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Art show reveals new, local talent

There is some wonderful art that has yet to be discovered.

That’s one reason why the Park City/Summit County Arts Council extends its arm to artists who reside in the eastern side of the county, said Rhoda J. Stauffer, of the PCSCAC.

"We have a special program that tries to nurture artists that are in the smaller communities, which are usually in the isolated and rural areas," Stauffer said to during an interview with The Park Record. "We’ve been conducting networking meetings and workshops and other outreach activities with visual artists and musicians for some time now."

The hard work resulted in the debut of the Summit County Art and Artisan show that was held last year, she said.

"With the reception we had, it was obvious we were going to do a second show this year," Stauffer said.

The Second Annual Summit County Art and Artisan show will be held today, July 16, at Cattlemen’s Hall, 911 W. Center Street, in Oakley. Doors open at 10 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. Admission is free.

The show is for the benefit of undiscovered artists, Stauffer said.

"We do this because a lot of those artists don’t get the exposure they need or deserve," she explained. "It’s also a way to give them experience. Because they know the professional artists who are shown in galleries on Main Street are very accomplished, some of the artists we find are actually intimidated by the Park City market. The folks in these smaller places don’t think they can hold their ground, even if they have been painting all their lives."

For example, three artists in these small communities are in their 80s, and have been painting since they could hold a paintbrush, she said.

"It’s exciting to meet folks like that and learn that there is quite a bit of talent there," Stauffer said.

Another challenge is getting the artists to understand that people are coming to the show to purchase art.

"A lot of these artists have never sold their work before, and don’t want to," Stauffer said. "They don’t want to part from their creations. In some cases, we have allowed artists to show and not sell, but we have to explain to them that not selling their art isn’t how the show works. So we have to encourage them and give them little nudges here and there."

Still, there are other artists involved, such as students who attend the Oakley School, a college-preparatory boarding institution, who know how an art show works.

"The school’s art students help us out and they will have their own booth at the show where they will do some demonstrations and sell some of their works," Stauffer said.

The Summit County Art and Artisan Show will feature about 35 artists that will display sculptures, glasswork, paintings, photographs, drawings and pottery.

"We also have a comic-book artist," Stauffer said.

The event will feature music as well.

"We have musicians that come in and play all day long, she said. "While it may appear to be background music, the groups and musicians who perform are from an organization of amateur musicians who are willing help out as well."

Stauffer said she is looking forward to this year’s show because she enjoyed last year’s event.

"Two things really stood out last year," she said. "First it was great seeing artists experience selling their work for the first time in their lives.

"Secondly, it was great to see how excited the Oakley residents were to have an art show presented in their community. It was great for them to come out and see the talent they didn’t know existed in their own backyards.

"That was pretty exciting, because art enhances any community," Stauffer said. "It can be the tool that makes connections and it can build a community. I get excited about this program because of that connection. I like the idea of getting the East Side connected to the West Side."

The Park City/Summit County Arts Council will present the Summit County Art and Artisan Show today, July 16, at Cattlemen’s Hall, 911 W. Center St., in Oakley from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.


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