The scottsdale museum of contemporary art will present desert perspectives, a year-long, collection-centered exhibition and public learning initiative grounded in the art, ecology, and cultural…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Scottsdale Arts $345,290 on September 1, 2026, through the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to present Desert Perspectives, a year-long, collection-centered exhibition and public learning initiative examining the art, ecology, and cultural identity of the Desert Southwest.

Scottsdale Arts will pilot a new exhibition format delivering three sequential exhibition rotations that position the desert as idealized landscape, ecological system, and site of lived identity. The museum will conduct in-depth curatorial research into a minimum of 60 to 70 collection works; publish its first collections catalog; expand public-facing collection records through its online collections portal, EMBARK; and deliver curriculum-aligned in-school programs to approximately 240 K-12 students in local school districts with emphasis on Title I schools. Public offerings include hands-on programs, artist lectures, and sensory tours. The exhibition and its programming will benefit approximately 42,000 annual visitors, approximately 240 K-12 students and their teachers, and researchers, educators, and art professionals accessing the collections catalog and expanded online records.

Work is performed in Scottsdale, Arizona, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027.

The scottsdale museum of contemporary art will present desert perspectives, a year-long, collection-centered exhibition and public learning initiative grounded in the art, ecology, and cultural identity of the desert southwest. The museum will pilot a new exhibition format and deliver three sequential exhibition rotations examining the desert as idealized landscape, ecological system, and site of lived identity. The museum will also conduct in-depth curatorial research into a minimum of 60 to 70 collection works; publish the museum's first collections catalog; expand public-facing collection records through the museum's online collections portal, embark; deliver curriculum-aligned in-school programs to approximately 240 k-12 students in local school districts; and offer hands-on public programs, artist lectures, and sensory tours. The exhibition and its programs will benefit approximately 42,000 annual visitors, approximately 240 k-12 students and their teachers with emphasis on title i schools, and researchers, educators, and art professionals who will access the collections catalog and expanded, publicly accessible online records.