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1. Weak selection , very predictable Utah.

   Predominately representational , unbalanced gender consideration.

   Lacking variety and diversity.

   Some of these ‘ selected artists ‘ are over 35, and in addition some don’t even live here locally.

   Most are allready established and not needing this recognition.

   Very well done representing an accurate depiction of Utah’s Art Scene. ( Slow Clap )

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2. Art Dodger,

   As the literary editor of 15 Bytes I feel impelled to respond to your blunt, critical comments about the selection of artists for 35×35. While I’m not a visual artist and can’t speak to your aesthetic paradigm when it comes to vetting artists, I can say that in my experience with Artists of Utah/15 Bytes for the past 4 years, that many artist-readers of the community forum are quick to judge. We are a community forum. For the most part, writers are not paid for what they contribute. In many ways, 15 Bytes’s scope and penetrating coverage of the arts in Utah is extraordinary both because and in spite of this. I would suggest that if you feel as passionately about art in Utah as you’ve expressed here, that you volunteer yourself to help make, not only 35×35 a better program, but to make the larger enterprise of Artists of Utah sustainable. If you haven’t made a donation, that might be a good start. But more importantly, I hope you’ll remember that, while we don’t always get it “right” in your view, that that should be seen as an invitation to you and others to contribute. We would love to have your help, as well as your critical review of us.

   Best,
   David Pace

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3. Why are you running letters from fictitious people (Art Dodger?) about a recognized art show that seems to be well-received, serves a purpose and that I enjoyed (for the most part) last time I saw it. It was certainly crowded at the Art Barn and most viewers were excited by what they saw at the opening. Oh well.

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4. We’re finishing hanging the show today and tomorrow, and now that the work has been delivered it seemed appropriate to respond. From still lifes inspired by Dutch masters to video and sound work exploring communication breakdowns, from a wall of paintings of vaginas to narrative illustrations about a single mother and her young daughter, we think there’s plenty of variety in the show – and yet there have been numerous interesting connections between various works as we’ve hung the show and talked to the artists.

   Jurors selected the artists for this show based on five images and an artist statement. The artist’s name, bio and headshot were not included in the jury process. The whole point of a blind selection process is to remove consideration of such things as gender or race, so there was not an attempt to create gender balance in this selection process, nor give consideration to ethnic background. That being said, the gender balance of this show seems to be fairly representative, with 37% male and 63% female (while enrollment in or graduation from a college or university program was not a prerequisite for admission in this show — in fact, was not considered in the selection process— we note that according to Fortune magazine, schools that specialize in the arts are 64% female and 36% male). And while all the artists reside at least part time in Utah, we were pleasantly surprised by the variety of backgrounds — from artists with pioneer heritage to those with roots in Iran, Mexico and Hawaii. And the artists represent various artistic communities throughout the state, from Cache County to Washington.

   From our own coverage in the past, one could say that a third of these names are established, a third emerging, and a third probably unknown in the state.

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