by Kent Rigby

Emerging artists, particularly in the literary world, are sometimes referred to as “young lions,” an appropriate term, given their youthful strength, singleness of purpose and ravenous appetites. Such traits can be equated with young lions out on the prowl, looking for their first “kill.” Young art lions are out looking for their first featured artist show and first major sale. Breaking into the retail art world and gaining gallery representation is their prey. Like young lions, they go hungry sometimes, do a lot of wandering, and often get “thorns” in their feet.

The reality of the commercial art world is that retail galleries are not set up to accommodate the young lions. Commercial retail galleries survive by sales, and young lions are a big risk, as they have no history of “kills”. Once in a while, the young lions get lucky and find a gallery that is sympathetic to their plight.

The UNKnown Gallery was just such a gallery. It was established specifically for young lions, by young lions. Unfortunately, as many of you now know, UNKnown Gallery closed at the end of June. The closing of this alternative gallery represents yet another loss in a long line of closed Salt Lake alternative galleries. Many mainstream commercial galleries have opened and closed in the last few years as well. Chroma Gallery closed at the end of July.

This leads one to the question “What’s going on in Salt Lake City that makes fine art such a hard sale?”

I remember a story Tony Smith (F. Anthony Smith) told his class of freshmen art students at the University of Utah back in the early ‘70’s. Tony said that Brigham sent a group of Mormon artists to Paris to study art and they all came back painting nudes and abstracts. Brigham reportedly said, “No more support for visual art.” After that edict, all of the cultural emphasis was turned toward the performing arts. It is still very evident today that the primary local cultural interest is in the performing arts. That’s where the greatest public interest seems to be and that’s where the lion’s share of the available art dollars goes.

When the now-closed E Street Gallery was getting ready to open, owner Sandra Jensen did a marketing and demographics study that indicated only 1 ½% of Salt Lake area residents purchase original artwork. Sandra went ahead and opened E Street Gallery and hung on for almost 10 years before the struggle became too wearing. That 1 ½% figure pretty much tells the whole story. The average person around here just does not support fine art with retail purchases. Many people enjoy the monthly Gallery Stroll, but they are like window shoppers, they look but don’t buy. At Left Bank Gallery we used to call them “Salt Lookers,” instead of “Salt Lakers”.

Dolores Chase told me that Chase Fine Art did not show a profit for the first 10 years. Left Bank Gallery, started as an alternative gallery by Dolores in 1993, held on by its fingernails for 10 years before going nonprofit as New Visions Gallery and then closed two years later. Same old story.

Jeremy Herridge, one of the co-owners of the UNKnown Gallery, related to this reporter some of the issues associated with the closing of UNKnown.

Why wasn’t the gallery financially viable?

“This is a tough one! We went in to it knowing we would never be millionaires running an art gallery, but we had a lot for karma and love. There are a lot of factors to be considered here. We sold a few hundred pieces of original artwork while our doors were open, so we were moving a lot of artwork, but not for big-ticket prices. Also, I would have to say that the economy had a huge impact on the financial aspects of art sales. It is hard to go out and buy a piece of artwork that you really like, if you are living paycheck to paycheck. The local real-estate market is also a factor that affects all galleries. It is hard to be in a location that is “good” without paying a pretty penny. To sum it all up, it maybe wasn’t the right time and place for a gallery like ours.”

Could something similar be done again and made to work?

“I hope so! I really hope that both the Kayo [closing this month] and the UNKnown gallery will inspire younger people to remain active in the art world and to take control of their art and the venues that show it. I will be the first to say that our ideas were never completely original and had been done one way other before. But we repackaged them for our generation and I hope that future generations do the same.”

What has the community lost?

“Without sounding cocky, I would say “diversity”. It was told to me time and time again how the UNKnown was exactly what Salt Lake needed. A place with diversity amongst the artwork, the patrons, and the “norm.” People always compared us to galleries in metropolitan cities like New York, and LA, not Salt Lake. We embraced people from all walks of life and all backgrounds and gave them a place to view and display something different. Salt Lake is an amazing place, but there needs to be more freshness and diversity, which I hope will continue with the next generation of citizens.”

What will the impact on the young, emerging artists be?

“Closing of the UNKnown and Kayo Galleries will/has had an effect on emerging artists. Artists young and old are always inspired by looking at work by their peers. It is a crucial part of art and artists and the interaction between. So many times I heard people say how “refreshing and inspiring” it was for them to visit the Unknown gallery. Many “established artists” saw it a way to let down their guard and revert back to their primordial roots of artistic making. At the same time the gallery was an aspiring goal for the young rising and unknown artists to be a part of something they looked up to and set goal to be a part of it. We at the Unknown always wanted to include and help out many artists, on all levels, have their work be seen by the public.

Still reeling from the closing of UNKnown, the area’s emerging artists received further disappointment with the news that Kayo Gallery is closing after their current show. Kayo Gallery has been operating since the beginning of 2005. Created by Kenny Riches, it combined a frame shop, gallery space and artist studios in the heart of Salt Lake and showed art by emerging artists. Though the gallery is closing, the vision of its creator will still be felt in Salt Lake City. Kristina Robb and partner Brandon Garcia, owners of The Pickle Company, an alternative multidisciplinary arts center located at the historic Utah Pickle Co. building, 741 S. 400 West, report that Kenny Riches will be doing a six-month residence as a Guest Curator at the Pickle Company.

With the recent closings of Kayo and Unknown, the young art lions might be asking,“Where are we to go now?”

There are some very excellent not-for-profit galleries that accept annual applications for fine art exhibits: the Utah Arts Council’s Rio Gallery, Salt Lake Arts Council’s Finch Lane Art Barn Gallery, the Salt Lake Art Center, and Art Access Gallery. Check those organizations’ web sites for more information. Laura Durham at the Utah Arts Council’s Artist Resource Center can help artists find alternative venues, exhibits and competitions, nationwide.

The Utah Arts Alliance, 2191 S. 300 West, is diligently working to expand their visual art programs, increasing artist studio space and establishing an annual exhibition schedule. At least six months of the schedule will be dedicated to local artist proposed exhibits as well as several theme shows specifically for local emerging artists. Contact Derek Dyer at 651-3937, or e-mail utahartsalliance@yahoo.com.

Contemporary Design and Art Gallery, 30 E. Broadway, #105, owner Michael Melik is very sympathetic to emerging artists and has made a public call for emerging artists’ works. Contact Michael at 364-0200, or e-mail, dagl1001@qwest.net.

Local Colors Artworks, at Trolley Square, is an artist’s co-op that provides sales opportunity for emerging artists. 531-6966.

Mary Pierson at Magpie’s Nest Gallery, I Street and First Avenue, 363-7764, provides opportunities for emerging artists to exhibit.

Patrick Moore Gallery, 511 W. 200 South, is a great place to exhibit and owner Patrick Hoagland is a strong supporter of emerging artists. Contact Patrick at 521-5999.

Utah Artist Hands, 61 W. 100 South, caters to Utah artists. Call Pam at 355-0206.

Wasatch Frame Shop, 1940 S. 1100 East, has an emerging artist exhibit program. Call owner Bill Barron at 485-1353.

3W Gallery at W Communications, 159 W. Broadway, #200, hosts monthly featured-artist exhibits for emerging and established artists.

Ken Sanders Rare Books, 268 S. 200 East produces six-eight visual art exhibits annually, contact Ken at 521-3819.

Rose Wagner Art Gallery at the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts, 138 W. Broadway, provides gallery space for emerging and established artists. Call 468-3517 or 323-4228.

Visage Salon Studios, 2006 S. 900 East, hosts monthly emerging artist exhibits and is open for the monthly Gallery Stroll. Contact Kacie Hersch at 328-0069.

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.