For nine years, the Kimball Art Center and the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County have hosted the creative chaos known as the Monster Drawing Rally.
It’s a fundraiser in which local visual artists generate original art in 50-minute increments. Attendees can then purchase the art for $50, which will be split between the two organizations, said Arts Council Executive Director Jocelyn Scudder.
“This price point is intentional,” she said. “Art collecting doesn’t have to be for the elite and super wealthy. It should bring everyone joy. So the fact that people can buy an original piece of art for $50 is a big deal.”
If more than one person wants to buy the same work of art, they will resort to the “luck of the draw,” Scudder said.
“Those who are interested pick a card from a pack of regular playing cards, and the high card will win,” she said. “This adds a playfulness to this fundraising event, and it makes art collecting accessible. We’ve had kids who bring their allowance money in to buy art, and we’ve had many of them win the draw.”
This year’s Monster Drawing Rally is scheduled to run from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Kimball Art Center, 1251 Kearns Blvd, and the event will feature 27 local and regional artists. (See accompanying list.)
In addition to live art making, the Monster Drawing Rally will feature live music by a DJ and a cash bar, Scudder said.
“It’s called Monster Drawing Rally because it draws in the chaos of a Monster Truck Rally,” she said. “There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot to look at, and it’s noisy.”
Artists will sit at tables set up just outside of the Kimball Art Center’s studios, near the Boneyard, Scudder said.
“They sit at tables together, creating together, so there is such a wonderful energy surrounding this event,” she said. “It’s a big art party in the parking lot where artists create art live, and it’s an opportunity for the community to spy on the creative process. It’s also an opportunity for artists to be in community with each other.”
In addition to raising funds for the Arts Council and the Kimball Art Center, the Monster Drawing Rally also gives participating artists a chance to make some money, Scudder said.
“They all are invited to create some art for the silent auction, which will be set up in the studios away from the live-art action,” she said. “The artists will set the bidding prices on these items, and 60% of the money raised during the auction will go to the artists, while the other 40% will be split between the Kimball Art Center and Arts Council.”
The Monster Drawing Rally’s roots lie with Southern Exposure, an art organization in San Francisco, Scudder said.
“They made the branding and program model public to be shared with other art institutions,” she said. “Obviously it’s rooted in visual art, and the Kimball Art Center is the leading visual-art practitioner and programmer in our community. So, we brought the idea to them in 2016.”
The event adheres to the Arts Council mission, Scudder said.
“As an organization, we want to make sure arts and culture drives this community, and that includes organizations like the Kimball Art Center,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re amplifying their mission and creating impact.”
As an added attraction, the Kimball Art Center will be open for self-guided tours of “Step After Step,” a multi-artist exhibit that examines the evolution of walking as an art form.
“Art is meant to be enjoyed and shared, and the Monster Drawing Rally delivers on that year after year,” said Kimball Art Center Executive Director Aldy Milliken in a statement. “It’s always a very creative and celebratory atmosphere, and the Kimball Art Center is thrilled to host the Rally for the community once again.”
The 2025 Monster Drawing Rally
The 2025 Monster Drawing Rally Artists
- AD Allegretti
- Angie Bizon
- Russell Blackwell
- Luis Canelón
- Evie Chen
- Angel Cly
- Jimmy Eaton
- Grace Gladson
- Alyssa Hartman
- Lindalee Holmes
- Alexandra Jicol
- Hannah Loertscher
- Jasper Luker
- Emily Madsen
- Mark Maziarz
- Kylie Millward
- Casey Mossholder
- Renee Mox Hall
- Anna Nizhoni
- Tori Olson
- Ophelia Owens
- Danielle Powers
- Elissa Sabbö
- James Saarela
- Chloe Sawyer
- Eric Warner
- Marley Wright
