Just like wild animals, artists travel in packs. Pierpont Avenue is a great example of that fact — Pierpont is lined with studios of very talented artists. It’s that fact that makes it a must stop on Gallery Stroll.

Gallery Stroll is the third Friday of every month. On that evening Pierpont Avenue (located between third and fourth west and second and third south) lights up and the street fills with people admiring the local art. Art Access a VSA property specializes in artwork from local disabled artists. Art Access Two is also a division of VSA and they specialize in the work of young disabled artists.

Walk of Shame Studio is also located on Pierpont. A new studio and gallery space, they have made a bit hit on the gallery stroll scene in the past year and a half. Spy Hop Productions is a work space for children ages eight to fifteen that are tapping into their talent as young animators and filmmakers. Diane Haas’s Ceramic Studio has something for every occasion from Christmas to Halloween. Diane also teaches ceramics classes if you want to try out your ceramic talents. Display is a working print studio that also displays local art on Gallery Stroll.

The people of this neighborhood have come together to celebrate their talents and share it with the masses. They have recently inspired the residents of nearby Bridges Project to get involved in their own art community. The Bridge Project is a division of Artspace, the vision of Steven Goldsmith, who wanted to promote the idea of affordable living and work spaces for artists. While Goldsmith is no longer affiliated with Artspace, it continues to place artists in a kind of petri dish, to help new artists flourish and grow in the art community.

The Bridge Project, just a baby compared to the other projects, has taken on the responsibility of an Artspace property. There you can find a new gallery space for resident and nonresident artists, a new coffee shop dedicated to displaying Latin American artists and a salon decorating it walls with local art. The Bridge project is following Pierpont Avenue as a center for art and the Gallery Stroll.

Come see the changes being made to our city and the new spaces being dedicated to art. The Bridge Project is located at 200 South and 510 West, just a short walk from Pierpont Avenue. Galleries are open on Gallery Stroll from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. or you can call the gallery for an appointment during regular office hours. Currently, a call for entries is being taken at the Bridges Art Gallery for the month of September. More gallery exhibition specifics next time. SUPPORT LOCAL ART!!!!!

Mariah Mann

For many years, Mariah Mann Mellus was the dedicated art writer for SLUG Magazine and has also been a contributor to The New Century Collector and Artists of Utah’s 15 Bytes.