Escalante Canyons Art Festival (ECAF) will celebrate its 21st year amid the breathtaking red rock scenery of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, from September 19 to 28, 2025.
This year’s lineup is as diverse as the landscape, featuring art demonstrations and classes that explore creativity in its many forms. Visual art workshops include woodcut printmaking, simplified watercolor plein air, painting shapes and shadows in shifting sunlight, on-site oil painting, composing a Southwestern landscape, and nature-inspired abstracts.
Competition winners will receive $10,000 in awards across six categories: plein air, studio work, junior, miniature, abstract, and nocturne.
Additionally, artists who write can participate in storytelling classes set against the scenic backdrop of the monument. Artists as naturalists can join guided discussions on clouds, medicinal plants, bats, and conifers—led by professional herbalists and rangers. Daily excursions into the public lands of the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument will provide opportunities to explore, observe, and paint.
Featured local artists Dwight and Jalene Vance will showcase their extensive collection of award-winning wood carvings, including Santas, scenery, fish, characters, and spoons.
Textile arts will also be celebrated, with heritage and modern quilts on display.
A wide range of musical styles will fill the air, from jazz and Norwegian instrumental melodies to folk, rock, and bluegrass. Performers will share music that entertains and inspires.
A special plein air demonstration will feature four women artists painting the same landscape using entirely different techniques: one in watercolor, one in pastel, one with oil and brush, and one with oil and palette knife.
Whether you wish to participate as an artist, writer, naturalist, or vendor—or simply want to be inspired by visual or performance art—there is something here to uplift the spirit. Come to browse or to buy, to learn or to share: this year’s festival celebrates the incredible range of expression that art makes possible.
Diversity and variety define both the setting and this year’s program. We look forward to mingling with you in this awe-inspiring landscape.
For more information and to register, visit their website.
