Explore Other Luminaries:

Dave Acosta & Daniel SanchezSusan & Ron Anderson Jim HollisterTom LehmanDhargya Lobsang

Dave McGaryPavle MilicSusan Morrow PotjeTom NewmanB.J. Tatro

Art from the Heart

Each year, Experience Scottsdale profiles a selection of local celebrities, from restaurateurs and sports figures to artists and adventurers. We invite you to meet this year’s luminaries and find out what they have to say about living, working and enjoying life in Scottsdale.

Dave McGary’s monumental bronze sculptures can be found across the country, from the U.S. Capitol rotunda and the Smithsonian to his Scottsdale gallery, Expressions in Bronze. But ask him about his art and what you’ll hear is less about the actual work and more about the people and events that have inspired him.

A self-described history junkie who grew up in Cody, Wyoming, McGary has an intrinsic passion for the West. “I’ve got the West pumping through my veins,” he says with a laugh. “I grew up on a cattle ranch, so the Western way of life just seemed normal at the time. But now, looking back, I realize how absolutely special it was.”

After studying anatomy and bronze casting with master craftsmen in Italy at age 16, McGary met and became friends with students from Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Arts, including brothers Kevin and Ken Yellow Mountain of the Sioux Nation. As time passed, McGary was adopted into the Sioux culture and the inspiration for his art was born.

“Sometimes people ask why I don’t sculpt more contemporary work,” says McGary. “But with the Native people I’ve been so honored to meet – people who have literally changed my life – I don’t know what else I would do. I just can’t help but be inspired by who they are.”