August 27th, 2026
Visitors to Scottsdale Arts’ annual Canal Convergence, Nov. 6–15, will experience a variety of interactive, light-based artworks that reflect, embody or explore the elements of Arizona and the Southwest.
CAPTION: (clockwise, starting top left) “Prairie Fire” by True North Absurdities, “grandmother turtle,” by In Theory Art Studios and “KaKtos” by Amigo & Amigo will be among the artworks at Canal Convergence, Nov. 6–15, 2026, at the Scottsdale Waterfront.
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Visitors to Scottsdale Arts’ annual Canal Convergence, Nov. 6–15, will experience a variety of interactive, light-based artworks that reflect, embody or explore the elements of Arizona and the Southwest.
This year’s installations will celebrate the theme of Western Nature by exploring environmental and cultural landscapes that define the American West, such as the Utah-based In Theory Art Studio’s “grandmother turtle.”
“Bringing ‘grandmother turtle’ to Scottsdale allows us to explore how light art can spark genuine curiosity about our natural environment,” said In Theory Art Studios founder Emily Nicolosi. “Canal Convergence is a very unique waterfront stage, where art, innovation and community meaningfully intersect. We are thrilled to share our work with Scottsdale visitors this year, inviting everyone to play, reflect and reimagine our collective connection to the West.”
In Theory Art Studios exhibited in last year's Canal Convergence with the rainbow dichroic and LED sculpture "polychroma." This year, the studio collaborated with Santa Clara Pueblo artist Nora Naranjo-Morse and former Navajo Nation Poet Laureate and recently appointed Arizona Poet Laureate Laura Tohe to add contemporary petroglyphs and lyrical poetry that are laser-cut directly onto the steel shell and illuminated with internal LEDs.
“Returning to Canal Convergence is an incredible honor for us, especially under a theme that resonates so deeply with our practice,” Nicolosi said. “Living and hosting our studio on 18 acres in the Wild West, we feel the pulse of Western Nature in our daily lives — and were directly inspired by this intimate relationship with the desert to create a desert tortoise for ‘grandmother turtle.’”
In addition to “grandmother turtle,” In Theory Art Studios will have a second artwork at the 2026 event: “the weight of light,” which is a frozen moment of electrical energy in the form of an iridescent, crystalline lightning bolt. During the event, LEDs slowly pulse with a resting kinetic hum. When fully charged by participant interaction, the piece erupts: a massive, vertical lightning strike of white light tears through the structure, accompanied by the boom of thunder.
Other artworks scheduled to appear at Canal Convergence include:
• “KaKtos,” by Sydney-based studio Amigo & Amigo, is a whimsical forest of 10 giant, inflatable and internally lit cacti, inviting guests to immerse themself in pure joy.
• “APOGEE,” by Melbourne-based creative studio Chalk River Labs, is a projection sculpture, as well as a fun place to swing, dream and lose yourself in hypnotic, western-inspired visuals. The two swings encourage visitors to become part of the artwork, creating moments of play, connection and discovery.
• “Dream Rider,” by William Nemitoff with Curious Form, a creative fabrication studio led by William Nemitoff, is an internally lit, larger-than-life wild horse that invites participants to climb inside its body, ascend its neck and slide down its glowing mane on a playground-style slide.
• “Sky Wrangler,” also by William Nemitoff with Curious Form, is a 25-foot-tall interactive hot air balloon sculpture, where visitors can climb into a rotating basket and set the sky in motion. As the basket spins, projected rainbow light and historic Western films and footage swirl across the glowing balloon above.
• “The Way The West Was Sold,” by character artists collective Jolly Productions, features four performers operating as period snake-oil salesmen and broadcast advertisers, actively selling audiences a romanticized vision of the American West. These “confidence-games” will be staged within a vintage media installation along the Scottsdale Waterfront all 10 nights.
• “Desert Choir,” by Montreal-based OTTOMA, is a series of interactive light and sound stations along the canal that use microphones to turn your voice into traveling trails of light and animal calls. Three circular projection screens will be suspended over the canal, with corresponding interactivity stations nearby on land.
• “Another Slice of Reality: An Evolving Nature” by artist and creative technologist Shaoyu Su x LedPulse, is inspired by the evolving relationship between nature, infrastructure and public life. As visitors gather, individual interactions can grow into a larger shared experience, allowing the artwork to evolve with both its environment and its audience.
• “Western Fire Garden” by returning artist Walter Productions is a floating fire, light, sound and sculptural installation that will transform part of the Scottsdale Canal into a surreal Sonoran Desert garden, where native desert plants and animals appear to drift across the water and activate through LED outlines, reflections, ambient sound and the collective’s beloved fire shows.
• “Prairie Fire” by Calgary-based True North Absurdities is a life-sized interactive sculpture of a rearing horse. Standing as a bold, contemporary landmark, audiences will be able to activate the piece with the push of a button, triggering controlled bursts of flame that create a moment of surprise, excitement and connection.
“This year’s artworks explore both traditional and contemporary themes of the American West,” said Jennifer Gill, director of Canal Convergence. “From the iconic flora and fauna of the desert brought to life through light and public engagement, to a three-dimensional LED display that demonstrates the evolving relationship between nature and public life in the Southwest, Canal Convergence attendees will experience the ’nature’ of the American West like never before.”
To help keep Canal Convergence free, Scottsdale Arts has announced an initiative to support the annual event through the new Canal Club giving circle. Membership in the Canal Club helps fund art installations, supports emerging artists and sustains free admission, while offering perks such as access to exclusive events at Canal Convergence, a sneak preview of this year's artwork and — for the highest level of donors — an opportunity to help select next year's artworks. Learn more at ScottsdaleArts.org/support-us/canal-club-giving-circle.
In the coming months, additional Canal Convergence artworks and information about performances, workshops and other aspects of the event will be announced and added to the event website at ScottsdaleArts.org/explore-scottsdale-arts/canal-convergence.
Canal Convergence is made possible with the support of many partners and sponsors, including the City of Scottsdale, Salt River Project, Christine and Richard Kovach, Nationwide, Scottsdale Fashion Square, and The Night Run, presented by The Women’s Collective.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Ritter | SydneyR@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4663