Considering its glorious natural setting, it should come as no surprise that Sun Valley has a thriving arts and culture scene. Who could fail to be inspired, living in a place like this? In summer, the area’s many galleries spring to life, with meet-the-artist walks and curator-led tours. Moreover, there’s also live music, serious stargazing, and a unique sheep parade.
Galleries
You can quickly get to the heart of the visual arts scene here by making a beeline to the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, a nonprofit that occupies a modern gallery space just off the main drag in Ketchum. The Center is not only an exhibition space but also organizes various cultural programs across the valley. These include a regular lecture series featuring prominent figures such as food writer Ruth Reichl and novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen. Additionally, it holds drawing, painting, and photography classes for kids, teens, and adults. Several times each year, the center mounts what it calls a “Big Idea” project—an intensive, multidisciplinary program that includes an exhibit at the Ketchum gallery space, docent-led tours, lectures, workshops, and various other elements centered on one provocative idea. Recent examples include The Unreliable Narrator, which explores the challenges of storytelling, and Bees, focusing on the critical role of pollinators in the food chain.
About once a month on Fridays (check online for the current schedule), the Sun Valley Center and the local art-gallery association organize art walks that encompass new exhibitions in several galleries around town. The walks start at 5 PM from the Sun Valley Center. For an even more in-depth look at the center’s exhibits, consider joining one of the Thursday evening exhibition tours, where curators discuss particular artworks in detail; these tours begin at 5:30 PM, are informal, and open to the public, including a glass of wine.
The Sun Valley Center is also behind the annual Arts and Crafts Festival, a popular outdoor community event that takes over the valley in mid-August.
However, the arts center is just one of many venues for fine arts in the area. Ketchum’s compact downtown is known for its distinctly cinematic, ‘Olde West’ feel, but in between (or sometimes inside) the beautifully weathered storefronts, you’ll find galleries showcasing everything from modernist paintings to sculpture and photography. One notable gallery is Friesen Gallery, which boasts a 30-year history of top-quality exhibitions featuring contemporary art in painting, sculpture, and glass. Exhibitions change monthly, with an opening reception at the beginning of each new show. Importantly, not all the art in town is highbrow. Just outside the Friesen’s front door, there’s a yard full of quirky antiques and metal sculptures well worth exploring. If the adjoining antique store is open, definitely pop in.
Another excellent choice for fine-art browsing is Gilman Contemporary, frequently voted ‘Best in the Valley,’ showcasing seasonally changing displays of painting, sculpture, and photography. Furthermore, sculpture enthusiasts shouldn’t miss the Gail Severn Gallery. Look for the large glass doors adorned with various stone and bronze figures out front. The building is expansive, featuring four distinct exhibition spaces and a two-acre outdoor sculpture garden nearby. The gallery hosts ambitious exhibits of contemporary painting, sculpture, and installations each month, with a strong history of showcasing work by female artists—including Alyssa Monks, whose paintings are featured in the final season of the FX show The Americans.
Festivals
For something a little different, check out the Trailing of the Sheep festival, held each fall in Ketchum for over 20 years. When was the last time you saw 1500 sheep strolling along Main Street? The parade and surrounding festival celebrate the sheep’s annual migration to winter pastures, highlighting the area’s long tradition of sheep ranching. Activities include sheep-shearing demonstrations, sheepdog championship trials, wool spinning and felting classes, craft vendors, live music, dance performances, and of course, a variety of delicious dishes made with lamb.
Another fun celebration of the area’s history and heritage is the annual Wagon Days festival, which culminates in one of the country’s largest non-motorized parades. Expect to see wagons, cowboys on horseback, marching bands, and Basque dancers making their way along Main Street, followed by a party in Town Square featuring live music, cowboy poetry, arts and crafts, and plenty of food.
Live Music
Taking advantage of Sun Valley’s picturesque setting, one of its best cultural venues is outdoors. The Sun Valley Pavilion and Lawn, located at Sun Valley Resort, hosts various events and performances year-round. The pavilion features a permanent tent seating 1600 guests, with additional seating on the surrounding lawn, where the slight bowl shape of the meadow creates a natural amphitheater. It serves as the main venue for the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, which has given free concerts for over 30 years. Notably, it is also where you can attend performances by the Sun Valley Opera, along with numerous live music acts throughout the summer, from Mary Chapin Carpenter to Citizen Cope. Furthermore, the pavilion is the primary stage for readings and panel discussions during the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference, attracting hundreds of literary enthusiasts to the valley each year.
While the pavilion is impressive, it’s only one of several fantastic music venues in the valley. On Tuesday nights from mid-June to mid-August, the ‘Ketch’em Alive’ series brings free live shows to Forest Service Park (7-9 PM). Summer concerts are also held regularly at River Run Lodge, located at the base of the Bald Mountain ski hill. Regular shows also take place at Whiskey Jacques, Ketchum’s liveliest pub, and at the Hot Water Inn, the area’s only hostel (usually free or with a $5 cover charge). Keep an eye out for the upcoming Argyros Performing Arts Center, opening in November.
Astro-tourism
One of the more fascinating features of this part of the United States has only recently gained widespread appreciation: darkness. That’s right—Central Idaho is the first region in the US to earn the designation of a Dark Sky Reserve (with Ketchum recognized as a Dark Sky Community), making it one of the few areas in the country where there is very little interference from light pollution in the night sky. This environment is ideal for stargazing and night photography, consequently becoming a prime destination for what’s referred to as ‘astro-tourism’. You can pick up a star map and head out to the pavilion lawn to hunt for constellations or check out the schedule of events on the visitor center website for periodic educational programs about the stars.
