Whether you’re a local or a guest, it’s easy to get caught up in the bustle of the always-active Park City region. There are mountains to bike and ski, not-to-miss restaurants and shopping for every taste. Next time all those opportunities have you feeling wound up, wind down with an art experience at one of the area’s many studio spaces.
Getting focused on a project is a great way to move yourself into the moment. Unlike meditation, it’s something you can do with family and friends.
Kimball Art Center
Kimball Art Center (KAC) is the major arts hub for Park City. KAC offers 300-plus yearly classes, family-friendly workshops and kids’ camps for every season. Some classes are designed for drop-in visitors and others are in-depth weekly programs that run for about six weeks. Everything is available, from fine arts and serious craft to playful activities like pumpkin painting.
Their emphasis is to help individuals find their artistic voices. “The idea is that we model world-class exhibitions, and people walk through them to go to the studios to make their own work,” says Executive Director Aldy Milliken.
This gets creative juices flowing and lowers the expectation that you’ve got to be a natural genius to create art. “You could be the most accomplished artist in the world, but you’re still interested in craft, process and the journey of making art. We’re very transparent about that,” Milliken says. “As a result, the people in the classes are also learning from the artists in the exhibitions.”
These classes are popular, so it’s recommended that art enthusiasts sign up online, even for drop-in events. Exhibition spaces are open to everyone during normal business hours.
Sundance Art Studio
Make the drive to Sundance Mountain Resort for a craft day that will both relax and stimulate. Some classes, like perfume making and the arts of soap and candle making, are only available at Sundance Art Studio.
The perfume class focuses on French-style scents with all-natural ingredients sourced from all over the world. Students learn the top, heart and base notes of fragrances; get a history of perfume making and how the sense of smell works; and then create a bespoke fragrance that suits them perfectly. The scent can be taken home in a handblown bottle from the onsite glassblowing studio.
Soap and candle-making projects are also done with natural, nontoxic ingredients. Print making, leather journal stitching and fine art painting are some of Sundance Art Studio’s other offerings.
“Let’s say part of the family wants to go ski and another part wants to relax, you can come down to the art studio and take classes,” says Kevin Hoertig, gallery and art studio manager. And don’t think you have to miss a ski day to make it happen. Kids can do printmaking, watercolor or a hand-built pottery class on their own, or the family can take a workshop together. “We’re kind of a hidden gem,” says Hoertig. “We’re in a nice little corner spot on the resort, where you can get away from the hustle and bustle.”
This studio makes the soap and mugs used and sold at the resort, so you know you’ll get good instruction and come out with a nice product. They also have a central gallery and a visiting artist program that showcases Utah artists and instructors.
Red Flower Studios
Glassblowing can be much more interactive than you might imagine. While many people have seen a glassblowing demonstration, few have dreamed that they could really participate in making a piece of glassware without a lot of intensive instruction. That’s not the case at Red Flower Studios, where students with no previous experience are able to make a small vase or ornament with the help of an expert instructor. Even children over age 5 can participate.
“We want it to be as experiential as possible,” says studio co-owner Jeremy Wilstein. “The guest will hold the pipe, dip the glass in color, turn it when it’s in the furnace, and blow air to shape the glass.”
For a wouldn’t-have-thought-of-it night out, have a gastronomic adventure with Cooking on Hot Glass. During this dining experience, guests witness the magic that happens when a master glassblower and a master chef come together.
Red Flower Studios co-owner Daniel Bell ladles out a puddle of 2,000-degree glass onto a table, where guests are invited to sear an appetizer like a slice of fruit or octopus. As they enjoy their food and drink, participants see Bell continue to heat and shape that puddle of glass into a hot stone or glass bowl that Executive Chef Adam Walker uses to cook elements of the planned five-course meal.
“Once we get it big enough, we’ll sear a steak or pork belly with it, right in front of everybody; then, we’ll turn that glass into a piece of art,” Wilstein says.
Red Flower Studios also has a gallery, where they sell their popular line of housewares, like signature copper ring glasses and coiled pendant light fixtures.
Let’s Carve Stone
Maybe you want an art experience that will come to you. With Let’s Carve Stone, you can hire Italian-trained stonemason Matthew Lawler to bring equipment to your home or hotel and help you make something memorable. He’s also able to reserve group spaces at Basin Recreation Fieldhouse or Park City Municipal Athletic & Recreation Center.
The Maine-born maestro initially learned to cut stone when his family moved to Perugia in central Italy near the marble-quarrying region of Tuscany. Lawler attended an Italian high school and was taught to sculpt marble in ancient Roman barracks. When in Rome, Lawler works in marble, but his Park City students are taught to carve on soft Utah alabaster.
“It’s a cool thing to be making a memory that lasts a lifetime, being in Park City and carving Utah stone,” Lawler says.
He was captivated by Irving Stone’s novel, The Agony and the Ecstasy, so Lawler is eager to inspire students with scenes from the life of Michelangelo. “His famous saying is that the image is something you are freeing from its prison,” shares Lawler. “It’s been trapped in that stone for millions of years waiting to become free.”
Classes last up to two hours, depending on clients’ level of interest. All ages can use Lawler’s safe, specially designed tools to free their image from the stone. Then they’re given sandpaper to draw out the alabaster’s glassy sheen. “The kids might be tired, but when that happens their eyes light up,” says Lawler. At the end, everyone has the option to wire wrap their creation with 18-gauge copper and make it into a necklace.
More great places to get the creative juices flowing
Flowers By You
As everyone knows, a beautiful floral arrangement is much more than a vase full of flowers. Flower design is an art, which requires a knowledge of color theory, proportion, balance and harmony. Attend a Flowers by You workshop to learn these principles and more, so you can create gorgeous centerpieces, bouquets, wreaths and terrariums. Guests are also welcome to reserve a Saturday spot at the DIY Floral Bar and make an arrangement for any occasion. Flowers By You provides all the tools, fresh flowers and greenery you’ll need.
Paint Fusion
This pottery painting studio might surprise you. They have more than 100 ceramic pieces on the shelves, ready to paint and decorate. They provide stencils, sponges, patterns, tracing paper, lace and samples as well as idea kick-starters so your piece comes out looking extraordinary. Paint Fusion also offers glass-fusing classes in which a piece is kiln-fired, placed in a mold and fired a second time. Stunning glass pendants, platters, sushi dishes, ornaments, mobiles and more are the result.
Gem Studio
If you’re interested in silversmithing, try a class at Gem Studio. Here, an expert silversmith will help you create rings, bracelets, pendants, earrings, bolo ties, cufflinks, keychains and even pet collars from scratch. In another class, make a charm bracelet out of a wide variety of pre-made charms and chains. A permanent jewelry class allows participants to choose a sterling silver, gold-filled or rose gold-filled chain in various styles. This is welded on by a master technician to become a permanent bracelet, removable only when you’re ready to snip it off.
