This June, Kayenta Arts presents Summer Arts Showcase, a monthlong celebration of original work from Southern Utah artists at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta. Featuring new works in visual art, music, theater, poetry, and film, the multidisciplinary series highlights the depth and diversity of the region’s creative community.
Made possible through support from the Mellon Foundation, Summer Arts Showcase is part of Kayenta’s Local Arts Ambassadors Program, which provides resources, time, and space for Southern Utah artists to create and share new work. The showcase is complemented by Kayenta’s Creative Residency Program, which brings nationally recognized artists to the region to develop projects inspired by the desert landscape and culture of Southern Utah.
“There is a rapidly growing arts scene in Southern Utah, and our Summer Arts Showcase is a direct investment in where that momentum can lead,” said Miranda Wright, executive director of Kayenta Arts. “By launching new initiatives at Kayenta Arts, we’re supporting regional and national working artists while creating the conditions for creativity, collaboration, and innovation to thrive. We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for their investment in us.”
The month begins with Thresholds: The Liminal Sky, a visual art exhibition by Addison Kanoelani. Opening with a social reception June 5 from 5–7 PM, the exhibit explores transformation and identity through layered abstraction and embedded fiber optic lighting. The exhibition remains on display through June 30 in the Judy & Tim Terrell Lobby.
Additional showcase events include musician Dylan Thomas Gavin’s live-looping album recording experience Caught in a Loop LIVE on June 12, the original theater production The Delirium of Beethoven by Glenn Webb and Ashlie Chaston on June 13 and 14, and a June 19 screening of filmmaker Wendy Bird Womack’s short film RE paired with Kanoelani’s artist talk.
Later in the month, audiences can experience Musetrap, an interactive installation by author Sara Flannery Murphy that invites participants to engage with the creative process through a playful “thrift store of ideas.” The showcase concludes June 27 with Poetry Jams: Thresholds, hosted by local author Amanda Empey and featuring an evening of spoken word, music, and community collaboration.
All performance tickets are available on a pay-what-you-choose basis ranging from $10 to $30. Events take place at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta, 881 Coyote Gulch Court in Ivins. For tickets and information, visit kayentaarts.org.
