Kayenta Arts

Tumbleweed Theatre presents Blamed: An Established Fiction
2024-06-29 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Center for the Arts at Kayenta
THEATER / COMMUNITY
Tumbleweed Theatre presents
Blamed: An Established Fiction
by Callie Prendiville Johnson
Directed by Aubrey Sanders and Brandon Bruce
Friday 6/28 7:30pm
Saturday 6/29 2:00pm and 7:30pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
“Blamed: An Established Fiction”, by playwright Callie Prendiville Johnson, is a captivating and thought-provoking play that explores the narratives of girls and women who have been unfairly blamed across history, literature, and mythology. Through the integration of text, live music, and dance, these narratives are vividly brought to life, offering audiences a powerful lens to examine societal attitudes and injustices. Don’t miss out on this enlightening and dynamic theatrical experience!
The Cast:
Aubrey Sanders
Brookelyne Peterson
Courtnee Ramos
Mercedes Murguia
Jaycie Montaño
Rylan Benson
Addy Enslen
The Center for the Arts at Kayenta is proud to host local artists for this presentation.
Tickets $25

First Fridays at Kayenta
2024-07-05 18:00 - 21:00
Events & Happenings
First Fridays at Kayenta
every First Friday / 6:00p-9:00p
FREE to attend!
Kayenta Art Village
We’re thrilled to introduce First Fridays at Kayenta, launching March 1 and happening on the first Friday of every month in 2024! Enjoy live music, food, and fun in the Kayenta Art Village.

re:UNITING
2024-07-11 19:30 - 21:00
FILM
re:UNITING
Thursday, July 11, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
re: UNITING follows six best friends from college, now in their 40s, who reconnect for their 25 year reunion weekend. As secrets are revealed, one will force them all to reevaluate their lives. (2024)
Director: Laura Adkin
Cast: David James Lewis, Jesse L. Martin, Michelle Harrison, Roger Cross, Carmen Moore
Runtime: 100 minutes, this film is rated PG.

Tickets $12

GUEST ARTIST EXHIBITION: Three Feather Studios
2024-07-12 10:00 - 2024-08-25 18:00
VISUAL ART
Jeremy Salazar: Three Feather Studios
Friday, July 12 through Sunday, August 25, 2024
Judy & Tim Terrell Main Lobby
We are proud to host exceptional guest artists for pop-up solo exhibitions in the Judy & Tim Terrell Lobby at the Center for the Arts. All artwork on display is available for sale, directly benefitting the artist with a small percentage supporting Kayenta Arts Foundation.
Our Lobby is open Monday through Saturday, 10am-6pm, plus one hour before all evening events.
Native American artist Jeremy Salazar is a contemporary painter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He specializes in vibrant acrylic portraitures with a combination of abstraction and realism. “What I try to emphasize in my work are the eyes and facial expressions of my characters, making these more realistic and full of depth while the rest of the composition fades away into abstract colors. The color schemes sets the mood while the face gives life to the painting.”
Having been born and raised on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, Jeremy has never received any formal art training and is consequently a self-taught artist. Yet his humble upbringing on the reservation has helped shape his artistic paradigm and purpose for art. “I grew up without running water and electricity—old dirt roads, sagebrush, out in the middle of nowhere. Although a meager upbringing, it was in retrospect, an open canvas for me as a young kid. It is a passion for me to help represent the authentic native arts as an authentic native artist. We as native peoples know our own stories best, the ones who lived it, the story tellers.”
Using a bold and vibrant color palette in every painting, Jeremy has come on scene as a promising emerging artist. Making both a statement of reclaiming authentic native artwork done by native hands and also painted stories of color and faces of the Native American people.
Learn More at https://www.three-feather-studios.com/

Transition
2024-07-12 19:30 - 21:00
FILM
Transition
Friday, July 12, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
Filmmaker Jordan Bryon from Australia is followed as he goes through a transformation while working with Taliban soldiers. (2023)
Director: Jordan Bryon
Cast: Jordan Bryon, Farzad Fetrat, Kiana Hayer
Runtime: 89 minutes, this film is rated PG.

Tickets $12

Go On, Be Brave
2024-07-13 14:00 - 15:30
FILM
Go On, Be Brave
Saturday, July 13, 2024 // 2:00pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
The story of one woman’s race against time– a diagnosis of ALS and an attempt at the impossible– to be the first person with ALS to complete a marathon in all 50 states. (2023)
Director: Miriam McSpadden
Cast: Andrea Lytle Peet, David Peet
Runtime: 111 minutes, this film is not rated.

Tickets $12

Io Capitano
2024-07-13 19:30 - 21:30
FILM
Io Capitano
Saturday, July 13th, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
Seydou, a teenage boy who, together with his cousin Moussa, decides to leave Dakar in Senegal and make his way to Europe. A contemporary Odyssey through the dangers of the desert, the horrors of the detention centers in Libya and the perils of the sea. (2024)
Director: Matteo Garrone
Cast: Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Issaka Sawadogo, Hichem Yacoubi, Doodou Sagna
Runtime: 121 minutes, this film is not rated.

Tickets $12

The Taste of Things
2024-07-18 19:30 - 21:30
FILM
The Taste of Things
Thursday, July 18, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
This French historical romantic film features the gourmet named Dodin Bouffant, a character based on novelist Marcel Rouff’s protagonist in the The Passionate Epicure. Set in 1895, the story features how Dodin has been running his popular restaurant for 20 years. Its success is helped by the presence of his chef named Eugenie, who herself is revered for her excellence in the industry. The film narrates how the two developed feelings for each other as they went about their professional lives. (2024)
Director: Anh Hung Tran
Cast: Juliette Binoche, Jan Hammenecker, Benoit Magimel, Jean-Marc Roulot
Runtime: 145 minutes, this film is rated PG-13.

Tickets $12

Bad Behaviour
2024-07-19 19:30 - 21:00
FILM
Bad Behaviour
Friday, July 19, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
The film is a dark comedy about Lucy (Connelly), a former child actress who seeks enlightenment at a retreat led by spiritual leader Elon (Whishaw) while she also navigates the close yet turbulent relationship with her stunt performer daughter, Dylan (Englert) (2023).
Director: Alice Englert
Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Wishaw, Alice Englert, Ana Scotney, Dasha Nekrasova, Marlon Williams, Beulah Koale and Karan Gill
Runtime: 109 minutes, this film is rated TV-14.

Tickets $12

Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life
2024-07-20 14:00 - 15:30
FILM
Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life
Saturday, July 20, 2024 // 2:00pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
The iconic work of artist Geoff McFetridge is everywhere. But this film is more than a primer on his career- it’s about the choices we confront in trying to lead meaningful lives, and how we use our most precious resources: time. (2024)
Director: Dan Covert
Cast: Sofia Coppola, Spike Jonze, Geoff McFetridge, Sarah DeVincentis, Jesper Elg
Runtime: 80 minutes, this film is rated PG.
https://visitfilms.com/geoff-mcfetridge-drawing-a-life
Tickets $12

The Promised Land
2024-07-20 19:30 - 21:30
FILM

The Promised Land
Saturday, July 20, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
This historical drama is an adaptation of The Captain and Ann Barbara, a book written by Ida Jessen. The story is set in 1755 and follows Ludvig Kahlen, a veteran soldier who was awarded a piece of land in a Northern European peninsula by the king. He tries hard to establish a life there, hoping to create a thriving settlement with the help of some of the people in the area. However, their efforts are being blocked by an evil landowner who wants to take over the whole area. (2023)
Director: Nicolai Arcel
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Gustav Lindh, Kristine Kujath Thorp
Runtime: 127 minutes, this film is rated R.

Tickets $12

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
2024-07-25 19:30 - 21:00
FILM
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Thursday, July 25, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
Tender caresses and enveloping embraces are portals into the life of Mack, a Black woman in Mississippi. Winding through the anticipation, love, and heartbreak she experiences from childhood to adulthood, the expressionist journey is an ode to connection – with loved ones and with place. (2023)
Director: Raven Jackson
Cast: Kaylee Nicole Johnson, Chris Chalk, Jayah Henry, Sheila Atim, Bernadette Albright
Runtime: 92 minutes, this film is rated PG.

Tickets $12

Embodied
2024-07-26 19:30 - 20:30
FILM
Embodied
Friday, July 26, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
Embodied examines the stories of five individuals as they combat weight stigma in a world that fears fatness. The film follows a drag queen using humor to unravel discomfort around their weight and queerness; a mermaid reconciling with generational fatphobia; a midwife working to dismantle fat bias in reproductive health; a former linebacker navigating the unclear relationship between health and size; and a CEO creating space and community for the millions of Americans with fat bodies. (2024)
Director: Isabel Bethencourt
Cast: Chè Monique, Justine Lovett, Darienne Lake, Rebecca Alexander, Dr. Christopher Forth
Runtime: 68 minutes, this film is rated TV-14.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30797144/?ref_=tt_mv_close
Tickets $12

Feeding Tomorrow
2024-07-27 14:00 - 15:30
FILM
Feeding Tomorrow
Saturday, July 27, 2024 // 2:00pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
Up against a broken food system suffering from ecosystem destruction, climate change, health epidemics, and inequality, a brave group of visionary leaders in agriculture, healthcare and education work to build a more just regenerative, and resilient system in their local communities. (2024)
Director: Oliver English
Cast: Jamer Bellis, Ethan Hethcote, Mark Miller
Runtime: 80 minutes, this film is rated G.

Tickets $12

Sometimes I Think About Dying
2024-07-27 19:30 - 21:00
FILM
Sometimes I Think About Dying
Saturday, July 27, 2024 // 7:30pm
part of CineSizzle, a summer independent film series
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
About the Film:
Lost on the dreary Oregon coast; Fran finds solace in her cubicle; listening to the constant hum of officemates and occasionally daydreaming to pass the time. She is ghosting through life; unable to pop her bubble of isolation; when a friendly new coworker; Robert; persistently tries to connect with her. Though it goes against every fiber of her being; she may have to give this guy a chance. Director Rachel Lambert and team craft beautiful cinema for this delicately told story of love for the socially awkward and emotionally challenged. The film is made all the more human by its lovely cast; most prominent in the penetrating eyes of lead actress/producer; Daisy Ridley; and the caring smile of lead actor; Dave Merheje. SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING is an unexpected fable on the virtues of living.(2024)
Director: Rachel Lambert
Cast: Marcia DeBonis, Parvesh Cheena, Dave Merheje, Daisy Ridley
Runtime: 91 minutes, this film is rated PG-13.

Tickets $12

First Fridays at Kayenta
2024-08-02 17:30 - 21:00
Events & Happenings
First Fridays at Kayenta
every First Friday / 5:30p-7:30p and later
FREE to attend!
Kayenta Art Village
We’re thrilled to introduce First Fridays at Kayenta, happening on the first Friday of every month in 2024! Enjoy live music, food, and fun in the Kayenta Art Village beginning at 5:30pm, with film screenings in the theater, and good vibes all around.

Friday August 2 Lineup:

5:30p-7:30p VISUAL ART Reception
Jeremy Salazar / Three Feather Studios
The Center for the Arts at Kayenta Lobby

5:30p-7:30p FMASU Presents:
Summer Shorts!
Short films cycling throughout the evening indoors at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta

6:00p-8:30p Live Music in the Courtyard
Soul What?!
The Center for the Arts at Kayenta Courtyard

Guest Vendors:
Los Elementos
Eden Apotheca
Crazed coyote
WildFlowr Denim
Blissful Bites by E&E Confections
Frankie and Stars
Lavish Links
Silver Forge

Food Trucks:
The Hearty Beet, LLC
Wild Goat Coffee Co.
Zeppes

Secondhand Stevie
2024-08-09 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-08-10 16:00 - 18:00
Kayenta New Play Lab
Secondhand Stevie
by Joss Carlisle (Hurricane, UT)
Friday August 9th 7:30pm & Saturday August 10th 4:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Kayenta New Play Lab, a unique opportunity for theater artists and audiences to converge to create and witness the development of new work. Six playwrights have been selected to participate by a panel of local and nationally-recognized experts. Following a 10-day development residency, each play will be presented as a staged reading for our summer audiences, followed by engaging discussions and opportunities to meet the artists. This dynamic New Play Lab fosters creativity, connection, and an unforgettable artistic journey. Join us in celebrating new, original work, full of inspiration and camaraderie!

New Play Lab Package

About the Play:
Follow Blake, a drag performer who impersonates Stevie Nicks, as he explores his relationship with the world and the people around him.
About the Playwright:
Joss Carlisle recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in theater from Utah Tech University. In the fall, they will be attending graduate school, pursuing an MFA in playwriting. They are currently an associate member of the Dramatists Guild. It is Joss’ hope to make a career focused on writing, directing, and adapting plays about the queer experience.
Tickets $20

The Kayenta New Play Lab is sponsored by Douglas Caputo / Desert Dweller at Equity Real Estate

The Abundance
2024-08-10 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-08-11 16:00 - 18:00
Kayenta New Play Lab
The Abundance
by Chelsea Sutton (Los Angeles, CA)
Saturday August 10th 7:30pm & Sunday August 11th 4:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Kayenta New Play Lab, a unique opportunity for theater artists and audiences to converge to create and witness the development of new work. Six playwrights have been selected to participate by a panel of local and nationally-recognized experts. Following a 10-day development residency, each play will be presented as a staged reading for our summer audiences, followed by engaging discussions and opportunities to meet the artists. This dynamic New Play Lab fosters creativity, connection, and an unforgettable artistic journey. Join us in celebrating new, original work, full of inspiration and camaraderie!

New Play Lab Package

About the Play:
After moving to a new corner of suburbia, a broke young mom is lured into a multi-level
marketing scheme by her new neighbors and a slick-talking bottle of tonic, and must either claw her way to the top of the pyramid, or lose everything by leaving.
About the Playwright:
Chelsea Sutton is an LA-based writer and director. She’s a PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow, a Humanitas PlayLA award winner, an Emmy-nominated co-writer of the interactive film event Welcome to the Blumhouse Live and a graduate of the 2022 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop. Her award-winning play Wood Boy Dog Fish appeared in the inaugural season of the Garry Marshall Theatre. She is the Associate Artistic Director of Rogue Artists Ensemble and holds an MFA from UC Riverside. Chelseasutton.com
Tickets $20

The Kayenta New Play Lab is sponsored by Douglas Caputo / Desert Dweller at Equity Real Estate

Mama’s Dresses/A Dress For Mama
2024-08-16 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-08-17 16:00 - 18:00
Kayenta New Play Lab
Mama’s Dresses/A Dress For Mama
by Sarahjeen Francois (Valencia, CA)
Friday August 16th 7:30pm & Saturday August 17th 4:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Kayenta New Play Lab, a unique opportunity for theater artists and audiences to converge to create and witness the development of new work. Six playwrights have been selected to participate by a panel of local and nationally-recognized experts. Following a 10-day development residency, each play will be presented as a staged reading for our summer audiences, followed by engaging discussions and opportunities to meet the artists. This dynamic New Play Lab fosters creativity, connection, and an unforgettable artistic journey. Join us in celebrating new, original work, full of inspiration and camaraderie!

New Play Lab Package

About the Play:
Three sisters gather together to mourn the loss of their mother, and grow closer as they remember her life and memories.
About the Playwright:
Sarahjeen François is a Haitian-American Myth-maker whose creative work is a fusion of Afro-folkloric storytelling practices and her research on the use of code-switching/African-American linguistics. With the stage as her medium she works with a unique style of playwriting that she’s been developing called Code-Flow along with traditional elements such as a Djembe music and dance to help facilitate the movement of the play.
Sarahjeen’s inaugural work to debut her Code-Flow style, Sister, Braid My Hair, has received recognition and awards such as the Audience Choice Award for Best Ensemble in the 2022 Atlanta
Fringe Festival and the awards for Best Production and Best Direction in the 2023 SheLA Theater Arts Festival.
She creates in celebration of Black femme personification and all of its complexities. Her mission is to write stories that place Black women at the center of the arc and ultimately to tell stories that are nuanced in a voice that is so unique to her community.
An MFA Acting graduate from the CalArts School of Theater, Sarahjeen’s artistic endeavors have led her to work with The Playwrights’ Center, The Atlantic Center for the Arts, Castello San Basilio, Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, CalArts Center for New Performance, Teatro Línea de Sombra, Horizon Theatre Company, Peach State Opera, and Out Front Theatre Company.
Tickets $20

The Kayenta New Play Lab is sponsored by Douglas Caputo / Desert Dweller at Equity Real Estate

Christmas is Canceled
2024-08-17 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-08-18 16:00 - 18:00
Kayenta New Play Lab
Christmas is Canceled
by Matthew Ivan Bennett (Salt Lake City, UT)
Saturday, August 17th 7:30pm & Sunday, August 18th 4:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Kayenta New Play Lab, a unique opportunity for theater artists and audiences to converge to create and witness the development of new work. Six playwrights have been selected to participate by a panel of local and nationally-recognized experts. Following a 10-day development residency, each play will be presented as a staged reading for our summer audiences, followed by engaging discussions and opportunities to meet the artists. This dynamic New Play Lab fosters creativity, connection, and an unforgettable artistic journey. Join us in celebrating new, original work, full of inspiration and camaraderie!

New Play Lab Package

About the Play:
A local theater company led by new hot-shot producer and director Fitz gather together to put on an adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Drama heightens and hilarity ensues when small town theater politics get in the way and gossip spreads.
About the Playwright:
Matthew Ivan Bennett has been a resident of Plan-B Theatre since 2007, where he’s premiered several plays, including RADIO HOUR EPISODE 17: SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE FINAL PROBLEM (2023) and the forthcoming JUST ADD WATER (written with Elaine Jarvik) for the fall of 2025. His play ERIC(A) won Best Drama at United Solo Theatre Festival in New York. His feature film THE WHOLE LOT (directed by Connor Rickman) was an Official Selection at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival and the New York City International Reel Film Festival (2022-23). Locally, he’s collaborated with Pioneer Theatre, Utah Shakespeare, SLAC, Pygmalion, and Sackerson. His short plays recently appeared with Pacific Play Co. in Seattle. His poetry has been published with Sugar House Review and Western Humanities. Matt is a member of the Dramatists Guild and will be a writer in residence in Taos, New Mexico this fall under the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation.
Tickets $20

The Kayenta New Play Lab is sponsored by Douglas Caputo / Desert Dweller at Equity Real Estate

The Caregiver’s Guide
2024-08-23 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-08-24 16:00 - 18:00
Kayenta New Play Lab
The Caregiver’s Guide
by Jami Brandli (Los Angeles, CA)
Friday, August 23rd 7:30pm & Saturday, August 24th 4:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Kayenta New Play Lab, a unique opportunity for theater artists and audiences to converge to create and witness the development of new work. Six playwrights have been selected to participate by a panel of local and nationally-recognized experts. Following a 10-day development residency, each play will be presented as a staged reading for our summer audiences, followed by engaging discussions and opportunities to meet the artists. This dynamic New Play Lab fosters creativity, connection, and an unforgettable artistic journey. Join us in celebrating new, original work, full of inspiration and camaraderie!

New Play Lab Package

About the Play:
The Miller family rallies together as they struggle with grief and the pain of the effects Early Onset Alzheimer’s has on their loved ones.
About the Playwright:
JAMI BRANDLI is the winner of the 2023 Jane Chambers Award and the 2023 Stanley Drama Award for her play, The Magician’s Sister. Additional plays include M-Theory, Technicolor Life, The Romeo and Juliet Senior Citizens Project—A Comedy, O: A Rhapsody in Divorce, and BLISS (or Emily Post is Dead!)—named on The Kilroys List and a LA Times Critics’ Choice. Her work has been produced/developed at New Dramatists, New York Theatre Workshop, Kitchen Dog Theater, Women’s Voices Theater Festival, Center Theatre Group, among other venues.
Additional accolades include: 2022 Center Theatre Group Writer’s Workshop. Nominated for Best Playwriting for an Original Play; Los Angeles Ovation Awards. Humanitas Prize PLAY LA playwright. Winner of John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award, Holland New Voices Award, Ashland New Plays Festival and Aurora Theatre Company’s GAP Prize. Finalist for the PEN Literary Award for Drama, the O’Neill and Ojai Playwrights Conference. Her short works are published with TCG, Dramatic Publishing Company, Applause Books, and Smith & Kraus.
Upcoming/recent productions and development:
The Magician’s Sister was presented as part of Center Theatre Group’s New Works Festival at The Kirk Douglas Theater. It was recently workshopped at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta where it will also receive a workshop production in January, 2025. O: A Rhapsody in Divorce is currently receiving a Rolling World Premiere with Mildred’s Umbrella (Houston, TX) in early 2024, and then with Outside In Theatre (Los Angeles) in early 2025. The Romeo and Juliet Senior Citizens Project—A Comedy was produced at Westmont College (Santa Barbara) as part of their International Shakespeare Festival, Spring 2024.
A proud member of The Playwrights Union and The Dramatists Guild, Jami teaches dramatic writing at Lesley University’s low-residency MFA program. She is represented by Navigation Media where she is developing film and TV projects. Her plays can be found on the New Play Exchange. www.jamibrandli.com
Tickets $20

The Kayenta New Play Lab is sponsored by Douglas Caputo / Desert Dweller at Equity Real Estate

NEVER ASK
2024-08-24 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-08-25 16:00 - 18:00
Kayenta New Play Lab
NEVER ASK
by Debora Threedy (Dammeron Valley, UT)
Saturday, August 24th 7:30pm & Sunday, August 25th 4:00pm
The Lorraine Boccardo Theater
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Kayenta New Play Lab, a unique opportunity for theater artists and audiences to converge to create and witness the development of new work. Six playwrights have been selected to participate by a panel of local and nationally-recognized experts. Following a 10-day development residency, each play will be presented as a staged reading for our summer audiences, followed by engaging discussions and opportunities to meet the artists. This dynamic New Play Lab fosters creativity, connection, and an unforgettable artistic journey. Join us in celebrating new, original work, full of inspiration and camaraderie!

New Play Lab Package

About the Play:
Due to unexplained circumstances, old friends Sandra, Jess, and Lance find themselves unexpectedly together again. The friends revisit old memories (and old feelings) and try to figure out why they have been able to reunite.
About the Playwright:
Debora Threedy recently retired after many years of teaching law at the University of Utah to spend more time writing plays. After a lifetime doing theatre primarily as an actor and director, about twenty years ago she turned to playwriting. Since then, she has had a number of full-length plays produced by various theatres in Utah, as well as a number of shorter plays. Most recently, in February 2024, her play Balthazar (a modern riff on Shakespeare’s Portia) was produced by Plan-B Theatre in Salt Lake City. She has been invited three times to workshop her plays at the Utah Shakespeare Festival (the only playwright to have been so honored): Nemo 1934 in 2006 (later produced as The End of the Horizon by Plan-B Theatre in 2008 and by Man of Two Worlds Productions at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta in 2021); One Big Union in 2016; and Balthazar in 2022. In 2010, she won a national playwriting contest, the Fratti-Newman New Political Play Contest in New York City, for her play The Third Crossing. Her play for children K-3, Alli and #3, toured the state in the 2021-2022 school year with a grant from the NEA and was seen by more than 15,000 students in person or virtually. Last year her play Postcards from Mecca (written in collaboration with Teresa Sanderson) was workshopped in the inaugural New Play Lab at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta. She lives in Dammeron Valley UT with her sister, their dogs and their horses.
Tickets $20

The Kayenta New Play Lab is sponsored by Douglas Caputo / Desert Dweller at Equity Real Estate

De Natura Libris Álvaro Alejandro López
2024-08-30 10:00 - 2024-10-06 18:00
VISUAL ART
De Natura Libris Álvaro Alejandro López
Friday, August 30 through Sunday, October 6, 2024
Judy & Tim Terrell Main Lobby
We are proud to host exceptional guest artists for pop-up solo exhibitions in the Judy & Tim Terrell Lobby at the Center for the Arts. All artwork on display is available for sale, directly benefitting the artist with a small percentage supporting Kayenta Arts Foundation.
Our Lobby is open Monday through Saturday, 10am-6pm, plus one hour before all evening events.
Álvaro Alejandro López is a photographer based in Mexico City. His work has been presented in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.
The photographic series De Natura Libris portrays the interactions we have with books: physical and abstract. The corporeity of a book is recorded through its structures, textures, forms and signs of use. Experiences are ultimately individual, evoked by any number of attributes: the content of a book, its textures and smells, the memories it awakens, or simply the aesthetic beauty of its parts.
By reading and using books, people create ties. As each journey through a book is personal, so is the interpretation of these photographs.
Alongside the photo series, viewers will find gorgeous pieces of text from collaborating writers including: Ana Blandiana, Orhan Pamuk, Joanna Kavenna, Jacqueline Woodson, Yann Martel, Javier Cercas,Ruth Padel, Salman Rushdie, Yan Lianke John Banville, Enrique Vila Matas, Roger Chartier, Cornelia Funke, Forrest Gander, Alberto Manguel and more.
Learn More at alvaroalejandrolopez.com/

First Fridays at Kayenta
2024-09-06 17:30 - 20:00
Events & Happenings
First Fridays at Kayenta
every First Friday / 5:30p-7:30p and later
FREE to attend!
Kayenta Art Village
We’re thrilled to introduce First Fridays at Kayenta, happening on the first Friday of every month in 2024! Enjoy live music, food, and fun in the Kayenta Art Village beginning at 5:30pm, with film screenings in the theater, and good vibes all around.

This month’s First Friday at Kayenta is generously sponsored by
A Bit of Extra Boutique!

Friday September 6 Lineup:
Guest Vendors:
Los Elementos
Beccaboo Designs
Eden Apotheca
Tipsy Cocktail Supply Co.
Dusty Desert Silver
Crazed Coyote
WildFlowr Denim
Blissful Bites by E&E Confections
Lavish Links
Silver Forge
Frankie and Stars
Food Trucks:
Yogi snow + treats
Wild Goat Coffee Co.
