Kimball Art Center

Park City, Utah Art Center

Wasatch Back Student Art Show: Nature’s Wonders

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Kimball Art Center (KAC) is pleased to announce the 2026 Wasatch Back Student Art
Show, open to all students in Summit and Wasatch County Schools, grades K-12. This
year’s exhibition will focus on artwork that incorporates the theme of
Nature’s Wonders: K–12 artists explore how nature inspires wonder and imagination

Eligibility and Theme

The show is open to all K-12 students residing in or attending public, private, charter, or
home schools in Summit and Wasatch counties. If we receive more submissions than
our space allows, artwork that more closely follows the theme will be given priority for
exhibition.
We invite students to submit artwork inspired by the theme “Nature’s Wonders.” Think
about the complexity of the natural world, how it has evolved over time, and the awe it
can inspire. Explore the patterns and rhythms of nature, the science behind them, or the
ways humans try to understand the vastness and beauty of the natural world. All media
and approaches are welcome—show us what amazes you about the world around us!
This year’s Wasatch Back Student Art Show will be presented alongside an exhibition of
artists from around the world who are exploring the wonder and awe we experience in
the natural world. The artists in this show explore everything from the tiniest things you’d
need a microscope to see, to the vastness of outer space. Through play, imagination,
and creativity, their artwork helps us see nature in a whole new way. Together, these
works invite us to slow down, look closely, and feel a sense of wonder for the amazing
world we’re part of.
This year’s Wasatch Back Student Art Show allows students to think about a variety of
questions, including but not limited to:

  • What fills you with awe or wonder when you’re outside?
  • What are some specific memories you have about being in nature?
  • What are you curious about in the natural world? What do you want to learn more
    about?
  • How does nature change through the seasons, or how do elements and landscapes
    shift over time and how can you show that in your art?
  • What patterns or rhythms do you notice in the natural world (like waves, tree rings, or
  • animal tracks)?
  • How do plants, animals, and people depend on one another?
  • What’s something in nature that seems tiny up close but huge in importance?
  • What’s something in nature that feels endless or too big to fully understand?
  • How can you show the power, beauty, or mystery of nature through your art?
  • How does being in nature make you feel?

Artwork Submission

Participants may submit only ONE ENTRY. The entry must be an original two- or
three-dimensional work created during the 2025-26 school year. The artwork does not,
however, need to be the result of a class assignment. Artwork must be ready to exhibit
and all two dimensional work will preferably be framed and must be wired for hanging.
KAC will treat all objects with care, but is not responsible for any damage rendered to an
entry.

Delivery

Artwork must be dropped off at Kimball Art Center between February 23 – March 8,
2026.

Section 1 of the following form should be attached to the submitted artwork. Section
2 will be given to the Visitor Services team. We will use the information provided to create
exhibition labels, so please make all information legible. Email addresses and phone
numbers of students, parents, or teachers are required so that we can ensure the ability
to return work to students.

    Retrieving Artwork

    Artwork must be picked up between May 4 – May 17, 2026. If not retrieved, artwork will
    become the property of KAC as of May 18, 2026.
    For more information, please contact: education@kimballartcenter.org

    Submission Instructions

    Artist Panel for Gaze Into These Eyes

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    Omari Booker

    Omari Booker is a Nashville-based visual artist who specializes primarily in murals and oil paintings. The creation of art is, for Booker, a cathartic experience that allows him to process and he “aspires to create work that communicates to his audience their unique and intrinsic ability to be free.” Booker’s first show was called Fifteen and explored the experience of his fifteen years subject to the carceral system. Many of the works in this exhibition were portraits of loved ones who supported him, during those years, allowing him to survive and grow. More recently, Booker has begun to paint unhoused individuals in his local community. The artist has been connecting with these individuals over the past several years, and wants to bring to light those whom society would prefer to ignore.

    Asia Johnson

    Asia Johnson is a writer, poet, and filmmaker who is currently based in Los Angeles. She previously spent nine years within the Michigan prison system following a deeply traumatic incident in her family. During her time in prison, she discovered writing as a source of refuge and a way to discuss topics such as trauma, resilience, and redemption. Upon her release in 2018, she chose to follow the passion and turn it into her career. Upon receiving the Right of Return Fellowship, she utilized the funds to create short films like Out of Place, which focuses on the experiences of formerly incarcerated women through poetry and visual storytelling. Beyond her works, she also serves as an manager of storytelling at Zealo.us, a national advocacy, arts, and media institute. Beyond her professional work, she has also contributed to several justice-focused organizations such as The Bail Project, cut50, Shakespeare in Prison, and more. She has also been featured on podcasts such as Pay the Tab: Reparations Now in order to discuss her image for the future of the justice system.

    L.W.D.

    L.W.D. (Little Walt Dog) is a multimedia artist from Los Angeles. He began creating art after his release from a 30-year prison sentence, and seeks to evoke a child-like perspective through his work. Growing up in LA, LWD was exposed to the car and music culture that envelops the city, and he pulls from both in his creative process. His depictions of cars are symbols of freedom and metaphors for the complex stories and class struggles that he sees play out in Los Angeles every day. L.W.D ‘s lack of formal training in the arts allows him to take an uncalculated approach when creating new work; he paints what he likes, and tells stories that are personal to him and reflect what he has seen to be true in the world.