This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Escalante Canyons Art Festival and Everett Ruess Days ranks among the best small town events of its types in Utah.
The 13th annual event opens Friday and runs through Sept. 25 in Escalante.
The festival is an art, literary and musical gathering that features plain air artists painting in Wayne, Garfield and Kane counties.
Plein air artists creating works in oil, pastel, watercolor or mixed media compete for prizes valued at more than $10,000. Other events include artist workshops, demonstrations, hands-on arts, art sales, and speakers taking about art photography, mapping, dinosaurs, dark skies and murder mystery in the American West. This year's artist-in-residence is Loretta Domaszewski from Montana.
The schedule includes the Plein Air Competition from Friday to Sept. 21; the Nocturnal Paint Out Saturday; Celebrate Public Lands Day Sept. 20; art demonstrations and workshops Saturday through Sept. 24; the Speaker Series from Saturday through Sept. 24; Art Sale Sept. 23 and 24; and live music, food, vendors and more Sept. 23 and 24.
For information, log on to http://escalantecanyonsartfestival.org .