Doug Caputo lives in a small town about 20 miles north of Kayenta called Central. He co-founded the Space Between Theater in St. George and worked as its Artistic Director. He is currently a freelance actor, director and acting teacher working in Kayenta. 

 What is your favorite building in Utah?

 I loved the Hotel Utah. My grandparents’ 50th anniversary was there. They’re immigrants from Italy and I was just a tiny little kid, but I remember it being so grand and majestic. As crazy as it may sound I love the Leonardo – the old Library. That’s one thing I miss while living in Southern Utah – we have a couple of nice Pioneer buildings, but I love the old industrial or turn-of the century stuff.

 What hangs above your mantel?

Windows. We literally live up in the mountains right on the edge of Dixie National Forest. KUER actually is coming to my house next week because they want to find out about people who live on the fringes. The best view is to look out my front window where I can see over Pine Valley and look at beautiful green mountains. My girlfriend’s brothers are artists and so we have some photographs and paintings in the house. Also a good friend of mine is a Paiute and he’ll give me some stuff. I don’t know, it’s an ever changing thing depending on what kind of mood we’re in.

 Was there a piece of artwork in your house growing up that you still remember?

When I was little I used to visit my great-grandfather’s house near the Fairgrounds. He was an engineer and he worked on the railroad. He had a wood shop out in the back of his house and he would go out there and build wood screen doors from scratch. He had all these really cool hand tools. When I think about art I think about the craftsman side of it. And I think that’s why I love these really old buildings. I can’t think about art without thinking about running my fingers over it. It’s a tactile experience to me. Some of the things I marvel at most are the things we encounter every day. I really find design and craftsmanship appealing as far as the arts go.

15 Bytes

UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.