A LOVE LETTER TO DESERT DESIGN WEEK

When I moved to Scottsdale, the very first thing I asked,  my first Saturday here, was,
“Where are the flea markets?”

The woman I was having coffee with, a fellow writer, looked at me like I had four heads.
“We don’t really have flea markets here.”

“What?” I asked, eyes welling.

Granted, I had just come from what I’d been told was the “must-go” grocery store off Lincoln, where I was greeted by a dead pig with an apple in its mouth while I stood there hoping for tofu at the deli.

“Oh my God,” I thought. “Where do I go for cool finds?”

I had just moved from L.A., and before that Chicago, cities where creativity had an address.

Want cutting-edge dining? Head to Venice.
Midcentury vintage furniture? La Cienega.
Cool pots? The Rose Bowl.
Theater? The district.
Out-of-work actors between callbacks? Urth Café.

In short, you knew where to go to find what.

And here I was. In the desert. In June. Newly transplanted.

“So does Phoenix have colorful artists? A cool art scene?” I asked.

“There are so many talented artists here,” she said. “They’re just not integrated. You have to find them.”

And I define an artist broadly:  anyone inspired to create. Food innovators. Painters. Interior designers. Landscape architects. Fashion designers. Jewelers. Furniture makers. Writers. Anyone left-brained enough to build something from nothing.

Enter: Ruth Price.

Founder — no, foremother — of Desert Design Week. A week where emerging and established artists gather in one place. One calendar. One shared spotlight.

Architecture? There’s an event for that. Zoom link
Clean, inspired food? Covered.
Pottery that makes you want to redesign your kitchen? Yes.
Sculptors, landscapers, furniture designers, painters, fashion — all in conversation with each other.

Desert Design Week doesn’t just showcase talent. It integrates it.

You choose what inspires you, and in doing so, you find your people. You meet other curious minds. You discover artists you didn’t know you were looking for.

Thank you, Ruth, for bringing us together to celebrate, appreciate, and get inspired by all things creative.

In a place where I once wondered where the artists were…

You gave them an address.

Love,
Amy

Amy Karl is a writer, yogi, and boy mom. She is currently at work on her debut book and other creative projects. Her writing has appeared in multiple publications.