Gallery Strolls a Hit With Locals and Visitors
On the last Friday evening of each month, you’ll find crowds of art enthusiasts nibbling their way through Park City’s Main Street galleries. Organized by the Kimball Art Center, the Last Fridays Arts & Eats Gallery Stroll is a monthly culinary and art event showcasing the best of Park City galleries and restaurants. The tour includes more than 15 galleries, paired with local restaurants that serve up delicious hors d’oeuvres samplings.
Following a 15-year hiatus, the Gallery Stroll was resurrected in late 2002 as a way to encourage tourists and locals alike to visit the Kimball Art Center and Old Town galleries, according to Dan Sorensen, Gallery Stroll organizer.
“There are few places in the world where you will find as high a concentration of great art in such a small geographic location as Park City’s historic Main Street. Park City is a viable year-round arts destination, and the Gallery Stroll is a terrific way to showcase our arts community,” explains Sorensen.
Kimball Art Center Executive Director Pam Crowe-Weisberg agrees. “The event has been a wonderful success and continues to grow by leaps and bounds,” she says, adding that last August’s Gallery Stroll drew more than 300 participants.
Gallery Stroll attendees begin the event at the Kimball, where maps of participating galleries and featured restaurants are available. Visitors can also enter a drawing for prizes donated by participating galleries.
Youngsters can partake in the festivities, too. Thanks to a partnership with Arts-Kids, children can be dropped off at the Kimball for an evening of hands-on art activities while mom and dad enjoy the Gallery Stroll. There is a $25 activity fee per child.
Felix Saez, owner of the Stone Art Gallery and a monthly Gallery Stroll host, looks forward to the monthly events as opportunities to showcase his artists’ works, as well as introduce the artists to new visitors. “We look at the events as our days to shine,” he says.
Linda Jager is a freelance writer, editor, local arts enthusiast and a frequent "gallery stroller."
The Last Fridays Arts & Eats Gallery Strolls are held on the last Friday of each month, from 6-9 p.m. Gallery Strolls begin at the Kimball Art Center (638 Park Avenue). Admission is $5. For more information, call 435.649.8882, or log onto www.kimball-art.org.
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