Kanab Arts Board Exhibition opening celebrates new local artists, awards Artist and Art Supporter of 2024
- Ria Mendoza Hoyt
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
The Kanab Arts Board is pleased to invite all art lovers to celebrate the opening of the Second Quarter Exhibition on April 17, 5:30 p.m. at the Kane County Hospital lobby. The Second Quarter Exhibition celebrates the creativity and skill of four local artists alongside the inspiring works of our talented 4-H students. We are also pleased to announce the selected 2024 Artist of the year Linda McCowan and Art Supporter of the year Ria Mendoza Hoyt. We had some incredible candidates who have really impacted the arts within our community. This process was not easy. They will be awarded officially during the opening reception.
Artist's work, left to right, photos by Kanab Arts Board:
Eileen Gilbert Bell
Jana Stone
Jana Stone
Natalie Wade
Tally Willard
Tally Willard
Kane County 4-H
This quarter, we start with paper mâché works from young artists ages 9-12, namely Hunter Bauer, Ashlynne Beazer, Carter Berrie, Emmalyn Brewer, Graysen Davis, Tanzi Henderson, Vayla Henke, Ceci Huntington/Kallie Church, Bryson Palmer, Lander Porter, Elsie Stott, Beckham Walker and Lexi Walker. They learned to make these colorful creatures in the recent Kane County 4-H paper mâché workshop. They also learned about structure, design, and artistic expression between art and STEM, thereby exploring their creativity while building valuable skills for the future.
Joining the 4-H student artworks at the hospital, we have contemporary realist artist Tally Willard. After graduating from Auburn University with a BFA in graphic design, she worked as a graphic designer for a Fortune 500 company. In 2008, she transitioned to fine art as a full-time job. Since then, her paintings have been exhibited in private galleries and museums across the country with groups such as Oil Painters of America and American Women Artists.
Next, we have Eileen Gilbert Bell who moved to Kanab about 10 years ago. Eileen became involved in the community, serving as president of the Kanab Arts Board and Secretary of the Library Board. She was also awarded Kanab Arts Board Artist of the Year in 2022. Since their move to Kanab, Eileen has dedicated herself to nurturing her artistic passions.
Natalie Wade is a macrame artist who was raised in Kanab and recently moved back after several years away. She has been married for nearly 26 years and has two grown sons. Natalie likes to make plant hangers and large wall hangings. Her passion is to up-cycle items from antique shops and thrift stores with macrame. She believes that macrame provides a unique way to revive the beauty of items that have been tossed away.
At the Kanab City Library, we have wood burning artist Jana Stone. Jana was born in Provo, moved to Cedar and last year, to Kanab. She studied Graphic Design at Southern Utah University and got her first graphic design job designing phonebook ads. Through the years exploring other mediums, Jana eventually chose wood as her canvas, a passion she shares with husband Cody.
The exhibition will be open from April 17 to June 26, at the Kane County Hospital and Kanab City Library lobbies. The Kanab Arts Board is dedicated to showcasing and promoting local talents through our quarterly exhibitions. For more information about our exhibitions and other events, please email kanabarts@gmail.com or check our announcements on Facebook. com/KanabArtsBoard or Instagram.com/KanabArts.
