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Park City Gallery Association’s gallery stroll returns with some coronavirus adjustments

Jen Schumacher, copresident of the Park City Gallery Association and owner of Trove Gallery, said 13 galleries will participate in the Black Friday Gallery Stroll on Nov. 25. The event will also include a free opportunity drawing for a $500 gift certificate that can be used at any Park City Gallery Association gallery.
Park Record file photo

What: Park City Gallery Association Gallery Stroll

When: 5-8 p.m. on Friday, May 29

Cost: Free

Web: parkcitygalleryassociation.com

Park City Gallery Association Gallery Stroll participants

• Bret Webster Images Gallery, 312 Main St.

• David Beavis Fine Art Gallery, 314 Main St.

• Gallery MAR, 436 Main St.

• J GO Gallery, 268 Main St.

• Lunds Fine Art, 591 Main St.

• Main Street Gallery, 825 Main St.

• Meyer Gallery, 305 Main St.

• Montgomery-Lee Fine Art, 608 Main St.

• Summit Gallery, 675 Main St.

• Terzian Galleries, 625 Main St.

• Trove Gallery, 804 Main St.

The Park City Gallery Association’s monthly gallery stroll returns with some modifications on Friday, May 29.

The event, which had been put on hold due to COVID-19, will run from 5-8 p.m., which is an hour earlier than in the past, and will feature 11 galleries, said Jen Schumacher, who is copresident of the Park City Gallery Association with Rebecca McHaas.

Each gallery, which will fly the white flag that dons the Park City Gallery Association logo, set their own social distancing protocols that will adhere to Summit County Health Department guidelines, said Schumacher, who also owns Trove Gallery. (See accompanying box for list of participating galleries).



“Some galleries have more space than others, and that will affect how they set up their social distancing,” she said. “But everyone who participates will be safely reopened, and they will have hand sanitizers at the doors and things like that.”

In addition, art galleries, unlike other retail outlets, don’t usually allow clients to touch the products, Schumacher said.



“Art is visual, and that’s an advantage we have,” she said. “We’re not like a clothing store where people will rummage through racks of clothes. And we all know the less touching, the better right now.”

Some of the galleries, such as Gallery MAR and Trove Gallery have been open with abbreviated hours, Schumacher said.

“May is such a slow time on Main Street anyway, so I personally relaxed and decided it was time to regroup, clean the gallery, send old work back to the artists and request new work,” she said. “It was pretty much the work i would have done in the off season anyway.”

The gallery association in partnership with the Park City Summit County Arts Council is also providing a Thursday night digital gallery stroll from 8-9 p.m. on May 28, Schumacher said.

The virtual stroll will be accessible through each of the gallery’s Facebook Live pages and the Park City Summit County Arts Council’s website, pcscarts.org, she said.

The virtual stroll is put together by Leslie Chavez, content and develop manager of the Park City Summit County Arts Council.

“We did this last month when we were all in lockdown, and we had a lot of hits,” Schumacher said. “Leslie worked really hard on that.”

Still, according to Schumacher, there is nothing like the experience of walking into a gallery and seeing the art first hand.

“It’s such an emotional experience, because you are among other art lovers,” she said. “And if there are artists in attendance, you can learn about their creative processes.”

Schumacher believes May, which still lies in Park City’s shoulder season, is the perfect time for the gallery association to open a physical stroll.

“It’s good because there aren’t crowds of people like there are in the winter or summer,” she said. “But I think as an association we just want to see the galleries get back to regular business, which is to have people come in to see the art. That’s the experience we want to continue, more than just an online presence.”

Schumacher also believes hosting a gallery stroll is good for the artists.

“Trove, for example, represents more than 50 artists, so the COVID shutdown was like having that many employees who are hanging in the lurch,” she said. “It’s important for me to open, because it’s important for the artists to know their work is being seen and available.”

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