This past Wonder Wednesday took place at the Southern Utah Museum of Art on Sept. 3, providing Cedar City’s elementary aged students the chance to get in touch with their artistic side with soil painting.
This week’s activity fits concurrently with an exhibit showcased by SUMA titled “Ch’é’étiin” by Eugene Tapahe that includes works of art created by applying soil collected from the artist’s homeland of Navajo Nation on panels.
The soils were used to create shades of orange, brown and yellow, inspiring many to bring mountain landscapes to life on paper. Each participant had the opportunity to paint and take home a masterpiece using various soil mixes from different sites around Utah.
Soil painting is meant to provoke the artist and viewer to think about the different textures and colors of soil and how they interact with it each day.
“In a small town you need opportunities like this because there’s not always a ton to do and it’s something that brings people together,” said participant Breanna.
Wonder Wednesday is a collaborative effort put on by multiple organizations in the city including artsFUSION, the Cedar City Public Library, SUU STEM Center, Frontier Homestead State Park & Museum and the Frehner Museum of Natural History.
Each location has different themes, and SUMA’s is art.
“We want to help invite the community to attend these free events and free public resources that are here for them,” said Alisa Petersen, a faculty member at SUU in the education department. “We plan for elementary students, but anyone is welcome.”
When elementary schools had early release at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, the aforementioned organizations wanted to give the students after-school activities they could attend with their families.
Although half-days are no longer on Wednesdays, Wonder Wednesdays continue to occur weekly. For more information about upcoming activities, check out the events calendar on visitcedarcity.com