Art and nature lovers can combine their passions with the Arts Council of Park City and & Summit County’s annual Art on the Trails sessions.
These guided walks run from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at McLeod Creek Trail, said Executive Director Jocelyn Scudder.
“We’ve been using this trail since we piloted the program back in 2018, mostly because it (meets Americans with Disability Act requirements) and is accessible and open to all ability levels, which is a priority for us,” she said. “We partner with Basin Recreation, who maintains the trail, which has nice pockets of shade.”
The Arts Council also partners with Copper Moose Farm Stand, which is located on Old Ranch Road at the trailhead, Scudder said.
“That is our HQ where people will check in for their tours, and we have a series of activations that people will experience while on the trail,” she said.
This year’s participating artists are the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, which is one of Salt Lake City’s founding dance companies, Morgan Snow of Triggers & Slips, Cultural Fire Events and Arts Council Interns Art Installation, according to Scudder.
“We’re really excited this year to work with the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, who is making their Art on the Trails debut,” she said. “We talked with them right after last year’s event. They had heard about what we were doing and were super excited to participate. So, we’re thrilled to bring them on for performances. They will bring an extremely high caliber of performance art to this event.”
Snow will set up and perform with an acoustic guitar and harmonica, Scudder said.
“There’s something about (those instruments) that will make the natural surroundings sing,” she said. “So we’re excited to invite him to present some of his music.”
The Arts Council has worked many events with Cultural Fire Events, an Indigenous-led nonprofit that showcases and supports Native-American culture and events, Scudder said.
“Because we’re on this trail, we always like to partner with local Indigenous groups to make sure we honor the land and acknowledge that the land wasn’t ours in the first place,” she said. “One of the ways we like to prioritize that through the Arts Council is to work with Indigenous groups as much as possible.”
Scudder looks forward to bringing Cultural Fire Events back to Art on the Trails.
“They are an incredible group and a massive fan favorite,” she said. “Not only do they bring intricate and fantastic regalia that tells the story of the rich cultures of the Indigenous groups they represent. They also perform traditional dances and ceremonies that connect people with these cultures and stories. You learn so much when you see them perform, and it’s quite striking.”
The Arts Council Interns Art Installation is also one of Scudder’s favorite elements.
“We work with college students and high school students who learn about the inner workings of an arts nonprofit and arts council, and they help us with events and projects throughout the summer,” she said. “One of the long-term projects is this activation for Art on the Trail.”
Many of the interns who apply for an internship with the Arts Council are usually creative, Scudder said.
“We’re an arts council, right?” she said with a laugh. “So, this is an opportunity for them to tap into a project where they learn how to produce immersive art from start to finish.”
The experience is a great challenge for the interns, Scudder said.
“We’ve been doing this with our interns for a few years, and each with the installation they provide gets better and better,” she said.
An interactive element is the only requirement for the project, according to Scudder.
“We’ll walk participants through the interns’ creative processes, and we want to make sure there is an opportunity for onlookers and participants to have a hands-on experience with the art,” she said.
At the end of each Art on the Trails event, the Arts Council puts out feelers for the next year.
“When we reach out, it can sometimes be a tricky pitch because this doesn’t take place in a beautiful performing arts center or on a stage,” she said. “They are out in nature performing acoustically to various groups of people who stop on the trail. Some people have told us it’s not for them, but many performers love the idea of connecting with people in nature. Performance art is mainly an expression, and that kind of ties with our connectedness with nature.”
Once artists sign on, the Arts Council gives them free rein.
“From a curatorial lens, these artists take the lead, and that’s great because we can let those artists shine and perform what they love,” she said. “They decide what dance they will perform or what song to sing or what art to show. So the only thing we do is give them the times and place.”
Registration for Art on the Trails is now open, and the price is $25 for adults and free for kids ages 12 and younger, Scudder said.
“We do have caps on trail tours so we don’t congest the trail, because it is open for recreation,” she said.
The event runs from 2-6 p.m. The first tour starts at 2 p.m., and the last tour starts at 4 p.m., Scudder said.
“Tour guides and groups leave the farm stand in 20-minute intervals, and it takes about an hour and a half to stop and see the installations or hear the performances,” Scudder said. “It’s about a mile and a half round trip, and that’s why the tours are strategically scheduled. So we ask that people show up on time because the artists perform for each group.”
The Arts Council encourages participants to show up a bit early and grab a cup of coffee or something from the Copper Moose Farm Stand.
“They have fresh produce, chai, coffee and sandwiches,” she said. “We will also have Inti Specialty Coffee on hand. We work with them at the Latino Arts Festival, and they have amazing Peruvian coffee.”
Art on the Trails
- When: 2-6 p.m. Aug. 22
- Where: McLeod Creek Trailhead at Copper Moose Farm Stand, 1285 Old Ranch Road
- Cost: $25 for adults; free for ages 12 and younger
- Registration: pcscarts.org/art-on-the-trails
- Web: pcscarts.org