After nearly three years of anticipation, a major expansion in Old Town was unveiled last week.
In the fall of 2023, Valley automobile mogul Louis “Buzz” Sands made a $12 million donation to expand Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.
On March 24, Mayor Lisa Borowsky was joined by four former mayors in celebrating the opening of the Louis Sands IV Center.
This is a two-story, $12 million expansion Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.
At the event, Borowsky was joined by former Scottsdale Mayors David Ortega, Jim Lane, Mary Manross and Sam Campana. “The Five Mayors” pulled back the curtain on a space that will house four new exhibits.
“Western Spirit Museum is a coveted Scottsdale gem, a landmark and a point of pride for the ‘West’s Most Western Town’,” Borowsky said.
“The grand opening of the Louis Sands IV Center marks a transformative new chapter for Western Spirit Museum and a defining moment for Scottsdale,” added Todd Bankofier, executive director of the Old Town attraction.
He said the “must-see destination” was “designed to inspire pride in our community, spark curiosity, and deliver a powerful, immersive cultural experience.”
The Louis Sands IV Center showcases Western American and American Indian art, painting, sculpture, jewelry and ceramics.
The event started a weeklong celebration dubbed “Unmistakably West.”
After private events, the Sands Center opened to the public March 28, with a celebration featuring music and food.
Free admission to the museum continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, March 29.
For free passes, registration is required at westernspirit.org.
“The Louis Sands IV Center allows us to tell the story of the West in a new, more expansive way, placing painting, sculpture, jewelry, and ceramics into conversation across two floors,” said Andrew Patrick Nelson, the museum’s chief curator.
Together, these exhibitions reflect the richness and continuing vitality of Western and Indigenous art, setting the state for how our museum will move forward.”
The main gallery level of the new space hosts three interconnected exhibitions.
“Visions in Bronze” explores more than a century of sculptures – from the classical inspirations of Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, through a midcentury revival led by Arizona artists, to contemporary responses by American Indian and women.
“From Earth to the Stars” traces the evolution of American Indian jewelry, from early silverwork to bold contemporary designs.
“Fire of Ages” explores over six centuries of American Indian ceramic traditions, showcasing how Hopi and southwestern potters have shaped clay and fire.
The upper level of Sands Center features the fruit of another stunning donation: “Working Pardners: Masterworks from the Eddie Basha Collection, the inaugural public presentation of one of the most significant collections of Western American and American Indian art assembled.
Drawn entirely from the Eddie Basha Collection, the exhibitions present paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that reflect the late supermarket magnate’s lifelong commitment to arts, artists, to the West, and to the relationships that sustain creative communities.