ST. GEORGE — The desert is a divine canvas; a portrait carved by canyons and painted with celestial pastels. This landscape has forever aroused artistic expression in its inhabitants and Southern Utah’s four-day-long Arts to Zion tour is a shining example of this.

Southern Utah has quietly become a nucleus for a multitude of acclaimed artists, and the Arts to Zion tour is an imaginative new way to truly see this unbelievable artistic talent up close and personal. The self-guided tour is based on the parade-of-homes model and includes dozens of nationally recognized painters, sculptors, jewelers, and photographers who will be joined by many more regionally known, and locally known, artists of all types.

The tour includes a whopping 46 venues across Washington County; 22 of these are private studios in the respective artists’ homes, and 24 are public galleries. Each gallery, whether private or public, will be occupied by artists as they work through their creative processes for all to see.

Running from Jan. 17 – 20, the Arts to Zion tour, will bring together over 70 artists between the artistic hubs of Springdale, St. George, Kayenta, and Silver Reef, not to mention some significant artists in places like Virgin, Leeds and Washington Fields.

The tour includes two venue types: private home studios and public art studios like the galleries in historic downtown St. George, the galleries in Springdale and the galleries in Kayenta Art Village among others. Both types of venues will showcase artists who will be actively creating art whilst tour-goers view their work. The artists will also be available to interact with visitors and discuss their work while they’re working on it.

This year the Arts to Zion tour is excited to involve top Dixie State University artists. To check out these budding artists make sure to visit the North Plaza Building on the campus of DSU.

Visit the handy google map – with easy to use downloadable mobile map – to see which locations would suit your fancy.  Make sure to register at every location – including the public galleries. Registering will insure that event organizers know how many people show up to support this event. Your registration will greatly improve the chances of having more future events.  Each location will be clearly marked with Arts to Zion signage. There will be high-level artists working in most of the public galleries, which are free to visit. Only the private locations require a ticket.

Arts to Zion is a grassroots event created by local artists themselves aiming to bring the community closer to the amazing artists in it.

“(The artist community) is a catalyst for economic growth in this area and if the community were to understand that we have the most amazing artists here in our own community, they would be more committed to helping us gain some recognition,” Bobbi Wan-kier, founder of Arts to Zion, said.

This landscape has has nurtured artistic types for centuries, and there is no better way to celebrate this beauty and the creativity then attending this years Arts to Zion tour.

This tour is a way to say thank you to the people who create beauty, as these people are necessary in our culture, Carmen Stenholm event organizer said.

More Details

• For a 2 for 1 ticket special visit the Arts to Zion Facebook page.
• 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 downtown at the Main Street Theatre and Ballroom located at 35 N. Main, which will sell tickets from Jan. 17-20. Upon purchase of a ticket, tour-goers will also receive a physical map.
• Silent auction: The Main Street Theatre and Ballroom will have a silent auction including at least one piece of work from each artist on the tour.
• Ticket details: Tickets are not required to visit the public galleries, but for those wanting to visit the private studios of local artists, tickets can be purchased for $10 a person.
• Punch card: Tickets include an attached punch card. If tour-goers get punches from 15 private sites and 15 public sites – 1 punch is earned from each site – they will be entered into a weekend getaway package.
• Prizes: There are many chances to win prizes, many of the events will have drawings and giveaways with items donated by the event’s sponsors. Note: Every public location offers a chance to win something.
•  All of the money made will go back  to the artists and back future Arts to Zion events (Artists receive one-half of the sale price paid for their art pieces and the tour keeps the other half for use on future events).

Event Recap

• Date: Jan 17-20  |  Note: Some of the galleries and some of the private studios will be closed Sunday
• Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Price: Touring the public galleries is free | A ticket to tour all of the private studio galleries  is $10
• Location: Private and public studios across Washington County | Click map for all locations
• Artists: Click here to see the list of artists
• Website: Click here to see the Arts to Zion website

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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