Here’s my weekly look at what’s happening in Kayenta, the red-rock arts neighborhood on the west side of Ivins, for Thursday, November 12 through Wednesday, November 18, 2026. It’s a lighter week on the calendar, but the one big night is a good one: a brand-new multimedia concert about the 1776 Domínguez-Escalante expedition on Saturday. Everything below comes from each organizer’s own listing, and plans can change, so please check with the organizer before you head out.
Thursday through Saturday
Thursday to Saturday, November 12 to 14: Loose Realism oil painting workshop
MakeSpace Kayenta, at 918 Art Village Way, is hosting Oregon painter Sarah Sedwick for a three-day still life workshop running 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM each day, November 12, 13 and 14. The class works through Sarah’s step-by-step alla prima method, starting with black-and-white studies and building to a finished full-color still life, and MakeSpace says all levels are welcome. The listed cost is $650. Since it starts today, call or check the page if you were hoping for a last-minute spot. Workshop details from MakeSpace Kayenta.
Saturday, November 14: Almost All to the West
The Center for the Arts at Kayenta presents Almost All to the West at 7:30 PM (the listing shows it ending around 9:00 PM). It’s a new concert that tells the story of two Franciscan friars who left Santa Fe in 1776 looking for a route to California, using original music by composer Steven Ricks, words by Stephen Tuttle and projected video by Brent Barson. Grand Circle New Music performs with guest conductor Nathan Haines and guest narrator Sam Payne. Tickets are listed at $12 to $40. It’s a fitting follow-up to last week’s Voyager Lecture on the same expedition, and I wrote a full preview in Almost All to the West at Kayenta. Event details and tickets from Kayenta Arts.
Outdoors near Kayenta this week
Snow Canyon State Park is right next door, and there are a few things worth knowing. Utah State Parks says the Follow the Flag display hangs in the park through November 14 for Veterans Day week. On Saturday, November 14, Snow Canyon Drive through the park and the paved Whiptail Trail will be closed from 7 a.m. to noon for the Snow Canyon Half Marathon and 10K, so plan an afternoon visit that day. Details are on the Utah State Parks Snow Canyon page.
For a quiet night, St. George News reported that the Leonid meteor shower should be most visible November 17 to 18, and Snow Canyon is an Urban Night Sky Place. I rounded up the park’s other November programs in Snow Canyon in November.
Any day this week in Kayenta
Stop in at Xetava Gardens Cafe, 815 Coyote Gulch Court, which lists hours of 11 AM to 8 PM Monday through Friday and 10 AM to 8 PM on weekends, with brunch from 10:00 to 3:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Afterward, take a slow walk through the Desert Rose Labyrinth, which the Kayenta community site describes as free and open to the public every day. Cool fall afternoons are perfect for it.
Looking ahead
MakeSpace Kayenta lists two classes on Thursday, November 19: The Layered Page: Transforming Books Through Mixed-Media Art from 10 AM to 3 PM and Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments from 5 to 7 PM. First Fridays at Kayenta returns on December 4. See everything on the Kayenta Arts calendar, the MakeSpace Kayenta class list or my Southern Utah events calendar.
Living in Kayenta
A performing arts center, galleries, working studios, a café and desert trails, all within a few minutes’ walk: that’s everyday life in Kayenta. If you’re thinking about making it home, browse Kayenta homes for sale, look at Ivins homes for sale, or start at the OwnUtah.com homepage.
More from the OwnUtah Journal
- Happenings in Kayenta: November 5 to 11, 2026
- Almost All to the West at the Center for the Arts at Kayenta
- This Week at Black Desert Resort: November 11 to 17, 2026
This roundup is an independent community calendar summary based on organizers’ public listings. Times, prices and availability can change, so please confirm with each organizer before you go.
See you around Kayenta!
Robert Bolar
REALTOR®, Summit Sotheby’s International Realty
801-737-3333 · Robert@OwnUtah.com