When Ruth Price moved to Scottsdale from Portland, Oregon, she fell in love with the blue skies, sunshine, and desert vistas. But she felt something was missing – when she set out to find her tribe — a community of creatives, and those who shared an affinity for art, design, and architecture – it seemed that the close-knit group she knew so well in the Northwest was hard to find.

As a real estate professional specializing in design-forward homes, Price began organically connecting with like-minded people and uncovering thriving pockets of creative individuals, businesses, and spaces that flew largely under the radar. A born connector, a vision began to form in her mind. And while she had no background in event planning, she trusted her innate ability to recognize the artists, designers, and creative minds who would benefit from a platform that elevated awareness of their work. In the process, she would bring people together in community by offering a selection of unique events that had never been offered in Scottsdale and Phoenix.

Price first tested the concept with a small event at Cave + Post Trading Co. featuring artist Carlisle Burch and a curated selection of Burch’s custom art created specifically for guests in attendance. Her community turned out in force, and she knew she was onto something.

Desert Design Week debuted in October 2024 as a sort of decentralized festival offering attendees the option to choose from a selection of events around the Valley. Events included dinners, home tours, art markets, and industry design discussions. Again, the response was strong with over 800 tickets sold, and overwhelmingly positive feedback that Desert Design Week was new, different, and exactly what Arizona’s creative community and industry needed.

Today, Desert Design Week is a biannual design and cultural event series based in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Focused on design, art, and architecture, the series serves as a platform for emerging and established creatives and brands to build strategic visibility through curated programming, immersive experiences, and city-wide activations. Collaborations with brands, makers, and creative entrepreneurs create thoughtful exposure, meaningful audience engagement, and long-term presence within a design-minded community.

“I’m inspired by people who get things done,” says Price. “Creatives and doers. The ones who don’t take no for an answer, who forge a path where others see none, and who build something from scratch. I love people who seem to get more done in a day than most. The proactive ones. The risk takers. The ones who don’t worry too much about what others think.”

Desert Design Week Spring Edition returns to Scottsdale April 16 through 23, 2026, and will feature a series of curated exhibitions, talks, and gatherings. Sponsors include Arista Stones, Arizona Foothills Magazine, Build Magazine, Cameron Custom Homes & Renovations, Handcrafted Tile, Hello Sun Studio, McCully Construction, Phoenix Home & Garden, Plush Delicate Installation, and Red Development.

Tickets are available at desertdesignweek.com

Meet a few of the creatives featured in Spring 2026 Desert Design Week:

Rhiannon Griego

Rhiannon is a textile artist & jewelry designer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is a self-taught weaver engaged in free form weaving which includes basketing weaving techniques. The Wabi-Sabi approach to her practice has permitted Rhiannon to see profound beauty in the imperfections of life as it is and, it has assisted in the teaching of letting go of perfection to embrace what is being created exactly as it is.

Ben Latham

Benjamin Latham is an American painter whose work explores the vernacular culture and shifting landscapes of the South and Southwest. A self-taught artist, Benjamin’s practice is rooted in the rich narrative traditions of his Southern origins. He is currently based between Portland, Oregon, and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Benjamin’s compositions navigate the intersection of memory and mythology, synthesizing the counter-cultural history of the West with the stark, enduring aesthetic of the high desert. His work interrogates the American West not as a static frontier, but as a living, evolving stage for contemporary stories, balancing the harsh realities of rural isolation with a distinct sense of magical realism.

Victor Irizarry

Victor J. Irizarry is a Senior Associate and Senior Project Designer at RSP Architects’ Phoenix office. Known for his passion for visual communication and storytelling, Victor approaches design in a highly visual and collaborative way. He has contributed to numerous award-winning projects across a wide range of market sectors, including multifamily residential, corporate workplace, higher education, and hospitality. Within the art community, Victor is also known as Vodlines, a visual storyteller and comic book creator with a passion for bold lines and big ideas. His comic book journey began in 2015 with the self-published debut Flying Somnia, and he has been building vibrant narrative worlds ever since.