On the Spot
Salt Lake's Julie Dunker

Julie Dunker grew up in Ridgecrest, CA, a small town in the Mojave desert where the China Lake Naval Weapons Center developed and tested weapons during the cold war. It was there, she says, that she developed an interest in the power of language. A move to New Mexico, where she heard the sounds of Spanish, Navajo and English all around her, strengthened her understanding of the beauty of language.

As an artist, she says she documents language. "I translate language into paintings using color and texture. My paintings also have an architectural element to them because I enjoy wrestling with the idea of placing language into a context."

Today she continues to develop systems to document the languages she hears in Salt Lake City. Since 2009 she has operated House Gallery, a space that began in a living room and now occupies an exciting nook along Salt Lake's 4th South.

What is the most memorable exhibit you've seen recently?

The permanent collection of paintings at LACMA. I have seen it a million times, but last month I got to revisit it with a whole different perspective. There was a major clash of ideas being played out upon the canvases that I had never really acknowledged before. I used to see the paintings simply as an artifact of art history, but this time not only was I was seeing references to contemporary artists, but I was also seeing the transformation of paintings as belief symbols to status symbols to representations of human conquest. My friend pointed out that "The Garden of Earthly Delights" which was completed in 1490 pre-dates this whole collection of paintings yet contains all the ideas that are signified in the LACMA painting collection. And -- the evolution of depicted emotions in the paintings was staggering.

What are you reading lately?

Right now I am reading The Location of Culture by Homi Bhabha. It is a pretty interesting book about the categorization of people. I also just read a book called The Caliph's House by Tahir Shah- it was a fun book about a writer who moves his family to Morocco to remodel a spontaneous house purchase. I’m reading a lot more now that I don’t have a television.

Is there a piece of artwork in your home growing up that you remember in particular?:

There was a piece by Marta Beckett that really had an impact on my decision to investigate painting. She had painted a scene of a lady bartender waiting to serve drinks to customers at a bar. The colors were a muted green/ brown and even the red on her clothing was a little bit subdued. The painting is about 1.5 ft. high by 2 ft. wide. I always thought it strange that people didn’t just take a photograph-- I began to question the purpose of painting. The figure was looking towards something that was located off of the canvas -- and she was so still, indicated by her two hands placed symmetrically and solidly upon the bar countertop. It was as though she was solemnly waiting for something to set her into motion…

The content you see in this magazine is provided by a fluid group of volunteers whose ability with the pen or camera is matched by their curiosity and enthusiasm for Utah's art world. 15 Bytes is an open community forum. If you are interested in writing an article, or providing images for our magazine contact editor Shawn Rossiter at editor@artistsofutah.org

Simon Blundell is a Salt Lake native and has studied art, communication, journalism, design, and advertising. He has a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and continues to explore photography and art in all its aspects. He loves music, literature, film, good food, travel, and motorcycles.

Anne Cummings is co-owner of (a)perture-- a Salt Lake based creative agency, a free-lance writer, curator and photographer who has always possessed a passion for narrative photography and has focused on social commentary that reflects the human condition. Her photography has been exhibited in several group and solo shows in Salt Lake City.

Shalee Cooper is a freelance photographer and curator. She is the Image Editor of 15 Bytes Magazine and an Associate Instructor at the University of Utah.

Nan Ellin is Professor and Chair of the Department of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah where she leads the Salt Lake City Workshop, a seeding ground for placemaking and community-building. Nan serves on the Board of the Utah Center for Architecture and the Mayors’ Cultural Core Committee. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Design from Columbia University and her books include Postmodern Urbanism, Architecture of Fear, Integral Urbanism, Phx: 21st Century City, and the forthcoming Good Urbanism.

Sheryl Gillilan received her B.A. in Psychology from Lewis and Clark College, and Masters in both Social Services and Law and Social Policy from Bryn Mawr College. She is an award-winning quilt artist and the Executive Director for Art Access.

Gerry Johnson was an engineer in a past life. A former film, now digital photographer, his work over the last 3 years has been "to capture the 'moments of beauty' that surround each of us in our daily lives, and present them to the viewer in a way that they can also experience the spirit of beauty."

Alexandra Karl did a BFA in Ottawa (Canada) and then spent ten years studying art history in Europe. She worked at Munich's Lenbachhaus for five years while completing her Masters, and received her PhD in the History of Art from Cambridge. She has taught at the U, the McGillis School and Congregation Kol Ami. She has led tours to the Spiral Jetty and Frank Lloyd Wright's Stromquist House. She believes a vigorous art scene is essential to any thriving society

Dale Thompson has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College. Her writing career includes work for a local theatre, journalism in Park City, and freelance contributions for various nonprofit organizations.

Geoff Wichert has degrees in critical writing and creative nonfiction. He writes about art to settle the arguments going on in his head.