October 11, 2025: It was a rainy morning for the installation of new works in the 8th annual installation of sculpture in downtown Moab this year, but the skilled crew placed the art on the trail with a smile and by that afternoon, the weather cleared for a splendid ArtStroll of the 2025/26 exhibition. The artists shared inspiration and creative insights behind their process, and participants in the ArtStroll cast their vote for Best In Show.

This year, the cash award for Best In Show went to Arizona artist Gedion Nyonhongo's "Wise Spirit Medium", which can be seen across from the Moab Arts and Recreation Center. Honorable Mention was awarded to San Antonio TX artist Simon Saleh for "Celestial Conversations", placed on 110 E Center Street.

An interesting phenomenon happens each year when the volunteer selectors gather to curate a new show from the national call for artist submissions. Moab ArTTrails does not suggest a theme for submitted works, and yet, many of the works each year seem to reflect a common thread. This year, many of the submissions indicated  an exploration of the soulful world of dreams had animated the sculptors' efforts.

The connections between the seen and unseen world, the play of light and shadow, the pops of color that peek out from corners on the trail await your next visit to Moab's central cultural district. It certainly has been a dream come true to bring the show to Moab again this year, complete with an audio guide of the artists' descriptions of the sculpture courtesy of Eric Feinstein and Otocast.

You can click here for a map of the ArTTrail: it is a handy tour guide to see and learn more about the exhibition that will grace Grand County's shared downtown spaces for the coming year.   Moab ArTTrails takes public input on which piece they'd like to see in the permanent collection, and purchases the winning piece for donation to the public's collection.  This year, the Keeper from the 2024 show is "Matriarch" by Steve Grater. You can see it in its' forever home now at 100 South and Main in Moab. 

All the pieces in the temporary exhibition are for sale throughout the year, and voting for this years' "Keeper" is  now open until the 15th of September 2026.

A gratitude big as the desert sky to all participating artists for presenting their works, for making the journey to celebrate the intersection of place, people and the beauty we share.

 Please get in touch if you'd like to participate or know more about the program. 

 Each year, a rotating volunteer selection committee, composed of local community members, merchants, artists and civic representatives convene, discuss and select a show out of a wide pool of submissions from a national call to artists.

Heartfelt thanks to the talented artists who submitted their works for Moab to enjoy, and for making it such a fun challenge to select just a few from all the compelling, strong submissions.

Since its inception in 2015, Moab ArTTrails has added over $119,000 worth of art to the public sphere with fourteen sculptures acquired for the public permanent collection. The eighth year of this program is produced with the kind support of the Moab Arts Council, the Moab Arts & Recreation Center,  the City of Moab, RAP tax funds, and the grace of a whole host of totally wonderful artists, foundations, private contributors, arts lovers, civil servants, builders and friends. 

See you on the ArTTrail!