Remember when September meant writing an essay along the lines, “What I Did On My Summer Vacation”? With all their outdoor concert and festival programming, the Salt Lake Arts Council would have llittle problem filling up their assigned page and a half. They’d even be able to throw in a paragraph or two to please their art teacher. In June the Arts Council installed the newest version of Flying Objects, temporary, large-scale sculptures by local artists installed along downtown streets. For the September edition, Kelly Green brought back her shots of the new works, rounding out the photo essay with some additional public art from the downtown area. What do you think of Utah’s public art? Stop by at Rio Gallery’s current show, Placemaking, the process and influence of public art for some additional food for thought.
Check out the photo shoot in the September 2012 edition of 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.
Categories: In Plain Site
Hard to choose a favorite new “Flying Object.” I love SLC public art!
Indeed, Jo-Ann. I admire Salt Lake for creating a revolving public art show, so that no one need feel stuck with a work in public that isn’t welcome there, while the fact that even favorites will disappear, eventually, lends them a properly precious quality. In one brilliant stroke, the great flaw of public art is ameliorated and it becomes safe, even desirable, to enter the outdoors again.
I’m also partial to the choice of flight as a metaphor. Mounting the art atop poles reminds–no, invites–denizens of the urban grind to lift their eyes towards the great gifts Nature (with help from Brigham Young) gave us, and continues to give us: our spacious blue skies, stretching from the Pacific to the Rockies, and some of earth’s more dramatic mountains to lend a sense of perspective. As my spirit soars over the city in my mind, I enjoy the visual metaphors which are the responses of my fellow enthusiasts.