Take a walk on the artistic side

Take a step back in time by visiting a new destination included in the first Moab Art Walk of 2017, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.

That’s when the restaurant 98 Center will unveil its permanent new collection of historic Moab photographs, courtesy of the Museum of Moab. 98 Center co-owner Alex Borichevsky and employee Shari Zollinger selected photos from the museum’s digital collection to print and mount for display at the restaurant.

“The process of sitting with those photos was extraordinary – the landscape, the people, buildings – seeing the unfolding of the history of Moab,” Zollinger said. “We call it a homage to historic Moab.”

In addition to the permanent collection of historic photos, the restaurant plans to feature a rotating exhibit of local artists’ works beginning in May.

Other new Art Walk destinations this spring include Bike Fiend, a bicycle shop featuring custom-built steel and titanium bike frames, as well as artwork by local high school students; Sew Moab, with its selection of southwestern-style fabric; Desert Thread, a shop with a huge array of fine yarns, including local, farm-raised spinning fibers and accessories, plus a selection of handmade gifts; and the Imagination Station Art and Craft Supplies store, which opened in November 2016.

“We’re so excited to have a new arts and crafts store here now,” Moab Arts and Recreation Center director Meg Stewart said.

Moab native and Imagination Station store owner Cindy Sue Hunter was looking to start a new business when she returned to her hometown last year. She said she started asking people what they wanted to see in Moab.

“Nine times out of 10, I was told ‘a local arts and crafts store – no more restaurants or hotels,’” Hunter said.

Moab Art Walk is an opportunity to stay open late and introduce the shop to the community, she said. Normal business hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Other Art Walk destinations include Geri Drake’s photography exhibit at the Museum of Moab. Her unique photos of various vehicles and car parts coincide with the Moab April Action Car Show theme, Stewart said.

Moonflower Community Cooperative is featuring the artwork of Alex Burbridge, whose painting style includes “colorful, textural palette knife abstracts and cartoon realism.”

The Tom Till Gallery will showcase Till’s landscape photography and will be offering special prices on calendars, books and prints.

Also featured in April’s Art Walk is the artisan shop Moab Made, which will be celebrating its one-year anniversary.

Gallery Moab will feature the jewelry of Bayfield, Colorado, artist Annie Bates and pastel landscapes by Charlotte Quigley.

Photographer Joshua Snow is MARC’s featured artist for the month of April. The public is also invited to partake in a craft project at the MARC on the evening of Art Walk, Stewart said.

The Fiery Furnace Marching Band will perform its New Orleans-style covers of popular songs on downtown sidewalks during Art Walk.

A map of all of the venues can be downloaded from www.moabartwalk.com, or you pick up a postcard map at any of the participating galleries. Be sure and get your card punched at each of the 11 venues, before turning it in at the MARC for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the Moab Adventure Center, Stewart said.

Moab Art Walks will take place in April, May and June, and then again in September, October and November.

New venues added to Moab’s Art Walk

When: Saturday, April 8, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Where: Downtown Moab; locations vary

Information: www.moabartwalk.com; 435-259-6272

“We’re so excited to have a new arts and crafts store here now.”