Triptych Notes
Photography: Robert Wortham, Park City Chamber/Bureau, Chikako Pineforest
Wordsmiths Come Home
It’s been a decade since the pen-wielding set last held the annual Writers at Work conference in Park City. The 25-year-old conference is coming home this summer with denizens of the publishing community — from writer Abigail Thomas to literary agent Christina (Kit) Ward — heading up workshops, teaching sessions and participating in evening readings. “[The conference] is designed to provide a full scope of the writing life — not only the artistic side, but also the business side,” explains Dawn Marano, chair of the advisory board. The June 22-26 conference, held at Spiro Arts, is an opportunity for writers to network, learn and, perhaps, launch into the world of recognized authors like past participants Rick Bass, Brady Udall, Pamela Houston and Mark Spragg. writersatwork.org.
Happy 40th Arts Festival!
Named one of the top 10 festivals in the country by Sunshine Artist magazine, the Park City Kimball Arts Festival celebrates 40 years this summer. What began as a small-town gathering of artists has grown into a full-fledged celebration of art, music and cuisine, bringing 275 artist booths and 35,000-40,000 visitors to Main Street for one action-packed weekend, August 1 and 2. According to Kimball Art Center Executive Director Robin Rankin, the festival serves as the organization’s primary fundraising event, allowing the nonprofit to pursue what she calls “the three Es: education, exhibitions and events.” New this year, some expanded programming “after dark” keeps the 40th anniversary party going strong. The festivities also include the annual Kimball Art Auction & Gala on July 30, the Gallery Stroll on July 31 and a “Run for the Arts 5K” on Aug. 1. kimball-art.org.
Paintings for the People
Artist Thomas Elmo Williams paints what he knows: the working man. The coal miner-turned artist was commissioned through a public arts project to capture not just the common man, but an entire community. Evoking what he hopes will be “a sense of pride, a sense of history and a sense of the future,” six oil canvases greet visitors to the new Park City Police Station; two more panels can be found beyond the reception area. The paintings give the effect of murals, offering glimpses of the town’s past and present: silver miners in the underground depths, nurses in front of the Miners Hospital, a B.P.O.E. band, children, policemen, Olympians and mountain bikers. The artist and his mentor, David Richey Johnsen, own the Boxcar Gallery in Helper, Utah. boxcargallery.com.
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