Laura Durham is the Director of Programming and Engagement for PBS Utah. She curates projects and plans events that utilize local and national media to provide entertainment and meaningful dialogue beyond broadcast. Prior to PBS Utah, Laura worked at the Division of Arts & Museums for 15 years, served as Vice President of the Salt Lake Gallery Association, Program Director for the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll, and was a board member for the Utah Cultural Alliance.
“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” — T.S. Eliot Most of us remember studying poetry in grade school. Poetry taught us about language, rhythm imagery and symbolism. Many of us were too young to truly understand what the poet was communicating, but nevertheless, we read […]
Rounding Out Your Paideia In ancient Greece, the “paideia” was the aristocratic system of education. It wasn’t about learning a trade or an art; it was about training a person for liberty and nobility. Paideia was the process of educating humans into their true form. You are probably […]
As it is now, downtown SLC’s Fourth South is better known for its automobile traffic than its foot traffic; but as more local restaurants, clubs and galleries open for business along the thoroughfare, certain pockets may become just as congested with pedestrians. The busy stretch between State and […]
Quick, tell me three things you know about Igor Stravinsky… I’ll tell you what, come back after Jason Hardink’s lecture on Tuesday to answer that question. I guarantee you’ll have more interesting answers. According to Stravinsky, “The trouble with music appreciation in general is that people are taught […]
What started out as a “Livingroom” in Holladay is now a “House” along 400 South in the former L. Lorenz Knife Shop. Although the House Gallery has only occupied its current space for a few months, owner Julie Dunker celebrated the gallery’s one year anniversary in October. As […]
It’s time again for the Utah Arts Council’s Statewide Annual Exhibition. Which means we have a lot of work by artists across the entire state not accepted into the show that will need to be picked up by its owner. Undoubtedly only about half those artists will bother […]
The performing arts have always enjoyed a strong presence in Utah. We see this with the Utah Symphony, Ballet West, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The visual arts are just as prevalent, but maybe not as visible. Yet visual artists have a way of banding together and breaking […]
It’s hard to find a frame shop around town that doesn’t secretly want to be a gallery. They may start off with the intention of simply framing art, but somehow, whether through the relationship with their artist clientele or their own passion for art, hosting exhibitions becomes an […]
In our December 2009 edition of 15 Bytes Laura Durham profiles sculptor and installation artist Jen Harmon Allen.
David Letterman once said if it weren’t for all the coffee he drank, he’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever. When your identity depends on the coffee you drink, coffee suddenly means more than a simple jump start to your system – and where you get your coffee becomes […]
photos by Fabiola Labra David Letterman once said if it weren’t for all the coffee he drank, he’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever. When your identity depends on the coffee you drink, coffee suddenly means more than a simple jump-start to your system – and where you get […]
When Brent Hulme opened the SLC Bicycle Companyin the old Stratford Hotel on “Second and Second,” he did some research on the building’s history. He was excited to find old photographs (thanks to the Historical Society) and framed them for the store’s walls. It wasn’t long before he took […]
Along the busy street of 4500 South sits a quaint white house. Since 1884, this historic home has housed multiple occupants; the first being one of Edward Pugh’s multiple wives. It is now a multiuse building and currently the show room for multitalented artists. Sonata Gallery’s motivation for choosing […]
photos by Lisa Trent The holidays are already in full swing at Every Blooming Thing, a shop that not only boasts unique gifts and artistic floral arrangements, but has a respectable inventory of original paintings as well. They feature artists: such as Aaron Stills, Steve Lawrence Peterson, Colleen Howe, […]
“What a difference good art makes!” exclaimed homeowner Kristy Blair as she watched Cordell Taylor hang several paintings on the walls in her Federal Heights home. Kristy Blair is not only a homeowner, but a real estate agent for Summit Sotheby’s International Real Estate. Sotheby’s recently joined the Salt […]
If you’re already planning on attending the Utah Arts Festival at Library Square later this month, you’re in for a treat. And if you’re still debating, you may want to make up your mind to go – and when you do, consider being there Thursday night. Pop Plastiques at […]
When I asked photographer Chris Dunker to define “fine art photography” for me, he answered, “A photograph is fine art when it is made with the sole intention of a self-expression; not for money or client but because the artist is motivated and driven by the image.” As […]
Six months ago, business partners Tara Southard and Amanda Lumdahl opened the doors joining their salon, Dexterity, and their new project: Caffe Niche. Formerly Grunts and Postures, Caffe Niche is located on 779 East and 300 South. Just like the salon with which it shares a wall, the contemporary […]
