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Kimball Art Center showcases student talent

Taylor Eisenman, of the Record staff

Friday, Feb. 29, the Kimball Art Center is inviting the community to celebrate student art and the leap year with a gallery stroll featuring 300 Wasatch area students’ artwork and music by a Park City High School student jazz combo band, Big Time Jazz.

The annual Wasatch Student Art Show, on display in the Badami and Garage galleries, showcases all art submitted by students as long as it is ready to be displayed.

"We take them all," Susan Thomas, director of public relations for the Kimball, said. "It’s great for kids’ self esteem. We want to encourage everyone. We didn’t want to make it a competition or selective every student is creative in their own way."

This year, Thomas said, the Kimball decided to coordinate the student show with Joe Bravo’s exhibit in the main gallery, "Bravo! The Tortilla Paintings of Joe Bravo," by asking students to send in art with a Latino twist.

"It was kind of fun to give them an angle," Thomas said. "Students got to learn a little bit about art and were inspired to investigate what is Latino and Latino culture."

Bravo’s exhibit and the student art show opened on Feb. 2 and will be up until March 30. And while coming in on any given day to see the exhibits is nice, Thomas said the Leap Year Gallery Stroll gives patrons more to experience than just great art. A $7 ticket includes one complimentary drink, as well as hors d’oeuvres, live music and a prize giveaway at 6:30 p.m.

After leaving the Kimball, patrons can use a map to visit other galleries participating in the stroll. "Everyone’s on their own time and their own pace," Thomas said. "It’s such a fun atmosphere when you have 200 people running around looking at galleries."

Thomas added that they are thrilled to be able to have student musicians play as people look at student art. Alto and tenor sax player and high school junior Gabe Oriente said Big Time Jazz has played at the Kimball before, but never for the student art stroll.

The combo was asked to perform for last year’s student art stroll, but they couldn’t make it. "We’re all excited about it," Oriente said.

Drum player and high school junior Ben Corrigan agrees. "It’s nice to be able to see all the other art there and feel like we’re contributing in some way," he said.

Trumpet player and high school junior John Eckels said he’s glad the Kimball keeps asking the combo to play there.

"It’s nice to be able to incorporate a different type of art with it along with all the paintings and drawings," he said. "Plus it’s a good opportunity for us as high school kids who can’t spend a whole lot of time marketing. It’s an opportunity for people to hear us. The more we can be out there, especially at events like these, the better."


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