When asked about artistic influence, Courtney Derrick doesn’t turn to the history books or international art stars, but to someone closer to home: Randall Lake. After earning her BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Utah in 2002, Derrick left the state and worked for a […]
In The Second Sex, her indispensable survey of the status of women, Simone de Beauvoir dispenses with the romantic notion that once upon a time women ruled the world, pointing out that men were always larger and stronger, and a less civilized time in history than ours was […]
Once confronted with the name “Copper Ouroboros,” many might think of a serpent swallowing its tail, or a never-ending cycle, a symbol of infinity. But for others, copper evokes something different: a utilitarian resource, essential yet often overlooked, a material tied to industry, infrastructure, and, crucially, environmental consequence. […]
For much of its history, and even today in many places, art has been considered a craft and not a profession. Now, our artists are required to provide themselves with the benchmarks of professional status. One of the details in such an artist’s resumé is where the individual […]
The Southern Utah Museum of Art’s Salt Lines exhibition places the fragile state of Great Salt Lake at its center, not through advocacy or policy-driven rhetoric, but through poetic, immersive, and deeply sensory works that settle into the mind like salt into the seams of everyday life. If […]
For Vanessa Romo, art is more than a discipline or a profession; it is a way to navigate and understand the complexities of life. Her inspirations—Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, and Maryann Webster—act as pillars that inform her artistic practice, influencing both her subject matter and her approach to […]
Clay is elemental. Ancient. Intimately connected with humanity’s development. It is the stuff of creation myths, from Mesopotamian to Mesoamerican. Gods mold clay and animate it with the breath of life. Meaghan Gates’ sculptures seem to embrace this lineage, embodying a vitality that makes them feel like living, […]
2/5 SLUGMAG: “Where Art and Community Meet”: The Curatorial Ethos of Michelle Pace Art is a very vulnerable gift,” says Michelle Pace, artist and curator of the Urban Arts Gallery’s 2025 exhibition Shades of Expression. “Art comes with judgement and opinion: positive, negative, whatever.” For Pace, an artist, […]
Once known for its dazzling array of neon signage, State Street played a defining role in shaping Salt Lake City’s urban identity. In a nod to that legacy, artists Alexander Billany, Verónica Pérez, Chuck Landvatter, Emma Ryder, Liz Shattler, Valerie Jar, Kalani Tonga, and Ryan Perkins have created […]
The late novelist and essayist Martin Amis called it “The War Against Cliché.” Visual artists don’t talk about it so much, but particularly in Contemporary Art there’s been a move away from the predictable format of years past, though by no means has that familiar version disappeared. Yet […]
For Laurie Lisonbee, art is a meditative, almost metaphysical process. “Art is a fascinating search for something that is coming into consciousness and making itself known,” she explains. “The process of artmaking then gives physicality to what was formerly intangible and unknown.” Her paintings combine traditional realism with […]
One of the rarest and yet most compelling phases in an artist’s career is the time when she emerges like the universe from the chaos of limitless possibilities and begins to find her best direction forward: the work that will fulfill her potential. Antra Sinha has been working […]
“I was almost 30 when I started my bachelor’s degree at Weber State,” recalls Amber Peck. Having stepped away from college years earlier to raise her growing family, Peck found herself deeply immersed in the complexities of motherhood. “I was depressed, and I needed something for me. So, […]
Regular visitors to Phillips Gallery will be familiar with the work of Mark Knudsen, whose paintings of what he has called “the new West” have been a regular presence in its exhibitions for several years. Knudsen’s style—rooted in his years as a designer and illustrator for The Salt […]
The 2025 session of the Utah Legislature opened last week. While every legislative session holds significance for Utah’s art community (see Utah Cultural Alliance’s priorities for the current session here), none may have been as important as the session held 126 years ago, the state’s third, which created […]
There’s a nifty bit of architectural symbolism going down at the Bountiful-Davis Art Center this month. Around the periphery of the building’s main space, three separate artists have set up works that address the ever-present dilemma of how a society feeds its members. What’s in the middle, instead […]
At the end of 2024, V. Kim Martinez finished a four-year tenure as chair of the Department of Art and Art History. She begins the new year on sabbatical, preparing for a two-month residency in a recently devastated Los Angeles. Martinez is an artist and educator whose work […]
Looking to break down barriers of entry into the art world, specifically in the alternative processes of film photography, a trio of Salt Lake City photographers has turned their workspace at Art Space Commons into a community darkroom. With The Red Room, Jillian Meyer, Sarah Taylor and Angelique […]
Eduardo Alvarez, a Chilean-American artist based in Provo, Utah, studied Fine Arts at Universidad Católica de Chile under Josef Albers’ pupils. Influenced by his global upbringing and Chile’s military regime, his art explores truth and perception. Through dynamic textures, cracks, and colors, Alvarez creates works that balance matter, content, and light. Guided by Christian values, his art invites introspection, encouraging viewers to appreciate beauty, embrace life’s moments, and reflect on the nature of reality.
To discover more artists, visit our Utah Artists Directory
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