The Sundance Film Festival kicks off today, which means Park City, Utah is currently swarming with actors, directors, movie critics, film connoisseurs and Hollywood bigwigs and wannabes eager to see and be seen in the most luxurious puffer jackets money can buy. It’s that time of year when the snowy ski town takes on a temporary identity: a hub of movie premieres, red carpet strolls and post-premiere fêtes. Year-round, however, Park City is more than just a world-class destination for outdoor recreation. It’s also home to a vibrant arts scene, with galleries galore plus public art, cultural events and cooperative art spaces.
SEE ALSO: The Park City Hotels to Book for the Most Luxurious Sundance Film Festival Stay
The Kimball Art Center, with its thoughtfully curated rotating exhibitions, is only one facet of the Park City, UT art scene. People are often introduced to the art of Park City by the many public installations and murals—more than 100, in fact—scattered around town thanks to a thoughtful program of commissions. There are even three Banksy paintings in Park City: ‘Dirty Rat,’ ‘Angel Boy,’ which was restored by conservator Deborah Uhl, and ‘Camera Man and Flower.’
“People may come for the mountain biking or skiing, but they’re pleasantly surprised by the booming artistic and cultural community when they come off the mountain,” Jocelyn Scudder, managing director of the Park City Summit County Arts Council, said in an article on the Park City Visitors Bureau site.
Some of the public art in Park City is on or around historic Main Street, which is also where many of the ski resort town’s art galleries can be found. The overall vibe is inviting—on the final Friday of every month, Park City’s art galleries open their doors for monthly Main Street gallery strolls.
The Best Art Galleries in Park City, Utah
Trove Gallery
Trove Gallery, owned by Jen Schumacher and Scott Guiterrez, is one of the bigger Park City art galleries, with 2,500 square feet of open and welcoming exhibition space largely devoted to paintings, sculpture and mixed media works. It represents contemporary artists from across the U.S. but is particularly committed to promoting the work of rising and established Utah-based artists with an eclectic range of styles. New works at the gallery include Diana Stetson’s Meeting In The Fruit Tree, Samuel Walker’s New Jumpers and Mai Wyn Schantz’ Black Bear, and it’s worth noting that Trove also represents Lyman Whitaker’s wind sculptures, which one can find throughout Park City.
Summit Gallery
Park City’s Summit Gallery offers a full suite of services to ensure a seamless, world-class art buying experience, from complimentary in-home consultations and installation to museum-quality framing and white glove shipping to personalized commissions and art storage. On offer are a unique mix of contemporary and traditional oil paintings, fine bronze sculptures, original glass works and mixed media pieces in a diverse collection of Western Mountain Art with something for every collector. Summit represents artists such as Kathryn Ashcroft, known for her expressive depictions of nature; Holly Manneck, renowned for her pop-art influenced works; and James G. Moore, whose sculptures capture the essence of natural forms.
Montgomery-Lee Fine Art
Family-owned Montgomery-Lee Fine Art bills itself as the home of “Park City’s finest collection of paintings, sculpture and artwork” and differentiates itself with a focus on nurturing collectors. With an expert staff—including owner Linda Lee and gallery director, Jennifer Lee-Fargo, who have served buyers and artists for more than twenty-seven years—the gallery shows impressionistic and realist painting and sculpture by 21st-century artists from Utah and all around the West. They specialize in custom portrait commissions and monumental bronze sculpture installations for residential and commercial spaces. Artists represented by the gallery include Steve Songer, Jared Sanders, Joseph Alleman, Dean Bradshaw, Robert Moore, Don Weller, Mike Malm, Bonnie Posselli and many others. Note that the gallery is only open by appointment during Sundance
Gallery MAR
Since its establishment in 2008, Gallery MAR has been committed to nurturing an active and engaged arts scene in Park City, with not only exhibitions but also art consultations, site evaluations, custom commissions and installation services. It represents both artists who call Utah home and artists from around the U.S. and elsewhere, and is committed to pairing the exceptional quality of the artwork on offer with superior customer service. Many of the pieces on view at the gallery—which encompass a variety of styles and mediums—connect in some way with the natural world while also feeling fresh and modern. Coming up, Gallery MAR will host solo exhibitions for Matt Flint, who creates textured paintings that delve into the relationship between nature and those who inhabitant it (“Pentimento”), and Nina Tichava, renowned for her pattern-rich compositions that blend abstract and representational elements (“Unfurl”).
Meyer Gallery
Founded in 1965, Meyer Gallery has established itself as a premier destination for fine contemporary art. Originally called the “Hanging Room Gallery” when launched by Darrell and Gerri Meyer, it is now owned and overseen by the Meyers’ daughter, Susan Meyer. The gallery’s impressive roster includes both rising art world stars and artists whose work is in the collections of the Smithsonian, Cleveland Art Museum, Chicago Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and other major institutions. In the coming months, Meyer Gallery is putting on several solo shows featuring works by Brian Kershisnik, Douglas Aagard and Jeffery Pugh.
Mountain Trails Gallery
Mountain Trails Gallery is one of the premiere galleries in the West specializing in Western, wildlife and landscape art. Notable artists on the gallery’s roster include Alexander Selytin, known for his detailed oil paintings; Edward Aldrich, who captures the essence of wildlife in his expressive works; and David Jonason, recognized for his striking graphic interpretations of rugged landscapes. Pieces shown in the gallery range from Representational and Impressionist painting to sculpture and Western artifact reproductions. Mountain Trails Gallery also offers Park City residents and visitors consults by appointment and assistance securing painting commissions.
JG Art Gallery + Events
JG Art Gallery, which has locations in both Park City, Utah and on Bainbridge Island, Washington, is a contemporary gallery known for its carefully curated collection of artworks by artists known for their technical expertise and aesthetic excellence. Owned by Jude Grenney, who has been a fixture in the Park City arts scene for more than two decades, the gallery hosts a rotating calendar of solo and two-artist exhibitions as well as interactive live events with artists, wineries, musicians and more. Currently on view is “Ski Spirit,” with artwork by Carole Wade and Sherri Belassen that captures the energy and passion of the local slopes.
Julie Nester Gallery
Park City’s Julie Nester Gallery specializes in works of contemporary art and represents rising, mid-career and established artists from around the United States and Canada. With its large renovated warehouse space in the Iron Horse District—a setting that uniquely complements the paintings, mixed media prints, fine art photographs and sculpture on display—it attracts entry-level and experienced collectors, as well as art lovers and the curious. Currently on view is “GATHER,” featuring artworks by Carol O’Malia, whose works of enhanced realism portray ordinary objects and scenes in extraordinary detail. For those looking for a different kind of venue, Julie Nester Gallery is available for event rentals.
