Moab’s easiest trail: the outdoor sculpture trail!

Looking for outdoor art in Moab? The next time you’re on your way to the Moab Museum (to explore the current exhibit) or 98 Center (to dine on pho and seasonal cocktails), look up: at the intersection of Center St. and 100 East is a spatial marvel, a towering bronze-colored whip that arcs into the sky to intersect with three planets. It’s “Nebula,” a sculpture created by Castle Valley artist Michael Ford Dunton, installed as part of the 2024-2025 “Moab ArTTrails” sculpture exhibition. 

For nearly a decade, Moab ArTTrails, a local nonprofit, has gifted works of art to Moab. In 2015, the organization bought four sculptures–”Forces at Play,” created by Ford Dunton, who is also a co-founder of the nonprofit–to install along the pedestrian bridge that spans the Colorado River near Lion’s Park. In 2017, the organization hosted its first short-term exhibition, choosing a series of sculptures to be installed around town. The nonprofit chooses this rotating selection each year, but the community also has the ability to choose “the keeper,” a sculpture to be bought and permanently installed. Since its inception, Moab ArTTrails has added thirteen works of art to the permanent collection. 

Sculptures rotate each September. This year’s 2024-2025 exhibition showcases 14 sculptures in a two block radius–sculptures are tucked between street corners and sidewalks along Center Street, 100 East, 100 North, and 100 West. Local exhibition artists include Ford Dunton, David Olsen (“Gnarly Scarecrow” on Center St. south of Main) and Tim “Mik” McAllister (“Risen from Ashes” on 100 North near the food truck court, and “Guardian’s Promise” in front of the Times Independent office). The other sculpture artists hail from Logan, Provo, Salt Lake City, and Colorado, Arizona, and Texas: you can read more about the artists on the Moab ArTTrails’ website! 

This year’s Best in Show was awarded to Myles Howell, a Logan artist who created “Desert Winds,” a marble wonder that flows in an organic shape. The sculpture is displayed in front of Moonflower Co-op: ponder its beauty while snacking on a Moonflower lunch. Honorable mention was awarded to Steve Grater, a Tuscon, Arizona based artist who created “Matriarch,” an abstract steel work that “embodies the strength, stability, and gravitas of a powerful mother figure.”  “Matriarch” is on display near the Wells Fargo and Times Independent office along Center Street – grab a local paper while you’re over there! 

Each sculpture on display is for sale: you can find more information with Moab ArTTrails. You can also vote for the keeper!