjoy chilled.

Kabob Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts 1 Steak 3 Bell peppers (red, green, yellow and orange) 1 Red Onion Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut the chicken and/or steak into once inch cubes. Cut the peppers and onion into 1-2 inch pieces. Skewer the meat, poultry and vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through.