Scottsdale’s Museum of the West set to unveil $12M expansion

PHOENIX — One of Scottsdale’s biggest museums is debuting a multimillion-dollar upgrade this week.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West will unveil a new 12,000‑square‑foot, $12 million wing that adds four galleries to the museum’s footprint.

The Louis Sands IV Center is a new two‑story addition that will debut as part of a weeklong series at the museum.

The celebration, themed “Unmistakably West,” begins Tuesday with an official unveiling and continues through Sunday. Museum members receive exclusive access to the Louis Sands IV Center on Friday, while the public is invited to a free Opening Day Celebration on Saturday featuring music, demonstrations, performances and gallery programs.

“The grand opening of the Louis Sands IV Center marks a transformative new chapter … and a defining moment for Scottsdale as … ‘The West’s Most Western Town,’” Western Spirit CEO and executive director Todd Bankofier said in a news release. “This must‑see destination was designed to inspire pride in our community, spark curiosity and deliver a powerful immersive cultural experience.”

Inside the new galleries, visitors can join guided tours and curator pop‑up talks. Guests are encouraged to reserve their free pass in advance for expedited entry.

More details on Scottsdale’s Museum of the West expansion

The expansion launches with four new exhibitions: “Visions in Bronze,” “From Earth to the Stars,” “Fire of Ages” and “Working Pardners: Masterworks from the Eddie Basha Collection,” which the museum boasts as one of the region’s most notable private holdings of Western and Indigenous art.

The new center “allows us to tell the story in a new, more expansive way,” said chief museum curator Andrew Patrick Nelson.

Louis “Buzz” Sands IV, the namesake of the new center, is a longtime Arizona philanthropist and businessman. Sands built his career at Sands Chevrolet.

He also donated $10 million to the University of Arizona Lowell‑Stevens Football Facility. After his 2012 passing, Sands is remembered as a loyal Wildcat and avid art collector.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on Feb. 24, 2026.

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