During the week of March 20 at Westworld of Scottsdale, the diet sodas were $4, but the art was priceless. 

The inaugural Scottsdale Ferrari Art Show featured a who’s who of local artists from the Valley of the Sun, which also included Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community artist Dwayne Manuel, as well as Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, an artist from the Tohono O’odham Nation and resident of the SRPMIC. 

Official organizers of the art festival boasted the inaugural showcase as the first art fair in America to have an emphasis on an Indigenous expression. 

The four-day art festival included art from artists who work closely with Manuel and Marcus, fellow artists Frank Gonzales and Matt Dickson. Together, the artists showcased their work in collaboration with Earth Maker Gallery and showcased their latest and greatest artistic creations. 

Manuel’s work was showcased inside of the Gyagyagya Gallery, a brother and sister art collective from Tokyo, Japan. The sister, Ramu Ataku, personally knows Marcus and Manuel and became friends with Marcus during a 2024 exhibit.  

“I exhibited with him [Marcus] in Miami, Florida last December,” said Ataku. “We became really good friends and then he [Marcus] said to me, ‘Oh, I can introduce you to another friend of mine.’”

That friend? Dwayne Manuel. Once the trio met, they quickly became friends and colleagues. 

During the showcase, Ataku provided space in her exhibit for Manuel’s work to be showcased along with the work she creates with her brother. Ataku told O’odham Action News that she enjoyed having Manuel’s work showcased along with hers and her brothers because of the optics it provides. 

“It makes my gallery interesting,” she said. 

“It’s good. Not only to have Japan art, but art from Scottsdale too, they all are welcome,” she said with a smile. 

Later Ataku added, “I’m trying to get them both to come out to Japan one day.”

Marcus was in-person for all four days as he created and finished a multi-colored desert landscape mural as part of his exhibit. He was interviewed by local news stations as well as many out-of-town visitors who approached him while he was working. 

Manuel and his brother Jordan spent time visiting different art exhibit galleries, soaking in the atmosphere and networking with fellow artists. 

A small array of finger foods and other delicious treats were available for purchase.  

Nearly 2,000 individual art pieces were on display during the inaugural art showcase, some created via paint, photography, and various mixed media formats. 

Additionally, programs included: highlighting fashion by designers who are Indigenous, navigating the local Phoenix arts scene, an update on the Arizona Latinx art movement, as well as a panel involving artificial intelligence and the role it currently plays in today’s contemporary art scene and more. 

Interested individuals looking to showcase their work during next year’s art week can reach out to the Scottsdale Ferrari Art Show staff by emailing at info@scottsdaleartweek.com or call by dialing (480) 423-1414.