‘Arts to Zion’ tour showcases art from within community; silent auction preview

Gina Jrel, participating artist in the "Arts to Zion" tour Jan. 15-19, 2015, St. George, Utah | Photo courtesy of "Arts to Zion "tour, St. George News

WASHINGTON COUNTY — It has been said that art is the only way to run away and not leave home, and the fourth annual “Arts to Zion” art and studio tour is one reason why leaving the Washington County community is unnecessary as it brings in more than 72 artists within the area showing off their art from Jan. 15-19.

"Arts to Zion" mascot | Photo courtesy of "Arts to Zion," St. George News
“Arts to Zion” mascot | Photo courtesy of “Arts to Zion,” St. George News

With an anticipated 5,000 guests to view art at more than 30 venues including private studios of artist homes, “Arts to Zion” Founder Bobbi Wan-kier said she hopes to see this year’s “Arts to Zion” tour as the best yet. The “Arts to Zion” tour is fiscally sponsored by the Southern Utah Art Guild, a newly formed nonprofit organization.

For community residents and visitors who want to see local art, going to this five-day event is the way to go.

“This is their art community,” Wan-kier said.  “They are all connected on this one event as far as visual art goes. Be proud. I’m proud to live here with all this art in the area.”

As in past years, the “Arts to Zion” Tour is the art community’s equivalent of the “St. George Area Parade of Homes,” offering visitors a chance to see artists working in their home studios and in their galleries. A $10 ticket offers a map and entrance to all locations on the tour as well as admission to special events.

New and notables

Among the new galleries in the tour this year are the Authentique Fine Art Gallery, The Mission Gallery, Split Rock Art Gallery, and Fibonacci Main Street Gallery, Wan-kier said, which are all located in downtown St. George and share some of the most popular art for art lovers to see.

The tour is also offering artist book signings of the book, “Legacy, the Art and History of Utah’s Dixie,” which was published by the St. George Art Museum in 1996.

  • Artists L’Deane Trueblood and Annette Everett, represented in “Legacy,” will be available at a special book signing event at the St. George Art Museum, 200 North 47 East, on Friday from 4-8 p.m. where the book also may be purchased.
  • Artists Roland Lee and Jodi McGregor, also represented in “Legacy,” will be available at their own venues on the tour for book signings.

Students from Vista Charter School will be available at a student exhibition featuring their artwork at the DiFiore Center, 307 N. Main Street, on Thursday from 4-8 p.mTheir artwork will be on exhibit at the center throughout the “Arts to Zion” tour. 

Art by Fiona Phillips included for silent auction, "Arts to Zion" art and studio tour, St. George Utah, to be held Jan. 15-19, 2015 | Photo courtesy of "Arts to Zion," St. George News
Art by Fiona Phillips included for silent auction, “Arts to Zion” art and studio tour, St. George Utah, to be held Jan. 15-19, 2015 | Photo courtesy of “Arts to Zion,” St. George News

Students and faculty from Dixie State University will be available at DSU’s faculty and student exhibition, North Plaza Building on the DSU Campus, 950 E. 100 South, on Thursday from 4-8 p.m. Their artwork will be on exhibit throughout the tour as well.

The St. George Weaving Studio, 400 South Donlee Drive, will feature its group of weavers only on Thursday from  4-8 p.m.

A full list of participating artists can be found at the Arts to Zion website. The participants include artists who have won prestigious national awards for their work, and who have been given the highest honor for an artist by the state of Utah.

Tickets and offerings

The full experience cannot be had without the purchase of the $10 punch card ticket. Tickets may be purchased at any of several locations:

  • St. George Chamber of Commerce, 97 E. St. George Blvd., St. George
  • Juniper Sky art gallery, 851 Coyote Gulch Center in the Kayenta Art Village, Ivins
  • Silver Reef Museum, 1903 Wells Fargo Drive, Leeds
  • Worthington Gallery, 789 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale
  • The DiFiore Center, 307 N. Main Street, St. George
  • Authentique Gallery, 199 N. Main Street, St. George
  • at the door for any of the “After-Hours” locations listed below,
  • on the Arts to Zion website.

All operations, administration and supplies for the tour are supported by ticket sales and a portion of silent auction proceeds. Any surplus of funds is used to promote the event throughout the year. Artists receive one-half of the sale price paid for their art pieces during the tour and “Arts to Zion” keeps the other half for use on future events

Watercolor by artist Karen March included for silent auction, "Arts to Zion" art and studio tour, St. George Utah, to be held Jan. 15-19, 2015 | Photo courtesy of "Arts to Zion," St. George News
Watercolor by artist Karen March included for silent auction, “Arts to Zion” art and studio tour, St. George Utah, to be held Jan. 15-19, 2015 | Photo courtesy of “Arts to Zion,” St. George News

By visiting and earning a punch from at least 15 private sites and 10 public sites, tour-goers will be entered into a drawing for three weekend getaway prize packages to be awarded, offering overnight stays at local hotels.

Select public locations will have drawing baskets to win prizes from “Arts to Zion” tour sponsors. Every location with a drawing basket will draw a winner at least once a day during the “Arts to Zion” tour, and winners will be notified by email and announced on the “Arts to Zion” tour Facebook.

Ticket-holders may attend the “After Hours” events, described below – new to the “Arts to Zion” tour this year. A map of venue locations is provided here.

Where to purchase tickets: There will be five ticket locations across the county – each is marked with a “dollar sign” on the tour’s map. The central location is St. George Chamber of Commerce, located at 97 E. St. George Blvd. Upon purchase of a ticket, tour-goers will also receive a studio tour guide.

Acrylic by Aimee Bonham included for silent auction, "Arts to Zion" art and studio tour, St. George Utah, to be held Jan. 15-19, 2015 | Photo courtesy of "Arts to Zion," St. George News
Acrylic by Aimee Bonham included for silent auction, “Arts to Zion” art and studio tour, St. George Utah, to be held Jan. 15-19, 2015 | Photo courtesy of “Arts to Zion,” St. George News

Silent auction

All artists have designated a piece of original art for a “Buy it Now” pre-auction option and silent auction associated with the “Arts to Zion” tour, offering art lovers a chance to score a deal on a great original piece of art.

The included art is on display at the St. George Chamber of Commerce, 97 E. St. George Blvd. and is not exclusive to ticket-holders; rather anyone is welcome to come view, buy and bid on these special pieces of art, some of which are included in the photo gallery attached to this report.

Before bidding opens for the silent auction “Buy it Now” prices are available to buyers until 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Bidding opens Thursday at 9 a.m. and continues through Monday at 3 p.m.

Opening bids for the auction will reflect the “Buy it Now” prices discounted between 10 percent and 50 percent at the artists’ discretion.

“After Hours” parties and special events

Social events this year include “After-Hours” parties with refreshments, entertainment and featured artists, open exclusively to “Arts to Zion” ticket-holders.  The parties scheduled follow:

Thursday from 6-9 p.m., in downtown St. George at four locations: Authentique Gallery, with Julie Rogers painting a live model; Fibonacci Main Street Gallery, with jazz music and artists Spike Ress and Steve McGinty; The Mission Gallery, with Ben Hammond sculpting a live model; and Split Rock Gallery, with several artists working in their own mediums.

Friday from 8-10:30 p.m., an “After-Hours” masquerade ball will be held at the 13th and Park Art Space, hosted by Nick Adams and Gina Jrel. People are encouraged but not required to attend in costume.

Saturday from 7:30-10:30 p.m., the final evening “After-Hours” party will be held at Zion Brew Pub, featuring artist Royden Card and the band Sala Tumanuvao and The Shakedown, joined by special guest musician John Houston.

Other public events

Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m., gallery walks are open to the public downtown St. George and in Springdale at the DeZion and Worthington galleries and Joy Craft and Design.

Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., artists and musicians will be present at the Kayenta Art Village in Ivins.

On Monday, Silver Reef Museum will be the site of many local cultural events. Book signings of “Legacy” will be available by Jodi McGregor and local history book authors Richard Kohler, Russell Estack, and more.

Monday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., next door to the museum, at the Cosmopolitan, Plein Air artist Mary Jabens, Jodi McGregor and Erric Wan-kier will join the  Southern Utah Art Guild in a Plein Air Paint-out-Wet Paint, which will be for sale off their easels.

Resources

Photos in the gallery below represents a sampling of art that is included in the “Buy it Now” pre-auction option through Wednesday at 5 p.m. and in the silent auction beginning Thursday at 9 a.m.  There are many more pieces available for “Buy it Now” or silent auction than represented in this photo gallery.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

A D V E R T O R I A L

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Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

 

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