Special Programs
Guided Hike: Tracks Across Time
Through science and imagination, we’ll travel across time, where present and past converge to cross paths with a dinosaur. Before Bob Stevenson was Bob, he was a rock. As Bob, he studied rocks, earned a degree in geology, had fun and became a park ranger. Sometime in the distant future Bob expects to be a rock again. Festival Community Open Jam Session
All artists and musicians are invited to bring their instruments to this hootenanny- style open-jam session event.
Come play, sing or just listen as our talented artists and locals show off their musical talents!
Escalante Historic District Walking Tour
Mary Anne Schow Home 1900
This year’s historic district tours are dedicated to the memory of local historian, Prof. Jerry Roundy, Ph.D (1931-2018).
Tour begins at the Peoples Exchange, one of Escalante’s most photographed historic buildings. Come along to learn more about many of the historic structures throughout town. Escalante was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 as a National Historic District with areas of noted significance in architecture, social history, commerce, agriculture, and exploration/settlement.
Tour will be led by Dr. Larry Barnes, co-owner of the Peoples Exchange, an early (1901) co-op store on old Main Street, Escalante. His interest in Escalante history has led to several invitations to give lectures and to assist in preparation of the guide to the Escalante National Historic District.
Mimi’s Bakery & Deli Poetry for Pie Reading
LOCATION: On side of the bakery under shaded pergola.
Judges Talk
If you’ve always wondered how judges of an art competition make decisions on who wins, this is an event you want to be sure to attend. Join this year’s plein air competition judges to learn how they evaluate the work submitted and ultimately make decisions on who receives awards.
Jennifer Barton is an artist who works predominantly in painting and mixed media. She has a BFA and an MFA from Brigham Young University and is a recipient of the Utah Arts Council Fellowship and the Utah Arts Council Individual Artist Grant. She was accepted to Art Space Studios in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been part of national invitational exhibits such as Boxes Beyond Borders in Santa Barbara, California, the Western Regional Women’s Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona, Utah Art, Utah Artists: A 150-Year Survey at the Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah, Waiting in North Adams, Massachusetts, and Western Wild in Chester, England. Her work has been exhibited at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, the Rio Gallery, the Art Access Gallery, and the Finch Lane Gallery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jennifer has taught many subjects such as figure drawing, painting, drawing, composition, and color in her twenty years as an adjunct instructor at BYU. She also enjoys teaching art to children in her community. See more of Jennifer’s work at here.
Peggy Immel
Peggy is a Master Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, a Signature Member of Plein Air Artists Colorado, and a Member of Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters. Her background includes architectural studies at Arizona State University and classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA, the DeCordova Museum School, Lincoln, MA, and the Silvermine Arts Center, New Canaan, CT.
Featured in major publications and included in national exhibitions, Peggy’s paintings have been recognized with numerous awards including four Best of Shows. Her most recent are an Award of Excellence for “Flower Dance” at the 2018 Plein Air for the Park event in Grand Teton National Park, WY, and a Best of Signature Members Award for “Furrows” at the 22nd Plein Air Artists Colorado 2018 National Juried Exhibition.
Peggys work can be seen at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, Taos, NM and Sorrel Sky Gallery Durango, CO, and Santa Fe, NM. Visit Peggy’s website to see more of her work here.
Carol Johansen
Carol Johansen is the 2019 Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument’s Plein Air Artist-in-Residence. She has lived her adult life in Mount Pleasant, UT, on the Colorado Plateau’s northwest cusp. Her first experience in the GSENM was as a plein air painter during the 2008 Escalante Canyons Art Festival Competition. Carol forms a link to the viewer with emotional content of her painting. The expressive color, the sweep of history in place, the awareness of all are products of how she lives. They make her journey of discovery about nature and herself a path of possibilities and commonalities that others discover they can share. Carol has exhibited her work throughout the west and is currently represented by Spring City Arts, Spring City, Utah.
Visist Carol’s website to see more of her work here.
Local & Vendor Goods and Services Silent Auction
Plan to stop by the Silent Auction that features goods and services from local area businesses and festival vendors to bid on items to help support festival programming. You never know what great items and fun services you might find to bid on. Be sure to bid often and generously!
USU Art Truck and STEM Dome: Y of the STEM
Y of the STEM
Utilizing a 16-foot Mobile Planetarium Projection Dome, in conjunction with the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art Mobile Art Truck, students and the public will be given the opportunity to experience and learn about water, its importance and its uses in their region. The title of the program, Y of the STEM, references both the Y-shape of a divining rod and the idea of the “why” behind STEM education. Looking for water with divining rods is just one of the arts and STEM activities included in this program.
Utah State University Mobile Art Truck
Stop by the NEHMA Mobile Art Truck to view a water-themed exhibit from the museum’s collection and participate in fun hands-on art activities. Since its launch in 2016, the Mobile Art Truck has served thousands of people of all ages through hands-on art activities, pop-up exhibitions and Museum-related programming. In addition to K-12 educational outreach and community activities, the truck serves the students of USU at orientation events, homecoming, USU’s farmer’s markets, as well as at sustainability and STEAM initiatives.
Utah State University STEM Dome
With a 16-foot mobile planetarium, educators from Utah State University will allow the public the chance to contribute to the story of water in our community through the collection of stories, anecdotes, photos and videos that will be shared via video projected inside the dome. The program is meant to help us connect with our community’s unique history and experiences with water.
Escalante Fire Department Breakfast
Make plans to swing by the Escalante Fire Station to enjoy a yummy breakfast served up by Escalante Emergency Medical Response (EMT) and Fire Department Volunteers. Proceeds from this breakfast go to support the amazing work of our volunteer fire department and EMTs. Go show them some love and leave with a full tummy to boot!
Artists of the West Panel Discussion
The artists who participated in the Artists of the West Group Demonstration earlier in the week will convene to discuss how they approach their art, what inspires them, and the influences on their work. The panel discussion will be facilitated by Jennifer Barton, one of this year’s competition judges and an adjunct art professor at BYU. Those participating in the panel include:
Linda Dellandre, TX
Graham Goff, MT
Lonny Granston, CO
Gunther Haidenthaller, UT
Lawrence Smith, NV
Chi E Shenam Westin, ID
More information about these artists can be found here.