April brings fun events, exciting performances to Scottsdale Arts

CAPTION: Cycle the Arts and The Wood Brothers are among the April Scottsdale Arts events. Photos by Brian Passey and Laura Partain

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scottsdale Arts celebrates spring and a new season of art with a lineup of fun events, programs and performances in April.

Scottsdale Arts closes out the 50th anniversary season of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts with The ARTrageous Gala on April 11. Guests are invited to be a part of this tribute to five decades of creativity, innovation and beauty. The center will also host fun, diverse shows and performances, including Mexican comedian Carlos Ballarta on April 3, husband and wife Americana duo Drew and Ellie Holcomb on April 19 and an evening of Arizona’s contemporary dance scene with “HOMEGROWN” on April 25.

Visual art has its time in the sun as well, with the opening of Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation’s newest exhibition, “Nancy Kravetz: Color Forms the Day.” Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art welcomes wellness and art fans back to the museum for two Glow Up @ SMoCA events: a sound bath with Melinda Milton on April 9 and gentle yoga in Squidsoup’s “Infinite” on April 23.

The following is a list of events and exhibitions from Scottsdale Arts, a nonprofit organization comprising Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence and Civic Center LIVE. Visit ScottsdaleArts.org for information.

PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS

Carlos Ballarta: Naco Ladino
Friday, April 3, 2026, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $52
Carlos Ballarta is a stand-up comedian and actor from Mexico City and remains the only stand-up comedian with three certified corn jokes.

St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $51
Part revival, part rock-and-soul spectacle, all high-energy charisma — it’s a celebration of soul in all its forms: joy, pain, faith, funk and catharsis. Singer-songwriter Tyler Ballgame will open.

Glow Up @SMoCA: Sound Bath
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $25
Refresh your aura and bathe in the serene light of Squidsoup’s “Infinite” as a sound bath led by Melinda Milton eases you into deep relaxation.

The ARTrageous Gala 2026
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 6 p.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $450
Celebrate 50 years of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts with an unforgettable evening, inspired by the bold artistic excellence of Scottsdale Arts.

Nancy Kravetz: Color Forms the Day Opening Reception
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 5 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: Free
Join the artist, curator and others associated with the exhibition during a free opening reception for “Nancy Kravetz: Color Forms the Day.”

Mystery in the Museum @SMoCA: Brushstrokes and Buried Secrets
Friday, April 17, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $25
It’s time to put on your detective caps to crack these puzzles and follow the clues throughout the museum to investigate this curious caper.

Cycle the Arts – 20th Anniversary!
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 7 a.m.
Arabian Library
Tickets: Free
Join Scottsdale Public Art and the city of Scottsdale in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Cycle the Arts! This free public art tour via bicycle offers participants the chance to see multiple public artworks throughout Scottsdale.

Drew & Ellie Holcomb - Never Gonna Let You Go Tour
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $55
Drew and Ellie Holcomb blend heartfelt intimacy, musical storytelling and harmonic craft, turning their signature brand of Americana into a celebration of togetherness and family.

Glow Up @SMoCA: Gentle Yoga
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $25 
Go with the flow and relax in this gentle yoga class led by Melinda Milton inside the immersive light exhibition “Squidsoup · Infinite.” This yoga practice is open to all levels and encourages mindfulness and self-awareness through gentle movement and breathwork.

HOMEGROWN | An Arizona Choreographer Showcase
Saturday, April 25, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for Performing Art
Tickets start at $20
“HOMEGROWN” is a full-length evening dedicated to celebrating the strength and creativity of Arizona’s rich choreographic landscape. This inaugural program highlights four accomplished choreographers: Liliana Gomez, Alicia Nascimento, Candy Jimenez and Halley Willcox.

The Wood Brothers
Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $50
With an adventurous blend of folk, blues and soul, The Wood Brothers’ deeply grounded sound is built on upright bass grooves, elastic rhythms and lived-in harmonies. Singer-songwriter Olive Klug opens.

LOOKING AHEAD 

David Sedaris
Saturday, May 2, 2026, 8 p.m.
Orpheum Theatre
Tickets start at $50
Witness a masterclass in observational storytelling from the author of “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” delivered with intimate candor, sharp comedy and precise timing.

AJ’s ’s The Art of Wine: Summer to Impress
Saturday, May 16, 2026, 1 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $45
This year, the annual wine tasting is elevated into a stylish summer soirée, inspired by the colors, flavors and effortless elegance of the season.

EXHIBITIONS 

Nancy Kravetz: Color Forms the Day
April 3 through June 14, 2026
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Admission: Free
With a career spanning seven decades, Nancy Kravetz has continually explored how form and color can be organized to create meaning.

Teaching Artists
Jan. 30 through April 19, 2026
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Free
“Teaching Artists” reflects on the connections formed through shared creative processes, emphasizing how art can foster a strong sense of community and belonging.

Mark + Making | Selections from the SMoCA Collection
Currently On View
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Featuring drawings, paintings, prints and sculpture from SMoCA’s collection, “Mark + Making” explores the use of marks, gestures and line to build form and shape ideas in contemporary artistic practice.

Tender Alchemy: Beth Ames Swartz and Julianne Swartz
March 21 through Aug. 23, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 
Admission: $10 to $16
"Tender Alchemy" presents the works of mother and daughter artists whose distinct practices are united by a shared devotion to transformation.

• Squidsoup • Infinite •
June 28, 2025, through Aug. 30, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Enter “Infinite” and be surrounded by hundreds of illuminated spheres that form a symphony of notes.

SMoCA _____ space Installations 
March 8 through Sep. 7, 2025
Oct. 11, 2025, through March 8, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 
Free 
In “Pathfinding,” Evan Roth reflects a search for slowness, light and warmth, using the sky above Scottsdale as both source and inspiration. 

Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection 
Ongoing
Various locations throughout Scottsdale 
Free
More than 160 artworks, many of them large-scale sculptures, can be found throughout the city at parks, in public facilities and along the streets.

For more information about the events, and to order tickets, visit ScottsdaleArts.org.

Scottsdale Arts thanks the following sponsors and partners: City of Scottsdale, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Flinn Foundation, Billie Jo Herberger, Krumwiede Lewis Family Foundation, Nationwide, National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, SOAR Foundation, SRP, Terra Foundation for American Art, Karen and John Voris, Arizona Republic, Buddy Taub Foundation, Betty Hum & Alan Yudell, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, and Ethelyn Cohen.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Ritter | SydneyR@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4663