Live music outside on city sidewalks will entertain passersby as they stroll from gallery to gallery during this month’s Moab ArtWalk on Saturday, May 13, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Pardon Kanda of Zimbabwe and his wife Kerrie will perform African drumming and dancing.
The Fiery Furnace Marching Band will also be playing music, and attendees can walk down Center Street to hear some live bluegrass music, courtesy of Paradox, Colorado, teacher Sarah Henry and her band of students.
The May ArtWalk includes 11 different venues hosting an array of artwork, ranging from landscape photography to fabric art.
Demonstrations will be held at some of the locations – such as Desert Thread, a yarn shop at 29 E. Center St., where hand-knitted shawls will be on display.
“We’ll feature a certain knitting technique called steeking,” said Cathy O’Connor, who owns the shop with her sister Rosie Boone. “We always try and demonstrate a technique. Last time it was spinning.”
One of the shawls that will be on display is called “From sheep to shawl” – meaning it was knitted from yarn that was sheared, carded, combed, spun and knitted from local sheep. All the shawls will be for sale.
This is the first year Desert Thread has participated in the ArtWalk. O’Connor said she was glad for the opportunity to introduce the shop to people who’ve never been in before. In addition to fine yarns and notions, the shop offers classes.
“We’re a teaching shop,” O’Connor said. “We want to inspire people to make things.”
The Moab Arts and Recreation Center sponsors ArtWalk each spring and fall. The MARC is hosting its own art exhibit titled “Open Mind – Community Art in Support of May Mental Health Awareness.”
“Folks shared their talents, and some, their stories,” during last year’s exhibit, MARC director Meg Stewart said. “It was such an awesome show. This year I wanted to feature it for more than one night.”
The MARC “Open Mind” exhibit will run from May 13 through June 4. In addition to local artists who will be showing two-dimensional, functional and three-dimensional artworks, teacher Carrie Ann Smith’s kindergarten class from Moab Charter School will also contribute pieces to the show.
“It’s so cute,” Stewart said. “She did a project where students chose an emotion, wrote it and drew a picture to describe the emotion.”
When you visit each of the 11 ArtWalk venues you have a chance to win art supplies to inspire your own creative impulse. Simply pick up a postcard at any ArtWalk destination, and visit and get your card punched at each location for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Imagination Station Art and Craft Supplies. The art supplies store is one of the ArtWalk destinations.
Other venues include It’s Sew Moab, where visitors will find “unique gifts stitched by Moab locals using fabrics that are only seen in Red Rock Country.” Its fabric art includes quilts, handbags, totes and clothing.
Another destination, the restaurant 98 Center, will feature new work by local artist Holli Zollinger in a show titled “Desert Botanicals.”
At the Museum of Moab, Mona Horwitz will share some of her vast collection of antique dolls and teddy bears.
Gallery Moab is featuring the landscape paintings of guest artist Carolyn Dailey and gallery members Robin Straub and Phil Wagner – all of whom will be present for ArtWalk.
Moonflower Community Coop is featuring the work of Chris Conrad, who combines traditional film and contemporary digital landscape photography.
Other ArtWalk destinations include Tom Till Gallery, Moab Made and Bike Fiend.
A map of all of the venues can be downloaded from www.moabartwalk.com. Or, pick up a postcard map at any of the participating galleries. Be sure to turn in the punched card at your final destination.
Meet artists, view demonstrations at various galleries on May 13
For more information, call 435-259-6272, or go to www.moabartwalk.com.
What: Moab ArtWalk
When: Saturday, May 13, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Where: Downtown Moab
Information: 435-259-6272; www.moabartwalk.com
