During the month of December, the Historic Park City District will host a number of events, classes and activities as a part of the holidays to celebrate the festive season. Many events are free to the public and open to all ages.

Art Lovers

On Saturday, December 18th, Gallery MAR presents their winter exhibition titled “Here and Abroad.” The exhibition features new works by Geore Bodine and Kirk Tatom.

Images of Nature Gallery will host their Annual Holiday Open House on December 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The gallery will premier 11 new images from world renowned wildlife and nature photographer, Thomas Mangelsen.

The walls in the Thomas Anthony Gallery will be graced with new paintings from artist Anton Arkhipov from December 17th through the 31st.

During the Gallery Stroll on December 29th, Coda Gallery will host a reception for Heather Barron. Coda Gallery is home to a contemporary, colorful array of paintings, sculpture, furniture and glass.

Kids’ Activities

The Kimball Art Center is the heart of Park City’s historic and vibrant arts community. As part of their mission they work to engage individuals of all ages in a variety of ways, one of which is education.

The Kimball’s lineup of December family and youth classes is extensive. From Toy Land Painting to a Gift Making Workshop, there is surely something to for everyone. Registration can take place online at or by contacting the Kimball directly at 435.649.8882.

Holiday Spirit

Santa will arrive, via the Town Lift on Saturday, December 18th. His sleigh is scheduled to visit Main Street around 6:15pm. There will be kids activities, hot cocoa and of course a change to have your picture taken with the big fella.

Carolers and sign-along music will help keep the festive mood, while you shop and dine in the Historic District. The music will begin at 5:00 each evening in Miners Park, starting Sunday, December 19th. Carolers will perform at 2 p.m. on December 24 and no performance on December 25.

Start a holiday tradition by taking a carriage ride through the District. Carriages can be picked on the corner of Park Avenue and 7th Street, between Utah Ski and Golf and Butchers Chop House and Bar. Carriage rides will run from December 18th through the 29th and operate between 3pm to 10pm. Between 3 and 5pm a family of four can ride for $25. At 5pm the rates rise to $35 per couple and $5 per additional person.

Don’t let the shortest day of the year leave you in the dark! Come up to Historic Park City for our Winter Solstice Electric Parade on Tuesday, December 21st. The parade begins at 6pm.

Shows

The Egyptian Theatre has prepared a full line-up of performances for the month of December. They include a Kurt Bestor solo piano Christmas concert to Satisfaction – A Rolling Stones Experience to mention just two.

Who? You, your friends, neighbors and anyone who is up for having some fun.

Brought to you by the Historic Park City Business Alliance.

What? Dancing to “Let it Snow”. We think this may be the first flashmob in Park City!

Where? In front of the Egyptian Theatre on Main Street.

When? December 11th @ 4pm

Visit http://www.historicparkcityutah.com/blog/events/flashmob-on-main-street-december-11-4pm for more information.

Send this along to your friends and have them come out and join us for this fun event. Information on Flashmobs are typically circulated through e-mail chains and through social networking sites. We will not be advertising the event through the media. Part of the fun is catching people by surprise. We hope to see you there.

Tonight was a  successful night for our non-profit awareness Gallery Stroll. Many Park City galleries joined with area non-profits to raise awareness for each group, and raise funds in many cases. Gallery MAR teamed up with Recycle Utah, and we were able to raise several hundred dollars for their cause, all through $10 Opportunity Drawing donations.

Tonight’s lucky winner is Andy Beerman, owner of Park City’s Treasure Mountain Inn, “the only meeting/conference property in the Historic district, we are carbon-neutral,earth-friendly, with sleeping rooms that comply with AAA’s 4-diamond specifications” [with quote courtesy of Treasure Mountain Inn's website].

Congratulations to Andy and to Recycle Utah for all that you do!

Wearable artwork by local, emerging artists!  Gallery MAR is pleased to welcome Susan Richer of “Eagle Designs” and Cyndi Sharp of “Rooted in Stone” for an exclusive Trunk Show August 7th and 8th, both days from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

The Arts Festival is the perfect time to introduce these two exciting artists. Both Susan and Cyndi design unique, one of a kind jewelry, and are local here to Park City. Both artists will be in attendance here at the gallery over the Arts Festival weekend.

Susan turned her lifelong passion of designing jewelry into making wearable art, using organic elements that are thoughtful and respectful of their origin. It is important to Susan to know the history of the elements she uses: antique prayer beads, fossils, antique glass and ostrich shells (to name just a few).

Cyndi’s passion for rustic furniture lead her to learn the art of furniture making, through which she designed and built furniture of twigs and roots. She now designs on a much smaller scale: creating jewelry of burled roots found in the forests of Utah and gemstones from around the world creating very unique and interesting pieces.

The British graffiti artist Banksy has done it again… A decaying Packard Plant in Detroit was his canvas this May. But it seems the 1,500 pound painting was removed and exhibited at a local gallery, leading the plant owners to sue. Some sources I’ve seen tell me that the 555 Gallery removed the piece so as to preserve it, while others say they are guilty of theft.

Bioresource Inc.  filed suit this week in Wayne County Circuit Court to regain possession of the mural by the internationally known British graffiti artist. The painting (a boy with a can of red paint and the words “I remember when all this was trees” affixed to an 8-foot tall cinder block wall) was removed by artists of a nonprofit gallery, where it remains on display in southwest Detroit.

The suit says the mural may be worth $100,000 or more. Stars such as Angelina Jolie have spent more than that on Banksy works. But appraising Banksy graffiti is complicated due to issues of authenticity and the artist’s habit of disavowing works that have been moved from their original setting. Finding a collector willing to buy it or a museum that would accept it as a gift is problematic. Read more about the new graffiti in Detroit in this Metro Times story.

The Egytian Theater here in Park City has had similar troubles. It is assumed that Banksy also tagged our local Main Street Theater and the work of art (a rat wearing 3-d glasses, on a door) was removed and is in storage. How the theater will go about marketing and selling the piece is a controversial issue. Should it remain as is, here in town? Or should a struggling theater program try to reap some monetary rewards from the random tagging? Who does the art belong to, and when does it leave the realm of inspiration and become annoyance?

A slew of graffiti appeared here in town to coincide with the premier of the documentary movie “Exit through the Giftshop,” featuring Banksy (although not revealing his identity).  Read more on our previous blog, here. One piece, on the Java Cow building (seen above) has been covered with ply board, after additional graffiti “artists” decided to leave their own tags.

Park City Municipal removed one of the tags, on a historic building, and it is not known whether they knew the artist and his work or not.

Bridgette Meinhold, from her “Family of Trees” series, Encaustic, 2010

Last fall, I purchased one of Bridgette Meinhold’s figurative encaustic and mixed media works from Phoenix Gallery’s miniature show. The artist dropped by my gallery a few weeks later and introduced herself. As I came to learn more about Meinhold (formerly Steffen), I decided to add her works to our 2nd Annual Local Fireworks show, here at Gallery MAR this weekend.

Where she lives, this artist has nature at her beck and call, and her pieces are inspired by her surroundings– aspen trees, mountain vistas, wildlife, and the changing seasons. In her latest encaustic works, we are seeing families of trees as they grow and change with each season (see above). The surface quality of her wax paintings is thick and lush– many layers go into each work, and graphite transfers are common. Later this summer, we will feature a group of works inspired by the plight of the honey bee, for our “Bee Conscious” series.

Last night, I visited Meinhold in her studio in Brighton Estates, over the back of Deer Valley. She lives there with her fireman husband Matt, on what they call the “Meinhold Compound.” Dog Cooper met us at their door, and we got a tour of the grounds (see below for pictures). Her studio and Matt’s workshop are each a divided half of a reclaimed shipping crate. They’re insulated and rigged the crate into a lovely (albeit narrow) space in which to work. Their whole space is incredible, and the hiking straight from their front door is divine. What a life…

Come by the gallery on Saturday from 3 to 5 pm to meet Meinhold and all of our local artists for our “Local Fireworks” celebration.

The Meinhold compound and [shipping container] studio

“The Art of Yoga” Monday February 8th, 9:00 am at Gallery MAR

Bring your mat and get ready to practice among the artworks!  We are pleased to announce that Gallery MAR, in association with Lululemon Athletica, will present a morning yoga practice in the gallery on February 9th. Lauren Lockey is the featured instructor, a Park City favorite. Lockey’s love for dance was a natural fit with yoga. She studied Modern dance at the University of Utah and continued on in Portland, Oregon where she developed a regular Bikram Yoga practice. Lauren lived and taught yoga in Thailand for six months.

There will be a Trunkshow of beautiful Lululemon Athletica wear, so please bring your credit cards to purchase this gorgeous (and highly functional) athletic wear!

Your donation for this class ($5 suggested) goes to benefit Direct Relief International. Local athlete Erin Hamlin, 2006 & 2010 Olympian and 2009 Luge World Champion, who has started this organization to send relief to Haiti, says, “as an athlete with an extensive and amazing support system, I know the generosity many people possess. Now is a great time to show the world. Spread the word, spread the love, save a country!” Already a struggling nation, Haiti has been more than devastated by the recent destruction caused by the catastrophic earthquake on January 12th. As relief efforts continue, many vital supplies are running out as more and more lives need to be saved and rebuilt. Please help give them hope with a donation of any amount. Learn more by clicking here.

Who: Gallery MAR, Lululemon, and Lauren Lockey

What: The Art of Yoga: Lululemon with Lauren Lockey at Gallery MAR Yoga Practice

When: Monday, February 8th, at 9:00 am

Where: Gallery MAR, 580 Main Street, Park City, Utah, 84060

Why: Direct Relief International Benefit for Haiti

CHEERS TO THE NEW YEAR FROM RECYCLE UTAH AND GALLERY MAR

PARK CITY – Gallery MAR, located at 580 Main Street, will host a special Recycled Bottle Cap Pin Making Workshop on Monday, December 28th from 4 pm until 7 pm as a fundraiser for Recycle Utah.  Inspired by Mexican and Southwestern art, local teacher and artist Kathleen Briley will demonstrate how to create beautiful decorative “wearable” pins out of recycled bottle caps.

Recycle Utah will provide the bottle caps and pins, all you need to bring is your imagination and creativity. Refreshments will be served and the workshop is free with a $5 donation to Recycle Utah.

Maren Bargreen, owner of Gallery MAR, opens up her gallery to local non-profits for fundraising events on a monthly basis and this month it’s for Recycle Utah.

“It’s my way of giving back to the community and supporting important causes like recycling and environmental conservation. Thanks to Recycle Utah I am able to recycle everything at Gallery MAR – especially all of the shipping and packing materials I use.”

This community workshop is for all ages, children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-register early – space is limited.

Gallery MAR now has a new venue:  Silver Strike Lodge in Empire Pass, Deer Valley. View original works of art by local and regional artists in the model unit.

On Sunday, January 17, 2010 8 units of Silver Strike Lodge will be auctioned off. Learn more here: Silver Strike Lodge Auction.

Owners at Silver Strike Lodge are already making memories in Empire Pass and they are quick to share glowing reviews of life in their new vacation homes:

“Silver Strike Lodge is the perfect ski-in, ski-out retreat. The amenities are unparalleled and well-exceeded our expectations. Silver Strike is in a class of it’s own, and is at the forefront of the latest trends in sophisticated carefree vacation lifestyles.” -Kevin & Annie, Owners at Silver Strike Lodge

Fascinating and nostalgic, Silver Strike Lodge pays tribute to the rich mining history of Deer Valley® and Empire Pass. While its awe-inspiring homes are rich and complete, the magnificent ski-in, ski-out location is the true indulgence. From Silver Strike Lodge, you can ski directly onto the Silver Strike Express Chairlift, which whisks you away to the meticulously groomed slopes of Upper Deer Valley® Resort.