The art calendar near Catalina Foothills Estates is spread across four shopping plazas between River Road and Skyline Drive, and each one keeps its own hours. Plaza Colonial galleries open on Thursday evenings. St. Philip's Plaza holds its market at midday on weekends. La Encantada holds a festival a few weekends a year. Joesler Village has a guild gallery that changes its featured artist each month. Each plaza runs on a different day of the week and a different time of day.
Here's how the four line up between now and the end of the year.
| Where | Schedule | Next dates |
|---|---|---|
| Plaza Colonial, Skyline and Campbell | First Thursday, 4 to 7 p.m. | November 5, December 3 |
| St. Philip's Plaza | Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., October through April | Every weekend |
| La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Drive | Three festival weekends per season | November 21–22 |
| Joesler Village, 1745 E. River Road | Monthly visiting artist | Penny Buckley through October 31 |
Thursday Evenings Belong to Skyline and Campbell
The galleries in Plaza Colonial, at the southwest corner of Skyline and Campbell, call themselves the Foothills Art District. They open together on the first Thursday of every month from 4 to 7 p.m., with light refreshments at seven locations near the intersection. Two Thursdays are left this year: November 5 and December 3.
The district is split between two buildings on the same block of Skyline:
- Philabaum Glass Gallery, 2840 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 100. It bills itself as Arizona's only all-glass art gallery and is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Journey West Gallery, 2840 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 150.
- Wilde Meyer Gallery, 2890 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 170.
- Jane Hamilton Fine Art, 2890 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 180.
California Closets is on Philabaum's list of participating businesses, too, so the walk includes more than galleries.
The two Thursdays have different plans. At Wilde Meyer's November 5 ArtWalk, harpist Vanessa Myers plays live music. On December 3, Myers returns and the gallery adds a benefit sale for Youth On Their Own. Local potter Susan Grunbaum has agreed to donate all proceeds from her pottery sales that evening to the organization. As the first Thursday after Thanksgiving weekend, the December walk is a good place to buy handmade gifts close to home.
The walk ends at 7 p.m., early enough to leave time for dinner. That makes the restaurant changes covered below part of the plan.
The Weekend Market Just Shifted to Midday
St. Philip's Plaza changes its market hours twice a year, and October is the switch. From May through September, the Saturday and Sunday market runs 8 a.m. to noon. From October through April, it runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cool season moves it out of early-morning errand time and into late morning and lunch.
The market's own description says it focuses on local artists, makers, creators and food businesses, set among sycamores, cobblestone paths and fountains. It's where people can buy art in daylight every weekend. Plaza Colonial covers one evening a month, and St. Philip's covers the other weekends.
The new hours run through April, so this midday schedule covers the whole cool season, including the holidays.
La Encantada's Festival Comes Back Three Times
The La Encantada Fine Art Festival runs three weekends this season. The center lists November 21–22, 2026, then January 16–17 and March 27–28, 2027.
The festival page describes a juried show of artists from across the Southwest, working in sculpture, painting, jewelry, glass, fashion and mixed media, set up in the center's courtyards. Hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free. The presenter is Art State Arizona, the nonprofit formerly known as SAACA, which started in 1997 as the Greater Oro Valley Arts Council.
Because there are three dates, the November weekend doesn't have to be the only chance. A missed weekend has a backup in January, and a piece seen in November could turn up again by spring. The festival weekends also overlap with the St. Philip's market hours. On November 21 and 22, a Saturday and a Sunday, both are open at the same time.
River Road's Gallery Changes Every Month
The fourth schedule belongs to the Southern Arizona Arts Guild. The SAAG Gallery is at Joesler Village, 1745 E. River Road. Its Visiting Artist Program gives a different artist a month-long show at the gallery.
October's visiting artist is Penny Buckley, whose mixed-media work is on view through October 31. Her process starts with hand-pulled prints. She then uses those original papers to build abstract collages mounted on wood, with bold geometric shapes in blues, turquoise, reds and yellows. The opening reception was October 6. For anyone reading this in the last week of October, the show still has a few days left.
The guild posts each month's artist on its website, and that's where November and December shows will be listed. Unlike Plaza Colonial's single Thursday, the guild's shows don't depend on a particular night. A show runs all month, so a stop at Joesler Village fits around a regular errand on River Road.
Dinner Around the Art Is Changing
This season's restaurant news near the plazas is one closure and one planned opening, and they're on different sides of the area.
On River Road, Seis Cantina permanently closed its Joesler Village location at 1765 E. River Road on September 24. Tucson Foodie reported that the closure came three months after the Muñoz family rebranded the space from Seis Kitchen to a quick-serve cantina in June 2026. The same report says three Seis Kitchen locations are still open, on Tanque Verde Road, in Oro Valley and at Mercado San Agustín. The space has no new tenant yet, which means one fewer quick option next door to the guild gallery for now.
Up the hill at La Encantada, Frida American Brasserie is moving into 2905 E. Skyline Drive, the former Living Room space. Owners Charles and Frida Hunt first planned to open in August. In September, Tucson Foodie reported that the team was aiming for October 22, with Frida Hunt calling the end of October the safer estimate until the date was confirmed. The owners have shared an early look at the dinner menu, wine list and cocktail program, and they say it may still change before opening. Reservations go through the restaurant's website, so check there for the current opening status before planning around it.
If Frida opens on its late-October schedule, it will have been running for about two weeks by the November 5 ArtWalk. It sits on the same stretch of Skyline Drive as the Plaza Colonial galleries, which wrap up the walk at 7 p.m. By November 21–22, the festival will be set up in La Encantada's courtyards, around the restaurant.
Between now and the end of the year, here are the dates to keep:
- Through October 31: Penny Buckley at the SAAG Gallery, Joesler Village.
- Every Saturday and Sunday: St. Philip's Plaza Weekend Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- November 5: Foothills Art District ArtWalk, 4 to 7 p.m.
- November 21–22: La Encantada Fine Art Festival.
- December 3: ArtWalk and the Youth On Their Own benefit sale at Wilde Meyer Gallery.
If a fall of ArtWalks and festival weekends has you wondering what your own place near Skyline and River is worth, Ernest Hernandez and The Oden Group can put together a free home valuation, with no pressure and on your timeline.
