The Park City Gallery Association has partnered with the Arts Council of Park City and Summit County and Mountain Town Music to add some audio to the visual during this month’s Last Friday Gallery Stroll.

The event is dubbed the Art & Music Gallery Stroll and it will run from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, March 31, said Jen Schumacher, co-president of the Park City Gallery Association.

“This will actually be the third Art & Music Stroll,” she said. “We did the first one at the same time last year, and then we did one in the summer during the Latino Arts Festival in June. And they have been really successful.”

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The partnership with the Arts Council and Mountain Town Music is key to the event’s success, according to Schumacher.

We met a whole new group of people who love the music arts and we were able to introduce them to the visual arts…” Jen Schumacher, Park City Gallery Association co-president

“There were so many people who follow Mountain Town Music who attended the art and music stroll the last time we did it,” she said. “We met a whole new group of people who love the music arts and we were able to introduce them to the visual arts. And on the other hand, there were people who had attended the gallery stroll before who were being introduced to our local musicians. It was a great criss-cross.”

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Seven of the 15 Park City Gallery Association galleries will feature live music, but all 15 will be open during the stroll, Schumacher said. (See accompanying box for galleries and musicians. Note that Ellie Keddington is now scheduled to perform at Mountain Trails Gallery).

“People can look for the white Gallery Association flags that will be hanging outside participating galleries during the stroll,” she said. “We have Susan Swartz Studios at the top of Main Street, and Trove Gallery at the bottom. So, we have the whole street covered. And there are other galleries, like the Julie Nester Gallery, that aren’t on Main Street that will be open during the stroll.”

Each one of these galleries has a special vibe, said Jocelyn Scudder, Arts Council of Park City and Summit County executive director.

“They all have different curatorial styles and carry some amazing artists,” she said. “It’s fun to taste the different artistic styles of the galleries and find out which one you like best. People can come and hit two or three galleries, or maybe they want to hit all seven.”

The musical artists were specifically chosen by Brian Richards, Mountain Town Music’s conductor of community musical affairs, for each participating gallery, according to Schumacher.

“Brian is so well-connected with the local music scene, and he visited the galleries to get a vibe of what they were all about,” she said. “He looked at their sizes and decided which artist would fit well and what kind of atmosphere the gallery owners were looking for.”

The idea for the Art & Music stroll came from an array of discussions with the gallery association, Scudder said.

“We have been talking with the Park City Gallery Association to find opportunities to partner with them for years,” she said. “We wanted to find ways for the arts council to really support them more effectively, which is part of our mission as a nonprofit. And pre-pandemic, we had been talking about doing something fun with the Last Friday Gallery Stroll and adding a new type of energy.”

The Art & Music Stroll became a reality thanks to generous grants from the Summit County Restaurant Tax and the Park City Sunrise Rotary, Scudder said.

“Knowing this is supported in part by the Restaurant Tax grant, we would like our Main Street businesses to benefit from this as well,” she said. “It’s a night where people can make plans in the town to go to dinner and visit galleries.”

Schumacher would love to see gallery stroll participants visit the other local shops and restaurants on Main Street.

“I think it’s a win-win for everybody if we get more bodies to Main Street,” she said. “The galleries are chock-full of great art, and there are still a lot of people in town, including spring breakers.” 

During the gallery visits, the public can meet the gallery owners, artists and fellow art lovers, Scudder said.

“It’s a fun way for people to engage with each other and the artists, and maybe buy some art if they are so inclined,” she said.

Friday’s Art & Music Stroll is the first of two that are scheduled this year, Scudder said.

“We’re going to do another on Sept. 29,” she said. “We’re excited to present these again.”

Schumacher also believes the Art & Music Stroll will appeal to local residents who usually avoid winter-season crowds.

“We always want to reach out to locals, especially during this time when the winter season is winding down,” she said. “I know with all the snow it doesn’t feel like things are coming to a close but they are. So, this is also a great time for the local residents to come down.”