The Kimball Art Center held their annual Charity Lift Auction last week. Six quick draw artists battled it out to win a solo exhibition at the Kimball’s Badami Gallery. With only an hour and a half, the talented artists produced incredible works which were then auctioned off.  It was an exciting evening that benefited several local charities, and one we will look forward to for 2012. The winner of the Badami gallery show, with his metal chandelier sculpture, was Justin Pok: http://justinpok.com/

Last Thursday, the Kimball Art Center‘s Jury selected 5 incredibly talented architects, from a pool of 18, to compete for the chance to design the KAC’s new redevelopment, the “Transformation” project.

Be sure to mark their “Meet Your Designer Night” on your calendar. This evening of presentations will be at the historic Egyptian Theater on Wednesday, November 2nd from 5:30pm-6:30pm. The Top Five architects chosen to compete will make a short 10-minute presentation about their firms as they compete for the Kimball Art Center Transformation Project bid. The Kimball Art Center is inviting the public to attend this free and open event.

The five architect firms selected are as follows:

BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group – Offices in New York, NY and Copenhagen, Denmark; www.big.dk

Brooks + Scarpa Architects – Los Angeles, CA; www.brooksscarpa.com

Sparano + Mooney Architecture – Salt Lake City, UT; www.sparanomooney.com

Will Bruder+ Partners Ltd. – Phoenix, AZ; www.willbruder.com

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects – New York, NY; www.twbta.com

The competing architects will spend the afternoon of the 2nd touring the City and getting to know the programming needs of the Kimball Art Center.

“We were stunned at the level of architects who applied to our competition. The architects in the mix are comprised of men, women, Americans, Danes, Utahans, thirty-somethings, and sixty-somethings. Their styles range from contemporary, bold, refined, historic, spiritual, and minimalist to global. We have an extremely exciting and vibrant contest in the works that we hope will gain international attention. Furthermore, we believe our collective effort will help shape the future of Utah as an important upcoming arts and culture destination. After much deliberation, we believe this is reflected in the five architects who were ultimately chosen to represent the spectrum of distinct styles that will give us an incredibly diverse and exciting design competition,” shares Robin Marrouche, Executive Director, Kimball Art Center.

The November 2nd Egyptian Theater presentation is a chance for the community to hear directly from these architects about their design philosophy and to see some examples of their past work. All of these firms will bring a completely new approach to Park City architecture and as a requirement of the competition regulations, will partner with a local Park City or Salt Lake City design professional with a proven record of designing and building in the mountain areas similar to that of Park City.

After the November 2nd presentation, the five competing firms will have until December 21st to design and submit their version of the new Kimball Art Center. The final designs will be on display for the community to enjoy at the Kimball Art Center, where the public is invited to come and share their thoughts about them throughout the holidays until the final decision will be made in February when the winner of the design competition is to be selected.

Montana-based Gallery MAR artist Shawna Moore is presenting a sold our workshop at the Kimball Art Center this weekend. Fling in and out of town, she was able to bring new works for exhibiting at our gallery, as we are very excited to have them here. The chain elements and calligraphy work is expanding into circles and orbits in her work, and the color in this particular series is inviting and warm. Enjoy…

Shawna Moore - "Sokoto," 40" x 30"

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!

The Park City Gallery Association presents the September Fashion Stroll on Friday, September 30^th from 6 to 9 pm.

And join us the night before, Thursday, September 29^th, for the first annual Park City Couture Swap, at the Kimball Art Center.

Fashion Stroll: The Park City Gallery Association has teamed up with Farasha Boutique to combine the art of fashion with the fine arts. For one night only, galleries in Park City are celebrating Fall Fashion by displaying and selling the work of up-and-coming designers in their galleries, in addition to their traditional fine art offerings. Featuring clothing, jewelry, accessories, and shoe designers from Utah and abroad.

Start your fall fashion shopping at the Fashion Stroll on Friday, September 30^th from 6 to 9, meeting designers, shopping their new creations, and enjoying light bites and drinks. This event is free and open to the public.

Wrap up your evening with a Fashion Show After-party at the very-chic Silver restaurant and nightclub at 9 pm. Fashions from the participating galleries will be shown, with hair and make-up styling by Lunatic Fringe in Park City. The first 50 guests to the Fashion Show at Silver will receive a covetable gift bag.

Couture Swap: Update your fall wardrobe with “new-to-you” couture. This event on Thursday, September 29^th from 6 to 9 pm is hosted by the Kimball Art Center, with the goal of raising Awareness for Pancreatic Cancer

Join Park City’s most fashionable ladies for a private Girls’ Night Out event raising awareness for Pancreatic Cancer. The event is $125 per person, and Pre-Registration is required. Bring your fashion-current couture (& handbags) and remember that all items must be freshly laundered and in excellent condition.

Who: The Park City Gallery Association, Farasha Boutique, and the Pancreatic Cancer Association

What: Two days of Fall Fashion in Park City

When: Thursday, September 29^th and Friday, September 30^th, 2011. Both nights’ events are from 6 to 9 pm.

Where: Park City Galleries and the Kimball Art Center

Fashion Stroll Contact: Maren Mullin marenmullin@gmail.com 435-649-3001

Couture Swap Contact: Gibbie Whelehan gwhelehan@pancanvolunteer.org

Kimball Art Center Win a Porsche

Park City Kimball Arts Festival

This event serves as the primary fundraiser for the Kimball Art Center each year. Proceeds from the Festival enable the Kimball Art Center to provide, free of charge, year around art exhibitions, gallery tours, monthly “Art Talks” and to offer art education outreach to teachers, students and our community. I will be renewing my own membership and crossing my fingers in August!

Gallery MAR will have a few wrist bands here for our favorite collectors. Stop by a few days before the festival to grab one!

ART FESTIVAL HOURS

Friday, August 5th  5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, August 6th 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday, August 7th 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

TICKET PRICES

Friday
Summit County Residents  FREE
Adults: $10.00 each for a weekend pass
Children/Students 6-18: $5.00 each for a weekend pass
Children 5 and under: FREE

Saturday and Sunday
Adults: $10.00 each for a weekend
Children 6-18: $5.00 each for a weekend pass
Children 5 and under: FREE

BUY ONLINE NOW

You can… and with one of Gallery MAR‘s top artists to boot. Shawna Moore is presenting her “Encuastic Plus” workshop at the Kimball Art Center this fall.

Here are the details

September 30-Oct 2, Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT

Encaustic Plus!

Contact/Questions Jenny: 435-649-8882

Scott Wolf takes the mic to introduce the highest acheiver at auction– the eBay “Ultimate Electronic Dream”

Last Friday was an exciting night at the Canyon’s as the Kimball Art Center auctioned off artistically decorated chair lifts for both local non-profits and the KAC. Total sales for the night were around $90,ooo, most of which went to supporting programs and events at the Kimball Art Center. Scott Wolf served as the “MC”, star of ABC’s new hit show,V in the Grand Summit Ballroom, which was followed by music from Bryon Friedman.

The Budweiser chair, which sold for a steal at around $2,000

One of the chairs sold for $14,000, with most in the range of $2,000. Not bad for free and recycled chairs! What an incredible opportunity for the KAC and a truly fun and vibrant event for locals here in town. I saw many of the regular supporters of the Kimball, but also a few new faces to the Arts Center. Let’s hope that they recognize the importance of the Kimball and continue to support their programs and events here in Park City. Gallery MAR will!

Park City’s Kimball Art Center is bringing 20 artists and 20 corporations together for their latest “fun”raiser in Historic Park City. ABC’s Scott Wolf, a local celebrity, will emcee the evening at the Canyon’s on December 17th, the night before Gallery MAR‘s first opening exhibition of the Winter season.

The Chairity Lift project unites 20 artists and 20 corporations (benefiting 20 charities) to design 40 chairlifts for this unique event. These chairs came from the dismantled 42 year old, historic Golden Eagle lift from Canyons. The artists and corporations created one of a kind, innovative works of art to be auctioned off on both eBay and live at the Chairity Lift event on December 17, 2010. The bulk of the proceeds from all chairlift purchases will go to Kimball Art Center to continue providing free exhibitions and education programs year-round with 25% of all proceeds back to artists and charities.

As a presenting sponsor, eBay announced it launched a 10 day online auction of these works of art. A select group of chairs were designated specifically for eBay and launched on December 6, 2010 at 8pm MST. The auction will be listed on eBay Giving Works website, the official eBay giving site and the corporate blog and will run through Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 8pm MST. The Chairity Lift auction can be found at http://ebay.com/kimballartcenter.

“Chairity Lift is an exciting collaboration at the intersection of creativity and corporate philanthropy. Participants were given free reign to express their unique point of view to transform a chair lift into a one of a kind work of art. We’re thrilled with the results and with the help eBay, these masterpieces will reach a global audience,” Robin Marrouche, Executive Director, Kimball Art Center.

Hosted by Scott Wolf, star of ABC’s new hit show,V, the Chairity Lift event is on Friday, December, 17th in the Grand Summit Ballroom at Canyons from 6:30pm – 10pm. An evening of entertainment with music from Bryon Friedman and a live auction of Golden Eagle lift chairs while Wolf emcees the event. Tickets are available for $50, until the week of December 13th-17th when ticket prices increase to $75.

The artists including titles of their artwork for Chairity Lift are:

Mike Bronn – “Last Chair”

Ron Butkovitch -”That’s How We Roll”

Dennis Dale – “Flintstone Chairlift”

Megan Fernandez -”Golden Eagle Chair Pose (Utkatasana)”

Scott Gutierrez – “Frozen in Time”

Lisa Hale -”Winged Feather Swing”

Corinne Humphrey -”Autumn Leaves at the Canyons”

Karyn Jacobsen -”Lynx”

Sharon Jonas -”The Ride-on Chair”

Matt Kraft – “Ski Rod”

Ian Leinbach -”SkiCycle”

Jason Martinez -”Rossignol Chair”

Renee Mox Hall -”The Chairiot of Fire”

Park City Highschool Art Club- “Seasons and History of Park City”

R. Nelson Parrish – “No. 37 Apres Ski 2010″

Bob Peek – “Who is Rik Shaw Anyway?”

Mike Quinlan – “Mosaic Tiffany Glass Chair”

Dayna Stern -”Chairman Mao”

Whitney Thompson – “No. 47: Rothkochaired”

Mike Walton – “Fly Fishing Scenes”

This year’s Arts Festival kicked off new program and venture for the Kimball Art Center: RELEVANT, through which young, emerging artists are mentored and supported and encouraged to flourish and create right here in Park City.

Daily work sessions included critiques by mentors and peers and round table discussions, of which I was able to be a member. The residency requires dedication, long hours, deadlines and flexibility and will continue next year in 2011.

Through this artist-in-residence program, students were given the experience of developing art for sale, while being challenged to expand their artistic boundaries. During the residency each student’s primary goal was to create a piece… of artwork that was sold at the Opening Night Art Auction and Gala. Ryan Hughes’ painting was picked up at the Friday night Gala by two very lucky collectors– myself and Mr. Mullin.

The rest of the weekend brought even more events and artistic experiences.  On Friday night, Ron Russon painted a demonstration here at the gallery and on Saturday and Sunday we featured two jewelry artists, Susan Richer and Cyndi Sharp, here at Gallery MAR.

Two of our Gallery MAR artists, Penelope Moore and Aaron Memmott, were featured in the festival, and we are fortunate to have new works by both artists in the gallery today. The BMI Cafe at The Downstairs blasted fantastic new musicians all weekend long, with our favorite Seattle-based shown artist above, Alan Stone.