2023 Overview

Canal Convergence | The Power of Play 

November 3–12, 2023 

The Event

Canal Convergence is an internationally recognized, free, 10-night public art event that takes over the Scottsdale Waterfront each November. This entirely outdoor, immersive event features large-scale, light-based artworks, as well as educational workshops, family-friendly activities, art tours, live music and dance performances, a beer and wine garden, food trucks, and more! 

Large-scale public artworks created by local, national, and international artists will illuminate the Scottsdale Waterfront each evening from Friday, Nov. 3, through Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. 

FEATURED THEME AND ARTWORKS 

The concept of “play” is one of the most creative and meaningful constructs in the human experience. It is an innate behavior that appears in the earliest stages of childhood to facilitate learning and healthy social engagement. As an adult, play continues to have a significant role in daily life by acting as a vehicle for continuing education, practice, competitive drive, creative expression, joy, energy, individuality, and more. Play and acts of play tap into humanity’s most basic instincts and, as such, can have a significant influence on how people engage with one another and their environment. By harnessing the power of play through public art, artists can produce compelling and meaningful experiences that reveal the power that play holds in our lives.  

For Canal Convergence 2023, Scottsdale Arts challenges artists to integrate acts of play into the public’s interaction with the artwork and speak to its influence on human development and its ability to unite people across all ages, genders, and cultures through shared experience. 

Learn more about the Canal Convergence 2023 selected artworks.