Get your creative juices flowing Saturday, June 10 with two events happening at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center. First, the ArtWalk will be hopping around town from 5 to 9 p.m. Next, Rock the Mic will begin at 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. From performance art to visual masterpieces produced all around Grand County, both events will showcase local talent.
Rock the Mic is a venue where everyone is invited to share performances. Founder and organizer Cali Bulmash says, “Rock the Mic is special because it is an open mic that strives to be a safer space where all art forms are welcome. It is a space to be vulnerable, since unlike other open mics that take place in restaurant settings, the entire audience is there specifically to listen to you tell your story.”
Bulmash is a performer who has played shows all over the country and has a new album out titled “Bee Radical.” She describes her style as “desert-inspired radical-roustabout-uke-puke.” No matter what your style of performance, Rock the Mic is the place to share a piece of the “je ne said quoi” that makes you unique without judgement. Bulmash says, “I have seen drag, comedy, flute, cello, spoken word, three-part harmonizing, heavy metal, children singing, puppets and everything in between.”
Rock the Mic’s foundation is centered on the belief that through performance, the community connects and everyone has a voice.
“Using your voice, sharing, and speaking up are acts of resistance,” Bulmash said. “They can help build community, can enable someone to hear a perspective they otherwise would shut out, they can make you want to get up and dance. Everyone has the power to do these things, and Rock the Mic: an open mic is something that I like to think helps people realize that power in themselves.”
Before (or after) you Rock the Mic, ArtWalk will take you downtown where you can stroll to various art galleries and shops to view, purchase, and enjoy local art. Organizer Meg Stewart says, “ArtWalk is a gallery stroll in downtown Moab, it has 11 destinations and you can experience a wide variety of local and regional art in all different mediums.”
The first destination on the list is the MARC, where you can make your own craft and take it home with you. Other destinations include Imagination Station, Moab Made, It’s Sew Moab, Desert Thread, Bike Fiend, 98 Center, Museum of Moab, Tom Till Gallery, Gallery Moab, and Moonflower.
Participants will walk at their own pace with a map to use as a guide. The map contains a punch card and if you visit all 11 locations, you can enter to win a prize at the end of the night. The Fiery Furnace Marching Band will also be performing at ArtWalk.
There will be a variety of artwork displayed for ArtWalk, including Jenk art, which is where people collect objects no longer being used and make them into something else, Stewart said.
“There’s a lot of art inspired by the land but they are not all landscapes,” she said. “There’s a lot of jenk art around Moab. There are piles of trash left sitting for years and years in the desert. They are kind of rustic two- and three-dimensional objects. They could be used to decorate a home. These objects would have gone to a landfill but instead they are creating art,” Stewart says.
The ArtWalk will be an opportunity for locals and tourists alike to experience the artistic culture in Moab, Stewart said.
“The purpose of the event is to attract the community to spend some time downtown experiencing art created by Moabites,” she said. “It is also an awesome way to let visiting communities know there is a huge art community here. It puts us on the map as an arts destination.”
Both ArtWalk and Rock the Mic are free events, but participants are encouraged to purchase artwork.
June 10 Rock the Mic and the ArtWalk showcase local artists and a cornucopia of live performances
“Rock the Mic is special because it is an open mic that strives to be a safer space where all art forms are welcome. It is a space to be vulnerable, since unlike other open mics that take place in restaurant settings, the entire audience is there specifically to listen to you tell your story.”
When: Saturday, June 10 – Rock the Mic: 7:30 p.m.; Art Walk: 5 to 9 p.m.
Where: Rock the Mic: Moab Arts and Recreation Center, 111 E. 100 North; ArtWalk: Starting at the MARC and making its way through 11 downtown destinations
Cost: Both are Free, ArtWalk participants are encouraged to purchase art.
Websites: Rock the Mic: https://www.facebook.com/events/300984423658457/
Art Walk: http://www.moabartwalk.com/
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