We have had several calls from collectors and friends wondering… “are you open?”

Yes! We will be open for the entirety of the Sundance Film Festival. Do you have your tickets? Your “in” with the PIBs (People in Black) to get into the hottest parties? Well, me neither. But you do have a full access pass to some of the best artwork in town at Gallery MAR.

Each day of the Festival, you will find Gallery MAR open and exhibiting the latest work from Amy Ringholz in her “Menagerie” show, along with our 30 other talented artists.

And we’re excited to announce that we will have Carson Daly from the “Last Call with Carson Daly” show filming in the gallery on Saturday afternoon, so stop by to check out which celebs he’ll have in front of the mic.

Then, on January 25th and 26th we will be moving to our new location. We’ll see you there, at the beginning of February, our new home: 436 Main Street, Park City.

Amy Ringholz, Artist at Work

Isn’t this studio incredible? The above photo shows Gallery MAR artist Amy Ringholz diligently at work on her latest exhibition “Menagerie,” which premiers Friday, January 13th at the gallery.

Please plan to join us, along with Ms. Ringholz, in the gallery for this exciting showcase of new artwork in both her traditional styles and the new “Urban Wildlife” series.

Although Summer is full of art festivals and events, Fall can be one of the best times of year to see and experience new artwork in our region.

The Fall Arts Festival in Jackson Hole Wyoming, from September 8 to the 18th, is coming to its crescendo this weekend. This is when the quick paint and auction occur, and all of the galleries prepare for this weekend to be one of the best for sales all year. It’s my favorite time of year to visit Jackson Hole, which is at its best in the summer and fall months.

If you visit, Hotel Terra is a beautiful and ecologically conscious hotel that I highly recommend. In addition, the Amangani is another top favorite, with incredible views of the Tetons and even better service. For food, head to Rendezvous Bistro, where budding artists can draw right on the (paper-covered) tables and expect a wide range of seasonal and local specialties.

Amy Ringholz - Wolf Solo

Next year, Gallery MAR artist Amy Ringholz is the Featured Artist of the 2012 Fall Arts Festival, and we can’t wait to see what work she produces for the feature. Congratulations to Ms. Ringholz, whose work can be seen at our solo exhibition for her on Friday, January 13th beginning at 6pm.

Another exciting, upcoming show is the “Park City Collects” exhibition at the Kimball Art Center. This new exhibit asks the question: “why do people collect art?” and presents the stories behind signature pieces in the collections of various art aficionados from the Park City community.  The artwork on view is as diverse and eclectic as the reasons for collecting it. The Members’ Opening Reception on Saturday, December 3 from 6-8 p.m. Mark your calendar!

Our good friend Dave Berry with Aisling Art Installation just completed a new hanging of Amy Ringholz’s work “Brothers” at a gorgeous home here in Deer Valley, Utah. Berry used a laser beam on a tripod to find the perfectly correct symmetry for the installation. He has some incredible tricks up his sleeves, and his work is always guaranteed. Take a look at a few pictures from the art installation.

Aisling offers custom installation in homes or businesses, into those tricky spots like stone & tile, along stair ways, and for large or small groupings. He was also assist with pick up & deliveries as well as custom sized shipping crates.

We have been busy at Gallery MAR with gorgeous winter show works coming in. Jennifer and I  have been busy unwrapping packages and hanging works, which reminds me that this is a great time to write about the packaging and shipping of fine art.

In my experience, collectors often have multiple homes and want their fine art to grace more than one home.  Works get swapped, new ones come in, and older works are deaccessed. Sometimes this means moving artwork from one state to another, or even overseas. Each piece of artwork requires special handling and consideration, but there are a few guidelines to follow…

Always use at least one strong layer of bubble wrap around each piece. For heavier or more fragile items, up to 4 layers would not be unheard of, with an under layer of paper or cloth. If you are using cardboard boxes, package the item inside with multiple layers of more bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts between the piece and the box. After securing the box with tape, give the box a shake. Do the items inside shift around? Do you hear peanuts settling? Time to re-open the box and stuff it tighter! Air within the package allows for movement and a higher likelihood of damage in transit.

For glass and ceramic I recommend the “double box” method: package the sculpture as described above and then place that box into another box with more packaging materials around it. And when dealing with truly fragile items, always ship by Air instead of Ground.

I always suggest using recyclable materials: better for the environment and more cost-effective. Biodegradable Cornstarch Peanuts can be found at www.ULine.com as well as other packaging websites. Cardboard boxes can usually be re-used three time before they’re eventually recycled. More and more retailers are recognizing the need to cater to their “green” consumers, so seek out those options whenever possible. Most recycling centers (Park City’s included) will both accept and give away packaging materials. We often head to Recycle Utah for their bags of Styrofoam and boxes. Try the “re-use” route before you buy new.

“Trust in Allah, but Tie Your Camel”

If you need more information or are shipping oversize items, you can always call Gallery MAR for more information and resources. There are also several national shipping companies who do both the crating and freighting of items. Safe and happy shipping to you, but remember… always get your shipment insured.

I took a few days to visit the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and see some of the artful events there. Gallery MAR artist Amy Ringholz had just premiered a new show at her Scottsdale gallery, and the Scottsdale Arts Festival was in full effect at the Center for the Performing Arts. Ringholz’s show featured couples, wildlife animals in “love.” What a fantastic theme for a show– we are proud to exhibit such a creative artist.

The Scottsdale Public Art Program had just completed a limited invitational search for proposals from artists to create an installation at the 40th annual Scottsdale Arts Festival. The selected proposal for the installation was OVERFLOW!, submitted by artist Virginia Fleck (Austin, TX) OVERFLOW! is an eye-popping monumental installation made from thousands of colorful recycled plastic bags. For this installation, each plastic bag was inflated to transform the venue into a shiny, buoyant colorful display. Over the festival grounds, there were several spots with the bubbly balloons. The light breezes allowed the balloons to move and rustle, and the sound was quite soothing.

The thousands of colorful animated Bag Balloons in OVERFLOW! take on humorous anthropomorphic traits as they make a whimsical journey through the festival– first appearing to tumble down from the roof of the performing arts center, then seeming to meander through the festival grounds, where they culminate en masse dipping into the fountain in front of City Hall to rest in its cool waters. This temporary installation was commissioned by Scottsdale Public Art with support from the Scottsdale Arts Festival.

My favorite artist from the festival? Ted Gall, who makes kinetic sculptures featuring everything from toys and tots to elephants, lizards, characters from the land of Oz, and humans with great personality. His booth had a continually present crowd who were all wowed by his works.

Amy Ringolz and Lisa Lamoreaux the night of their opening reception. Congratulations to both artists on a beautiful show, hanging through February.

“Why Walk Alone,” Oil, 2010 by Amy Ringholz

Lisa Lamoreaux with collectors in the Park City gallery.