Kanab Arts Board Opens First Exhibition for 2025
Grand Opening January 16, 2025, 5:30 PM
The Kanab Arts Board invites all art lovers to the opening of its First Quarter Exhibition on January 16, 2025, 5:30 PM at the Kane County Hospital lobby. We have an exciting line up of artists starting with Lemuel Charley, a Navajo from LeChee, AZ, who will be exhibiting his works at the Kanab City Library. Next, we have Ellie McClough and Barbara Fox from Kanab, UT, as well as Patsy Blackburn and Juanita Johnson from Freedonia, AZ, exhibiting their artworks at the Kane County Hospital lobby.
Exhibition will be open to the public at the Kane County Hospital and the Kanab City Library from January through March 2025.
Lemuel Charley is Navajo from LeChee, AZ who cultivated his place among his people and family by participating in social events, ceremonies, languages and cultural practices. At 17, he volunteered into the Army “Regular Army” and served honorably. After active duty, he pursued Visual Communications from the Institute of American Indian Arts, and Fine Arts in Digital Arts from the University of Oregon. From the knowledge he gained from these institutions, he created his own form of communication by utilizing color, shapes, forms, movements and different elements of visual and audio communication to evoke memories and emotions. “I am controlled by my roots from the deserts of Northern Arizona forever changing like the winds and seasons. Structured by the recognition of advancing stars which race across the skies in my mind. With this knowledge I can share, change minds, moods, and much more,” he shared.
Patsy Blackburn is a local artist who may already be familiar to many in the area. Patsy used to make porcelain dolls and paint in oil for a long time and over the last few years she has fallen in love with the fluidity of a new medium and has been concentrating on creating alcohol ink paintings. She relocated to the area in 1974 and was the former owner of the Tortoise & the Hare RV Park in Orderville. Patsy is also a regular at local farmers’ and handmade markets and teaches alcohol ink art in local studios.
Ellie Mae Clough is a New Hampshire native who relocated to Kanab in 2018. Her love of history and heritage echoes in her art. Her past encaustic art pieces were steeped in the history of a particular area in the Lakes area of NH that had been part of her family for three generations. Today, her abstract cold wax pieces show what her heart feels when viewing the historical areas here in the Southwest. The vivid colors, shapes and movement in the pieces reflect what her mind’s eye has captured, and her hand has translated into image.
Barbara Fox is a stained-glass artist who specializes in the Tiffany style of stained glass. She is a recent resident of Kanab, having relocated from Apple Valley, UT. After retiring from work four years ago, she took classes on making stained glass and has not stopped creating sun catchers and small framed pieces since then.
Lanita Johnson is an artist from Freedonia who has lived in southern Utah all her life. She is a graphic designer who loves to express her creativity by capturing special moments with a camera especially when traveling.
The Kanab Arts Board First Quarter Exhibition will be up at the Kane County Hospital and Kanab City Library from January till March 2025. If you are a local artist who wants to exhibit with the Kanab Arts Board, please email KanabArts@gmail.com.
