This month, the Day Barn and Draper Park will host a celebration of the visual arts. Once again, Draper Visual Arts Foundation’s Art in the Barn event will provide a unique opportunity for Utah artists to display their work and mingle with prospective buyers. The annual art show and sale will be held Aug. 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Every year, more artists apply to participate in the show. Draper Visual Arts Foundation board member, Jenny Haase, commented, “It’s grown so much. Last year we had 45 artists showing their work.” 

At Art in the Barn, artists display their work inside the Day Barn and also in tents set up just outside. Last year, Draper Visual Arts Foundation added food trucks, live music and an art activity for kids, all of which will be part of this year’s event. 

“We like to do something for children to inspire them,” Haase said. “This year we’re ordering little canvases and inviting artists to help the kids paint them. We’re going to ask some of the students who submitted work to the Art Scholar Competition to help out.” 

The event is all about celebrating the local art community. “We want to showcase local artists and give them an opportunity to be seen,” Haase said. 

Artist Rebecca Klundt described Art in the Barn, “It’s a big party with great artists and great people. When you’re showing your work in a gallery, you’re not always there and you don’t always get to talk with someone who’s interested in your art.” 

Klundt, who is based in West Jordan, has been participating in Art in the Barn for four years. She creates designs and images out of pieces of wood, similar to mosaics. “I like to think of it as quilting with wood,” she said. “My grandma was a quilter.” 

The wood that Klundt uses in her works of art is comprised of repurposed scraps and she uses power tools to assemble her pieces. “I like the physical labor of it,” she said, “I like the challenge of ‘what do you do with these materials?’”

Klundt’s work is an example of the wide variety of media used by the artists who exhibit at Art in the Barn. Visitors to the show and sale will find paintings, sculptures, pottery and photography in all kinds of styles. 

Richard Horrocks, who currently lives in Riverton, is exhibiting his paintings at Art in the Barn. “Painting has been a lifelong pursuit,” he said. “I’m a realist and I prefer Western themes.” He paints portraits and still lifes but noted that his landscapes seem to attract more buyers. 

Horrocks has been showing his work at Art in the Barn for many years. “I was involved when Draper Visual Arts Foundation came into being,” he said. 

Three retired school teachers, Hulda Crossgrove, Jean Hendricksen and Mary Sjoblom, cofounded Draper Visual Arts Foundation in 1993. The nonprofit is dedicated to conserving, promoting and celebrating art in Draper. Besides establishing the community art show and caring for the Reid & Willda Beck Art Collection, Draper Visual Arts Foundation sponsors the annual Art Scholar Competition for high school seniors and has commissioned works of art for public display. 

Klundt and Horrocks both commended Draper Visual Arts Foundation for increasing the visibility of artists in the community. Horrocks acknowledged the challenges faced by artists in Utah. “A lot of people aren’t attuned to the fine arts,” he said. Horrocks is working to change that by teaching free summer art classes in Draper at the ward house on Relation Street. Visit www.richardhorrocksfineart.com/page/39632/the-teacher for class information. 

He encourages the public to attend Art in the Barn. “I think people will be interested to see what the artists are doing and how good they are at it,” he said. 

For more information about Draper Visual Arts Foundation and Art in the Barn, visit www.drapervisualartsfoundation.org.λ