You will have your own thoughts, but for our take, at least this year, September is the best month to see art in Utah. In addition to the regular series of exhibitions at galleries, museums and other fixed, brick-and-mortar venues (see here for our listings from across the state), several pop-up events, including block parties, art fairs and open studios are happening throughout the month.
Event founder Rob Chipman says Art at the Park is excited to return to Salt Lake City’s This is the Place Heritage Park for its second year. “The number of guests reserving a spot at the Private Showing has doubled over last year, the number of artist applications was about double the number of available booths (with many more new artists wanting to be notified when applications are open next year), our social media followers have doubled, plus a lot of buzz on social media from both artists and their followers,” says Chipman about his high expectations for the upcoming event. He was eager to learn from last year’s event (which we reported on here) and during the interim has worked on improving several aspects. “Inside, the building was a little crowded and there were some areas outside that were less than ideal,” Chipman says. They’ve reduced the number of booths from 80 to 65 (though some artists are sharing a booth, so more than 75 artists will be present). For the outside booths, weather protection and security were a concern so AATP is paying to have sides on the tents, which can then can be lowered at night and in the event of inclement weather. To improve the checkout process, they have instituted a 3-part sales slip so artists can keep a copy for their records and the customers can have one as well. And to better promote the event they have spent $15,000 on marketing, including billboard, print, digital and radio ads as well as direct mail and email invitations. Because demand to participate was so high this year, they commissioned a jury to select this year’s artists. All will be included in an artist directory, which will be handed out to all guests to better ensure all the artists are represented. Use your own to find Chipman’s booth and you’ll see several new editions from the popular printmaker — an impressive output considering all the work that goes into planning Art at the Park has certainly encroached on his studio time. It’s worth it, he says. “It’s true that a rising tide floats all boats. Even though my time to produce new work last year was limited, [Art at the Park] was certainly my best event of the year for art sales and exposure.”
- Sarah Ashley Peterson
- Elizabeth Walsh
- Barbara Young
- Traci O’Very Covey
- Clint Whiting
- Erin Blundell
Work available at the upcoming Art at the Park event
Other events this weekend:
Ogden Contemporary Art’s first Block Party: this free community will extend from the Monarch Building to the Dumke Arts Plaza and feature live music from bands like Proper Way and Cop Kid, local artisan booths, and art-making for children with OCA’s youth education program, Artist Factory. The Artist Factory programming will include printmaking, painting, poetry, upcycled art, and more. Beer garden and food vendors will also be on site. Sept. 9, 12pm – 6 pm
The Alfred Lambourne Art Program: Presented by FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake’s the annual program celebrates artistic depictions of Great Salt Lake in visual arts, literary arts, movement, and sound with an open call for entries and prizes. At the Sorenson Unity Center, visual art will hang in the main gallery; literary and musical performances will take place in the blackbox theater. Sept. 8, 6-8:30 pm
Avenues Street Fair: Held annually on the second Saturday of September, the fair usually spans five blocks, features live entertainment, local food vendors, non-profits and small businesses, including Pilar’s Art Garden. It also features The People’s Art Gallery, an open air gallery where residents of all ages and levels can show off their creations and win prizes. Sept. 9, 9am – 6 pm.
Park City’s Monster Drawing Rally: a partnership fundraising event for the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County and Kimball Art Center, the live art-making event “allows spectators to spy on the creative process, build relationships with local artists, and grow their art collections.” Artists create artwork live for 50 minutes with the resulting works available for purchase. Sept. 9, 4-7 pm.
Little Queer Art Showing: Held at Lighttree Studios (740 W. 1700 South) and sponsored by the Queer Spectra Arts Festival, the event will feature work by Lewis Figun Westbrook, Adrian Fox-Staley, Amelia Diehl, Emily Ames and Rae Luebbert. Sep. 9, 2pm
Coming up next week in Part 2: Bogue Building Block Party, Poor Yorick Open Studios, Springville Arts Festival

UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Categories: Visual Arts