The 2025 season runs from August 27 – September 12. To arrange for interviews or photos, contact Elizabeth Dworkin – elizabeth@dworkincompany.com, 914-244-3803.
For immediate release
[Moab, UT] — The Moab Music Festival today announces that violinist Tessa Lark has been named its next Artistic Director. Co-Founding Directors Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins will be stepping back from the award-winning Festival (MMF) after 33 years; Lark’s role will combine the co-founders’ artistic responsibilities.
Festival Board of Trustees President Anne Wilson said, “While it is bittersweet to be moving on to the next chapter of artistic leadership, we are grateful to have had our founders’ direction, guidance, and support in choosing their successor. This extraordinary festival is well positioned for the future, with the strong foundation they built, and their long and exemplary tenure. We are delighted to welcome Tessa as the Festival’s next Artistic Director. Her long history as a Festival violinist, coupled with her immense talent and creativity, make her a perfect fit. We are excited to see Tessa’s vision unfold, and work together to usher in a new generation of world-class music in concert with the landscape® experiences, for which the Festival has become famous.”
Since her Festival debut in 2016, Lark has delighted audiences with her technical mastery, stylistic fluidity, and welcoming spirit. She boasts a Grammy- nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her recording of Sky, the violin concerto Michael Torke wrote for her. She has been engaged by the San Francisco, Seattle, and BBC Symphonies, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. A recipient of Lincoln Center’s most prestigious honor for emerging artists, the Hunt Family Award, she also received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and top prize at the Naumburg International Violin Competition. She serves as a Co-Host/Creative of From the Top, NPR’s famed showcase for young classical musicians, and is Artistic Director of the Musical Masterworks series in Old Lyme, CT.
During Moab’s 2024 season, Lark performed works from her latest album, The Stradgrass Sessions, which pays homage to her love for both Bluegrass and classical music, and her idyllic Kentucky upbringing. The variety of styles presented on the album offers a small window into her fresh take on Festival programming, enhancing what audiences have come to expect from the Festival over the last three decades. As Lark explains, “I’ve already fallen in love many times over with the Moab Music Festival and what makes the community unique: the impactful relationships that Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins have forged through their loving leadership, the symbiosis of new classical music with canonical favorites, the complex network of the Native cultures of the region, and the presence of myriad musical styles. I take genuine pleasure in personally connecting with folks from all backgrounds, and am passionate about creating spaces that joyfully embrace both musical and spiritual confluence. What makes the Festival extraordinary is also my ultimate life goal: relishing nature and music, all at once. Sharing that heaven-on-earth with others is a dream come true.”
Under the direction of Tomkins and Barrett, MMF has gained an award-winning national and international reputation, growing from a grassroots organization in a geodesic dome in 1992 to a globally respected institution attracting world-class artists and patrons who want to experience music among southeast Utah’s stunning red rock landscape. The founders were a critical part of selecting the incoming artistic director who will usher in the next generation of leadership as they become Directors Emeriti.
“I am beyond excited to be handing the reins of the Moab Music Festival to Tessa Lark,” shares Music Director Emeritus Michael Barrett. “I’ve known Tessa for nearly 20 years and have watched with admiration as she has fulfilled the promise of her immense talent in such creative and unexpected ways. It brings me great satisfaction that she has agreed to become Artistic Director. She has a finger on the pulse of musical life in America, and I’m certain her instinct and artistry will guide the Festival toward the synthesis of art, nature, and community Leslie and I first imagined 33 years ago.”
As Artistic Director Emerita, Leslie Tomkins commented, “It has been a great honor and privilege to create and lead this organization for over three decades. Tessa came to mind immediately when considering a successor. She is a spectacular artist who brings joy and endless creativity to her playing and shines in musical genres beyond classical. Music in concert with the landscape distinguishes the Moab Music Festival from all others. Tessa has a deep connection to that special alchemy, and I look forward to seeing the Festival thrive and evolve under her imaginative, thoughtful leadership.”
**
ABOUT TESSA LARK
Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. Increasingly in demand in the classical realm, she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. She is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky.
Highlights of Lark’s 2024-25 season include returns to the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London, and the Rochester Philharmonic, and debut with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. In recital, she will debut with San Francisco Symphony and the University of California at Santa Barbara. She reprises Michael Torke’s bluegrass-inspired violin concerto, Sky – written for her – with the Boulder and Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the West Michigan, Williamsburg, Shreveport, and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestras. As a chamber musician, she will tour with her string trio project with composer-bassist Edgar Meyer and cellist Joshua Roman.
Lark’s most recent album, The Stradgrass Sessions, features an all-star roster of collaborators and composers. Her debut recording was the Grammy-nominated Sky, which she performed with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Her discography also includes Fantasy on First Hand Records; Invention, the debut album of her violin-bass duo with Michael Thurber; and a live performance of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with the Buffalo Philharmonic in honor of Piazzolla’s centenary.
Lark is a graduate of New England Conservatory and completed her Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School. She plays a ca. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
ABOUT THE MOAB MUSIC FESTIVAL
Founded in 1992 by New York-based pianist and conductor Michael Barrett, and violist Leslie Tomkins, the Moab Music Festival has delighted audiences and adventurers for 32 seasons. On a rare vacation, Barrett and Tomkins fell in love with the red rocks of Moab and were inspired to introduce the joy of music-making to the magical landscape. “Starting a music festival seemed like the perfect way to make sure we would return again and again,” says Tomkins.
Noted for its distinctive programming, superb performances, and intimate concerts, the award-winning Moab Music Festival celebrates music in concert with the landscape®, and features chamber music in a variety of genres including classical, jazz, Latin, traditional music from around the globe, and works by living composers. Each season’s star-studded roster is a venerable Who’s Who, and has included the likes of George Takei, Paquito D’Rivera, Bela Fleck, Marcus Roberts, Chick Corea, Clarice and Sergio Assad, David Amram, Lukas Foss, Chris Thile, Time for Three, Ned Rorem, Jamie Bernstein, and many more.
The Festival presents approximately 20 concerts over the course of two weeks in late August/early September. Concerts are held in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues around Moab. Grotto Concerts, the Festival’s signature events, take place in a pristine wilderness grotto reached by jet boat some 30 miles down the Colorado River. Destination-worthy venues also include floating concerts along the Colorado at sunset, music hikes to secret wilderness locations, and 3- and 4-day Musical Raft Trips through Cataract and Westwater Canyons, or on the San Juan River.
The Moab Music Festival, from its inception, has been committed to education and cultural enrichment in the Moab area. The Board and leadership of the festival bring their passion for national arts education to the local level, and work to reach all Grand County students annually through assemblies with visiting Festival musicians. An artist-in-residence program also provides educational experiences for music lovers of all ages during the year.
The Moab Music Festival has received the Utah Arts Council’s Governor’s Award in the Arts, First Prize for “Adventurous Programming” from the American Society of Composers, Artists, and Publishers (ASCAP), and a Utah Governor’s Mansion Arts Award.
Have a press release or story you’d like to see published on Discover Moab? Email asst. marketing director Alison Harford at aharford@discovermoab.com.
Peruse Moab’s expansive art scene during four ArtWalk events on February 7, April 4, August 1, and November 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at locations around Moab. These events are a chance to tour through Moab’s downtown, meet local artists, participate in interactive art events, and see fantastic works!
Canyonlands Field Airport Art Gallery at Moab Arts
Each year Moab Arts invites local artists to submit their works for a chance to be featured. A total of 30
spots are available for hanging artworks, with additional pieces to be displayed at Moab City Hall and the
Moab Arts Center. This initiative is part of the City of Moab’s effort to showcase local art throughout
Grand County.
Since 2018, Moab Arts has been featuring a rotating collection of works from Moab-area artists at the
Moab Airport (CNY), transforming the public space into a vibrant gallery for visitors and locals to enjoy. Come see these works in the Moab Arts gallery space before they are displayed at the airport!
Erratics: A Portfolio by Saltgrass Printmakers at the Grand County Public Library, in partnership with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums
The artists in this exhibit conceptualized glacial erratic as a metaphor by exploring their relationship to Utah. How did you come to live in Utah? How has this varied landscape shaped you personally? How has your personal ‘bedrock’ informed your response to place?
Saltgrass Printmakers is non-profit open print shop located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Their goal is to support and promote printmaking as a first-class member of the fine-art community by providing education programs open to the public, open community access to professional-grade printmaking facilities and supporting collaborative opportunities for artists and for the public. Saltgrass Printmakers was founded by Erik Brunvand, Sandy Brunvand and Stefanie Dykes.
Participating artists: Gary Barton. Erik Brunvand, Haylee Canonico, Rob Chipman, Aloe Corry, Robert DeGroff, Jim Despain, Justin Diggle, Stefanie Dykes, Michael Gaffney, Trishelle Jeffery, Abraham Kimball, Wayne Kimball, Adam Larsen, Holland Larsen, Amanda Lee, Abraham McCowan, Deborah McDermott, Manie, Powers-Torrey, Kathy Puzey, James Rees, Andrew Rice, K. Stevenson, Mary Toscano.
Utah Arts & Museums’ Traveling Exhibit Program is a statewide outreach program that provides schools, museums, libraries, and community galleries with the opportunity to bring curated exhibitions to their community. This program is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
U92: Moab’s Uranium Legacy by the Moab Museum, on display at the Grand County Public Library
History meets interactive art at the kickoff to this year’s ArtWalk series!
Join staff from the Moab Museum and Moab Arts at the Grand County Public Library to contribute to a paint-a-square mural project inspired by a historic photo from the Moab Museum collection. While you’re there, learn more about the upcoming Museum exhibition, “U92: Moab’s Uranium Legacy,” opening February 15!
Nick Eason at Gallery Moab
Nick Eason’s finely carved wood sculptures will be featured in February in “For the Love of Birds,” a group show by members of Gallery Moab that includes work in various mediums, all inspired by our avian friends.
Julia Buckwalter at Moonflower Community Cooperative
Artist Julia Buckwalter grew up under the Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah, falling in love with the red rock of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks early on and vowing to live in Moab as an adult so that she could paint the landscape.
Before she settled in Moab, Julia studied Painting at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and also Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania. She also visited and worked two seasons at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico during college, finding constant inspiration in Georgia O’Keeffe’s responses to her own “homeland”.
When not working from her home studio, Julia is often working as a Buyer at Back of Beyond Books, curating the Adult book department. She’ll often pack a book on long hikes, runs or bike rides to read by the river or under a shady tree, emotional inspiration and visual recognition to carry into the studio later. Landscapes and skies are the focus of her passion, and she has been painting our desert backyard now for the past 13 years, spending one year awarded as Artist in the Park with the Canyonlands Natural History Association.
Contact: Tara Beresh, Curatorial and Collections Manager, tara@moabmuseum.org
435-259-7985
For immediate release
[Moab, UT] – With a FREE public opening from 9 am – 5 pm on Saturday, February 15, 2025, the Moab Museum opens a new exhibition that transforms the gallery space —
U92: Moab’s Uranium Legacy. Audiences will be Immersed in Moab’s uranium boom, a time which sparked a “frenzy” that lured thousands to Moab and a subsequent boom of the town that elevated Moab to the “richest town in America” for a short while.
The first phase, opening in February 2025, highlights the Cold War-driven uranium boom, the people who lived it, and the vibrant yet challenged infrastructure that emerged. The second phase, debuting in July 2025, draws on first-person accounts to explore the enduring environmental, health, and cultural impacts — and future consequences.
Visitors will follow the contributions of notable figures, both well-known and unsung, who played key roles during this important moment in American history. Alongside personal narratives of “boom,” visitors learn about the “bust” that launched the modern recreation economy and serves as a testament to Moab’s unwavering resilience.
Many uranium miners have passed, taking their memories with them; those still living are in their eighties and nineties. The Museum team has engaged many individuals and their families to capture first-hand accounts of life in Moab during the uranium frenzy that forever shaped the community. Collaborations with the Atomic Legacy Cabin in Grand Junction and scientific support from the Uranium Mill Tailings Remediation Action (UMTRA) project have been essential to ensure historical accuracy and enrich the exhibit narrative.
Every shared memory helps us understand more fully what Moab’s uranium era meant to those who lived it. We’re especially grateful for insights from the many community members who contributed stories that add depth and authenticity to the exhibition. This exhibition is a tribute to their legacy as much as it is a chronicle of Moab’s past.
U92: Moab’s Uranium Legacy opens to the public on Saturday, February 15, 2025. If you or someone you know is willing to share stories from the uranium era, we would love to hear from you; Please reach out to Tara (tara@moabmuseum.org) or Allie (allie@moabmuseum.org) at the Museum.
Events during the exhibit opening
U92 Moab’s Uranium Legacy opens FREE to the public on Saturday, February 15th, with programming from our partners from 11 am to 3 pm. Visitors are invited to explore a transformed Museum space and immersive exhibition following the boom and bust of our town which found itself at the center of the Cold War. Activities and community history opportunities with the Department of Energy, Utah Historical Society, the MARC, and Moab Museum staff will be hosted on the lawn.
Moab Museum Uranium Memories Project:
Share your uranium story, and join us in kicking off a year-long effort to tell a more complete uranium story with the Uranium Memories Project! Visitors are invited to share their own memories, or memories of loved ones involved in uranium mining or milling, to help us tell the story of Moab and add new perspectives to the Moab Museum’s Oral History Collection. At this table, participants may share a short story or schedule time to conduct a full oral history interview. This program has received funding from Utah Humanities and Utah Historical Society.
Utah Historical Society Scan & Share: (registration)
Visit with the Utah Historical Society to preserve and share your historical materials related to your connection with Moab’s uranium history. Bring up to ten of your photos, documents, letters, art, and other items to be scanned, digitized, and added to the Peoples of Utah Revisited online collection. These items can be historical or contemporary: from long ago to yesterday! *All of your items will be returned to you after they are scanned on the day of the event.
Department of Energy:
Environmental Management: Representatives from the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management and Moab’s Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project will be present. Visitors will also make and decorate seed balls using native seeds from the region.
Legacy Management:
Radiation is all around us, all the time, from natural and human-made sources. With the Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management, visitors will have the chance to learn what radiation is, the difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and the different types of radiation by safely exploring everyday items and examples of radiation.
MARC:
Join the staff of the Moab Arts and Recreation Center in a paint-a-square mural project! Visitors are invited to paint a small watercolor square to contribute to a larger recreation of a historic photograph from the Museum’s collection.
Have a press release or story you’d like to see published on Discover Moab? Email asst. marketing director Alison Harford at aharford@discovermoab.com.
Charlie Glass atop a horse. [Moab Museum Collection]
Throughout Black History Month in 2023, the Moab Museum dug into its collection to highlight stories of prominent Black individuals and groups throughout the history of the Moab Valley. In this column, Charlie Glass takes center stage: a Black local Moab cowboy who worked at the Turner, Osborn, and Cunningham ranches. This cowboy was known for his grit and ingenuity, qualities admired during his time pushing cattle from Moab to Thompson Springs.
Glass was known for his fierce loyalty to ranch bosses, but his reputation was really made in 1921 during the Sheep Wars era, a time of conflict between sheepherders and cowboys. Glass found himself in an altercation with Basque sheepherder named Felix Jesui whose flock was encroaching on Oscar L. Turner’s property. Glass fatally shot Jesui and claimed self-defense. Glass’s bail was set at $10,000 (the equivalent of $157,000 today) which his boss, Turner, paid immediately and without question.
Cowboys drive Scorup-Somerville cattle. [Moab Museum Collection]
After a well-attended court hearing, Glass was acquitted and continued to work on the Turner Ranch for another 16 years. In 1937, Glass was playing poker with the cousins of the man he’d shot years before. After what local lore calls an amiable game, the group parted ways. But later that evening, Glass was found dead in the back of the men’s pick-up truck—reportedly, Glass’s neck was broken. The cousins claimed no foul play, but the truth of the night remains a mystery to this day.
Glass was buried in the Turner family plot, at a time when African-Americans were barred from being buried in the Fruita, Colorado, cemetery. Stop by the Moab Museum to view Pete Plastow’s portrait of Charlie Glass, mid altercation with Felix Jesui, who proved to be the ultimate end of the this local Black cowboy. .
The Moab Museum website has a
larger profile on Charlie Glass and a recording of “The Ballad of Charlie Glass,” performed by Sand Sheff in 2019 at KZMU Studios. The song was written and composed by William Leslie Clarke, courtesy of Three Rivers University Press.
The Moab Museum is dedicated to sharing stories of the natural and human history of the Moab area. To explore more of Moab’s stories and artifacts and find out about upcoming programs, visit MoabMuseum.org
Courtesy of the Moab Museum
The Moab Museum will be temporarily closing its doors from December 23, 2024, through February 10, 2025, as we prepare for the exciting installation of our newest exhibition,
U92: Moab’s Uranium Legacy. During this time, Museum staff and volunteers will be hard at work creating an immersive and educational experience that delves into the history and legacy of uranium mining in the Moab area.
While the Museum will be closed to visitors, we will host periodic volunteer days for those interested in supporting this important installation process. Community members are encouraged to get involved and be part of bringing
U92: Moab’s Uranium Legacy to life.
Mark your calendars for February 15, 2025, when the Museum will reopen with an all-day celebration of the new exhibition. Join us to explore the stories of miners, mill operators, entrepreneurs, and others who shaped Moab’s uranium boom and its lasting impact. Stay tuned for more details as we approach this exciting opening!
For updates and volunteer opportunities, visit www.moabmuseum.org or contact us at info@moabmuseum.org.
We don’t know about you, but “Holly Jolly Christmas” has been stuck in our heads since November (Dolly Parton’s version) – and yet we’re still scrambling to find gifts for our friends and family. Whether you’re a Moab local, a regular visitor to our little valley, or if we’re still just a line on your travel bucket list, Moab has gifts abound for you and your loved ones.
For the (wannabe) Moabite: Art created by the Community Artist in the Parks
Each year, the Southeast Utah Group of National Parks chooses a
“community artist in the parks”: a local artist who creates art in the parks during the months of April through October (the Southeast Utah group encompasses Arches and Canyonlands national parks, and also the Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments). The program has hosted
16 artists since 2009.
Work created by many of the artists – the two most recent being Annie Dalton and
Jess Hough – is sold locally in Moab Made, the Moab Information Center, and at the Arches National Park visitors center.
For the history buff: Museum memberships
The
Moab Museum, first incorporated in 1958 as the “Southeastern Utah Society of Arts and Science,” boasts an impressive collection. Its permanent exhibition expertly leads visitors of the museum through the long history of the area, from stories of the first peoples in the area through to Moab’s modern history as an outdoor recreation hub. A temporary exhibit will be installed in February that will dive into the area’s uranium mining boom and bust. Members of the museum don’t pay the entrance fee to visit the museum or attend its numerous and expansive in-person programs. Individual memberships are $40 and can be gifted by emailing Diego Velasquez, the museum’s membership and marketing coordinator, at diego@moabmuseum.org.
Moab Giants offers a glimpse into the much further past. Visitors will explore the dinosaur history of the area through exhibits including an outdoor dinosaur trail (with over 100 life-size replicas of dinosaurs), 5D prehistoric aquarium, and 3D theater. Memberships can be purchased at individual or family levels on the Moab Giants website.
For the adventure-seeker: Guided experiences or white water rafting trips to check off their bucket list
![An arrow points to an image of a group of people white water rafting in Moab](https://www.discovermoab.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-01.png")
There’s no lack of outdoor experiences in Moab, and all are better to do with a guide: guides can show you the ropes (literally, if you’re going on a rock climbing or canyoneering trip), and also provide a wealth of knowledge of the area. Many guides are certified by Science Moab and the Moab Museum so they can provide fascinating and accurate information to visitors. A few popular experiences include rafting Cataract Canyon (the otherwise inaccessible canyon that the Colorado River flows through on its way to Lake Powell), taking intro mountain biking and climbing courses in the many beginner-friendly areas around town, horseback riding along the Colorado River, and off-roading the nationally recognized Hell’s Revenge trail in the Sandflats Recreation Area.
Explore a list of guides and outfitters
here.
For the foodie: Restaurant gift cards
There’s something for everyone when it comes to Moab’s restaurant scene. Offerings include numerous Thai restaurants (ask any local their favorite and you’ll get a different answer), burger joints (from diners like Milts to family sit-down spots like The Spoke), breakfast and lunch cafes (Mas Cafe offers pastries and stellar coffee), fusion spots (have you tried the banh mi at 98 Center?), even sushi (Sabaku Sushi will have you praising raw fish in the middle of the desert). You can find a list of Moab restaurants
here.
For the reader: Books from Moab’s independent bookstore
The desert provides endless inspiration for writers and artists in our area. Luckily for us, Moab’s local independent bookstore, Back of Beyond Books, curated a list of
desert southwest literature. We recommend classics like Terry Tempest William’s “Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert,” and “Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau” by Craig Childs. You really can’t go wrong with this list!
The bookstore is also known for its
rare books collection: if you really want to stun a reader in your life, gift them a signed, first edition copy of Edward Abbey’s “The Monkey Wrench Gang” or a second edition of “On Desert Trails” by Everett Ruess. Books are available to purchase online!
For the fashion-forward: Locally-designed apparel
Numerous Moab boutiques carry locally-designed clothing and accessories.
Moab Made, a retail shop that feels like a gallery, carries only goods created by local artisans – it’s easy to find a gift for any of your artistic friends from its collection of pottery, art prints, and accessories.
Desert Wild, a clothing store, last year created a locally-designed, micro-grid fleece clothing line. Designs include a hooded long-sleeve dress, skirt, and zip-up hoodie, each featuring large pockets – perfect for any outdoor adventurer. The shop also carries trendy apparel and accessories.
For the traveler: A Moab trip itinerary!
What’s better than a fully-planned trip? Whisk your loved ones away on a vacation full of wonder to Moab, Utah – you can use pieces of this gift guide to craft a perfect week. Experience the outdoors, local art, and history from the world’s most beautiful basecamp. Visit
Discover Moab for ideas on
where to stay and
what to do during your visit!
Winter is a lovely time to be in Moab, Utah: town is quieter, snow blankets the red rocks, and the cold air is offset by warm sunshine. But it’s the off-season, meaning many of our local restaurants and places of business will change their hours or close for an extended break. Read on for a list of seasonal closures! And make sure you double-check with open businesses about their winter hours.
Restaurants
98 Center – Closed December 30 to February 13
Cactus Jacks – Closed January 6 to 20
Lops Pop Shop – Closed December 21 to January 6
Moab Garage Company – Closed December 8 until spring (TBD)
Rooted Vine – Closed January 3 to February 13
Sabaku Sushi – Closed December 28 until spring (TBD)
Sweet Cravings – Closed December 30 to January 14
Trailhead Public House and Eatery – Closed December 24 to January 19
Businesses
Desert Wild and Indigo Alley – Closed January 5 to February 6
Moab Museum – Closed December 23 to February 10
Skydive Moab – Closed November 15 to March 1
Ye Ol’ Geezer Meat Shop – Closed January 13 to 27
Want to add your business to the list or update this info? Email Alison Harford at aharford@grandcountyutah.net!
Newspaper Rock [Moab Museum Collection, Elaine Peterson Collection]
This is canyon country, a landscape defined by the forces of nature that have carved their way through the red sandstone for millions of years and still continue to perform their work. The human history of this landscape carries a similar throughline: Rock inscriptions carved on canyon walls over thousands of years lend whispers of the history of the people who came before.
Petroglyphs and pictographs across the region preserve thousands of years of human history, spanning many cultures over time. There is much to be learned from these marks pecked or painted onto canyon walls, and they remain important sites for Native communities today.
What is the difference between petroglyphs and pictographs?
Petroglyphs—which are generally more abundant in this area—are images created by carving, engraving, or scratching upon the surface of the rock. Pictographs are painted, consisting of pigment applied to the surface of the stone. While certain panels may have originally been a combination of petroglyphs and pictographs, the windswept sandstone now primarily reveals petroglyphs.
Located downriver from Moab, this rock carving is thought by some to resemble a mastodon, leading some to believe that it was created by people living in the Moab Valley during the late Ice Age. Others interpret the panel as a bear with a fish in its mouth. [Moab Museum Collection, Elaine Peterson Collection]
What is known about petroglyphs and pictographs?
There are numerous ways to interpret meaning, and inevitably, much of it remains a mystery to visitors today. Native groups with Ancestral ties to the region can offer perspective and interpret meaning from rock writings left many generations ago. Archaeologists also offer a set of ways to interpret these sites.
In the summer of 2021, the Moab Museum presented a temporary exhibition called “Stories on Stone: Interpreting & Protecting Moab’s Rock Imagery” in collaboration with Utah Humanities. The exhibit showcased perspectives about four prominent Moab-area petroglyph panels from Hopi guide and interpreter Bertram Tsavadawa and archeologist Don Montoya.
“There’s always variations of understanding of how sites will be utilized by the Ancestors,” Tsavadawa explained in the exhibit, adding “as a Hopi person, coming from northeastern Arizona to visit and see these sites here, it is reconnecting.”
In a video made with the Museum and the Utah Humanities Council’s Humanities in the Wild initiative, Tsavadawa drew connections between petroglyphs of wavy lines at Moonflower Canyon to the abundant water nearby.
“Water sustains life. Wherever there’s water, you’ll find maybe an Ancestral site, occupation location, or where they were visiting or making their pilgrimages to conduct ceremony, or connect back to nature,” Tsavadawa explained.
Archeologists also offer ways of understanding these traces of the past. A variety of scientific dating methods, including carbon dating, may determine the ages of pictograph pigments. In the absence of pigment, archaeologists can use optically-stimulated luminescence, which tells how long quartz sediments have been exposed to light. Archeologists also recognize distinctive aesthetic styles associated with different periods, such as the Barrier Canyon Style, which allows them to determine the spatiotemporal extent of cultural groups.
Rock imagery sites remind us that history exists beyond the bounds of a museum collection space. Stewardship of sites remains an ongoing topic of community conversation. In April 2021, Birthing Rock, a prominent rock imagery site along Kane Creek Road, was vandalized, inciting community outrage. The vandalism was the second publicized instance in 2021 of petroglyphs in Moab being damaged, the first being a rock climber bolting a route near a 1,000-year-old petroglyph panel near Arches National Park.
The pictographs at the mouth of Courthouse Wash as it enters the Colorado River represent the Barrier Canyon style, also found at Sego canyon near Thompson Springs. This image was taken before the panel was defaced in 1980. Following the vandalism, the National Park Service cleaned the panel, and restoration work revealed older pictographs beneath the white shields. [Moab Museum Collection, Elaine Peterson Collection]
Why does it matter to protect rock imagery and Ancestral sites?
In the words of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition: “To the untrained eye, these archaeological features can sometimes be hard to recognize, but their importance to science, as well as tribal descendants, is immense…More than just a library of human history, this place remains vital to tribal communities across the Colorado Plateau as a place of subsistence, spirituality, healing, and contemplation.”
When visiting these sites, make sure to observe proper visitation etiquette to preserve this history and pay respect to the enduring connections these places provide for Native communities today. These tips, from the Museums of Western Colorado, provide guidance to visitors today:
– Visit rock art sites with respect. Many cultures today see rock art as being just as sacred as it was when it was created.
– Do not touch images. The oils on your hands cause damage that cannot be fixed.
– Take only pictures. Paper rubbing and latex molds cause irreversible damage.
– Respect private property rights.
– Leave archaeological clues found near rock art panels in place. Artifacts such as projectiles can help archaeologists better understand and date the age of panels.
– Report any vandalism to a local land agency such as the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and Park Service.
The Moab Museum is dedicated to sharing stories of the natural and human history of the Moab area. To explore more of Moab’s stories and artifacts, find out about upcoming programs, and become a Member, visit MoabMuseum.org
