Escalante Canyons Art Festival

Schedule Of Events

5:00 pm - Arts and Crafts Fair

Escalante Town Park

Artisans, artists and crafters from around the region come to Escalante each year to share their unique products with festival attendees. The Arts and Crafts Fair is great for finding regionally made items that have a story to tell about the area and those who live and work here. Jewelry, ceramics, photography, wooden crafts, fiber goods and an array of items can be found.

4:00 pm - Quilt Exhibit

Escalante Community Center
Every quilt has a story. Visit the Quilt Exhibit and enjoy the art, workmanship, and history of these beautiful quilts.
Also on display are some of the Best of Show winning artwork from across the years since the festival began.

8:00 am - 10:00 am - Hope Ricciardi: Painting Vistas

Head of the Rocks Overlook

Join me in painting the vista of Escalante Grand Staircase, as seen in my 2023 ECAF purchase prize winning painting, First Impression (above).

I will do step by step demo of how to simplify a vast landscape and create the atmosphere and distance of this image. Attendees are welcome to set up painting gear and work along side me, or just bring a chair and observe.

9:00 am - 1:00 pm - Althea Neustaedter: Painting Escalante’s Birds

Escalante Town Park - Hands on Art Tent North 100 West, Escalante, UT, United States

Cost: $25 /  Minimum 15; Maximum of 30 / All ability levels
Join Professor Althea Neustaedter, an experienced art teacher from Southern Utah University, for a session focused on painting the majestic birds of Escalante, Utah. Participants of all skill levels will explore color theory and painting techniques to create stunning artworks featuring iconic bird species such as eagles, falcons, ravens and more.

Under Professor Neustaedter’s guidance, you’ll learn to use watercolor or acrylic to capture the unique characteristics of these birds in their natural habitats. The workshop covers color mixing, composition, and medium-specific techniques. All materials and references are provided.

10:00 am - 5:00 pm - Art Exhibit and Sale - Saturday

Escalante Town Park - Exhibit Tent

The Art Exhibit and Sale is the highlight of the festival and showcases artwork submitted for the Plein Air, Studio Work, Nocturne, Miniature, Drawing and Junior Competitions.  The show typically includes more than 200 entries in oil, pastel, watercolor, and other mixed media, some of which have been produced during the days leading up to the show, by artists of all levels of experience.

11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Sculptured Furniture / Primitive Pottery Gallery

Sculptured Furniture Primitive Pottery Gallery 1540 West HWY 12, Escalante, UT, United States

David and Brigitte moved to Escalante in 1996 from Berlin, Germany.  David’s Sculptured Furniture echoes the organic forms of the Red Rock Country while Brigitte’s Primitive Pottery is inspired by prehistoric cultures of the Colorado Plateau, and after recent trips to Sri Lanka, Brigitte has also resumed painting.

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Kenny Hall

Escalante Town Park - Festival Stage

Kenny Hall is a singer of western ballads and songs. He resides in the beautiful Bryce Canyon area of Southern Utah. Kenny is a popular entertainer and has a great arsenal of songs that cross many western genres. His rich cowboy heritage connects with his songs and music that he performs.

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Margie Lopez Read: Plein Air 4 U

Escalante Town Park Pavilion

No Cost / 2 Sessions / Maximum of 10 concurrent / Ages 5 and up
he focus of Plein Air 4 U in a special environment such as Grand Staircase Escalante is on the visitors and helping them use art to experience it more deeply. For this reason, one might call it a public art project, or Art at the Monument.  By painting plein air in these very special environments, individuals can learn to see what is before them in a deeper, more meaningful way. The use of paint and brush to put those visions down and by taking home something they have created, they are very unlikely to forget their experiences. They will always remember Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

1:30 pm - 5:00 pm - Jill Simkins: Mosaic Wall Art

Escalante Town Park - Hands on Art Tent North 100 West, Escalante, UT, United States

Cost: $20 /  Minimum 10, Maximum of 25 / All ability levels

A mosaic expresses form in basic organic shapes and designs. Hanging on a wall they sparkle and reflect light from the colors of broken glass and tile. This class is for ages 12 and up, minors should be accompanied by an adult. Join me in creating a mosaic in the “Pique Assiette" tradition by using recycled broken plates, ceramic figurines, sparkly costume jewelry, and other found objects. This class will be a fun, innovative and creative experience. We will get our hands messy and we’ll smash and break things!

Jill will provide a 7"x9" board with a wall-mount bracket, plates, tiles, adhesive, grout, and nitrate gloves.

Please bring a pair of safety glasses, hammer, tile nippers (a few will be available to share) an old towel, and a sponge. Also bring miscellaneous plates, tile, broken vases, and ceramic pieces if available, and a sketch of your desired design.

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm - Pasos Gigantes

Escalante Town Park - Festival Stage

Pasos Gigantes are veteran explorers of the world of vibration. With roots in the Sonoran lowlands, these harmonic artisans have long wandered the waveform Universe, decanting sweet melody and extracting deep groove from the sonic landscape. They have recently settled in Canyon Country, eager to share their musical curios with the unsuspecting populace.

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm - Sihasin

Escalante Town Park - Festival Stage

For 3 decades, brother and sister Jeneda and Clayson Benally have been recording and touring, bringing their empowering organic conscious raising charged music to communities throughout Europe and North America.
Multi-award-winning musicians Jeneda and Clayson Benally from the (Dine) Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona create an explosive duo of just bass, drums and vocals with a traditional Navajo backbone bridging folk, rock, world, pop and a little punk.
As brother and sister they grew up protesting the environmental degradation and inhumane acts of cultural genocide against their traditional way of life. Sihasins music reflects hope for equality, healthy and respectful communities and social and environmental justice.