Coming from the San Francisco bay area with fifteen years of art experience under her belt, Julie Nester easily saw a niche to fill in Park City when she moved here in April of 2004. Nester wanted to represent artists from major art markets with styles that were both new and interesting, providing Park City with “art that is unusual yet accessible”
Moving from California to Park City to start the gallery was a natural step for Nester. Her husband Doug is originally from Utah, and has always felt it a great environment to raise their children, while enjoying the outdoor lifestyle. Employment at both the Dolby Chadwick and the Andrea Schwartz galleries, along with private art consulting, and her bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, prepared Nester for her venture here in Utah.
For her Park City space, Nester desired an open gallery that allowed the viewer to enjoy the contemporary art without distraction. Nester explored different venues along Main Street, but found the areas to be small and the rent extremely high. But in the Iron Horse District, which is located North of Main Street, Nester found a warehouse closely located to restaurants, easily-accessible, and with plenty of parking. She envisioned this building of cinderblocks to be a spacious and modern gallery. Nester renovated by tearing out the low ceilings, raising them to 18 feet, installing lighting, replacing the floors, and painting the walls to create an ideal display area.
Walking through the gallery one sees an eclectic mix of styles, media, and sizes. “Our art encompasses a diversity of styles from landscapes to lyrical abstract,” say Nester. The gallery opened in December 2004 with a goal of showcasing the work of emerging and mid-career artists who had not had previous gallery representation in Utah. Nester originally opened with the work of fifteen artists primarily from the San Francisco Bay Area. In the past year, Julie Nester Gallery has doubled its artist roster bringing in additional artists from San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Korea, and Santa Fe.
Response to the gallery over the past fourteen months has been very positive. “It’s been unbelievable the response we have had from just word-of-mouth,” Nester says. Part of this response was in 2005 when Salt Lake Magazine named Julie Nester Gallery the “best gallery in Utah.”
Shows at the gallery rotate on a monthly basis, featuring both solo and group shows. In March, Donna Mintz will be the featured solo artist. Mintz uses oil alkyd, dry pigment, and plaster on board, along with other various materials to create each piece. Her images of ferns, skies, and objects seem to tell a story. Mintz describes her work “The carefully chosen color and distillation of detail specifies a feeling but not necessarily a place. I paint from the written word and never from the literal image. A scene is always a remembered scene – what is left out is often as telling as what is included.” The opening reception for Donna Mintz will be Friday, March 3rd from 5:30-8:00pm. The show runs through March 26th.
After Donna Mintz’s show in March, Christopher Terry will be featured in April. Terry is originally from Utah but now resides in Philadelphia. His work consists of still life subject matter using oil, gouache, and mixed media. The artist considers his paintings to be “representational, but attempt[s] to avoid describing the kind of detail that would make the images seem “real”.” He focuses on the use of “light, its intensity, direction, and tonality.”
The Julie Nester Gallery succeeds in providing a taste of diverse and unique art. One will not be disappointed in the wide variety of styles, media, and subject matter. It’s the perfect place for both artists and clients searching for a contemporary gallery in the Park City area.
Gallery Hours are Tuesday-Friday 10-5pm, Saturday 11-4pm, and anytime by appointment. Julie Nester Gallery is located at1755 B. Bonanza Dr. Park City, Utah (next to the Windy Ridge Bakery).
Emily Chaney, after graduating in 2002 from the University of Utah with a Fine Arts degree, began writing for 15 Bytes as a way to stay connected to the Utah arts community. She is now the Gallery Manager for the Terzian Galleries on Park City’s Main Street.
Categories: Gallery Spotlights | Visual Arts