Laura Durham works for KUED Channel-7 in the Creative Services Department, curating community engagement projects for both PBS and KUED productions that foster trust and value to the communities in Utah. She also produces Contact with Mary Dickson and Contact in the Community — a digital series featuring arts and culture groups in Utah. Prior to her work at KUED, Laura spent 15 years at the Utah Division of Arts & Museums in the visual arts program and later managing communications, branding, marketing, and public value projects for all arts and museums programming. She has served the Utah community in various capacities with her role as Vice President of the Salt Lake Gallery Association and Program Director for the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll. She lives in Salt Lake City, sings with Utah Chamber Artists, and loves to contribute to 15 Bytes as often as time allows.
photos by Tami Baum Walking into Paul Stout’s studio at the University of Utah, where he works as an assistant professor, is almost like walking into a metal shop. His shelves consist of toolboxes full of screws, nuts, bolts and connectors. Colorful electrical wires sit on the ground […]
photos by Manju Varghese Dangerously conservative. That is a criticism Utah artist Madison Smith received in graduate school from a professor on his final review committee at the San Francisco Art Institute. Although he doesn’t seem phased by it, it is a comment he will never forget. Smith […]
Michael Berry Gallery hasn’t always been a gallery. In fact, two years ago, Berry’s framing business took place in a small 600 square foot room in the back of his, now 2500 square foot operation on 754 E. South Temple. When the floral shop that previously occupied the […]
Organization Profile: Salt Lake City Painters6 by Laura Durham What do you get when you bring together a child pathologist, a nurse, a teacher, a business owner and an intellectual property attorney? An artist group, of course. These individuals are all members of an artist support group called […]
All artists have different ways of mark-making. Whether with a brush, pen, charcoal, palette knife, or stick, the artist adds a personal touch, making the work their own. For some it is what distinguishes them – sometimes it is what defines them. Van Gogh is known for fluid […]
Over the past year, I received several invitations from BYU art professor Joseph Ostraff to tag along with eleven students on a field study project in New Zealand. Five days before the plane took off, I finally decided to go. I was a little hesitant to accept the […]
photos by Steve Coray “Every school would have a public art piece…every rest area would have temporary public art installations…” These are just a couple of ambitions Jim Glenn has for public art in Utah. For the past six years, Glenn has held the position of Public Art […]
photos by Steve Coray Ever since she can remember, Lori Nelson has called herself an artist. Growing up in a small orchard town, her artistic influences were limited, but her first trip to Spain as a foreign exchange student opened her eyes to a world of art. She became […]
photos by Steve Coray When artists from other countries work in Utah (which, despite some protests to the contrary, is hardly a melting pot) they are often labeled as a pure product of their country. Viewers automatically look to see clear evidence of that in their work. Some […]
A politely put, “good luck” followed by a short little laugh is probably one of the nicer responses you’ll receive after telling someone about your big plans of opening an art gallery. Just like artists, galleries have a difficult time attracting and maintaining a clientele in a smaller […]
In 1962, Brigham Young University recruited Robert Marshall as their football team’s quarterback. Forty-one years later, he’s still at B.Y.U.– only now, he teaches painting. Art was the furthest thing from Marshall’s mind when he came to Provo as a freshman. His plan was to graduate from college […]
When it comes to promoting the arts in Utah, visual artists often feel the media does not give enough attention to the ever-growing artist population and the events they try to promote. Sometimes it seems performing arts organizations such as the Utah Symphony/Opera, Ballet West and even University […]
I have visited many artists’ studios, but none that made me smile as much as Ben Behunin’s. Behunin, born and raised in Salt Lake City, has been working in ceramics full time for the past seven years. In addition to his artistic career, Behunin presides over Clay Arts, […]
Utah may not have art auction houses, but charity auctions are emerging as more and more non-profit organizations use them for fundraising. Ideally, those administering the auctions would ask the wealthy and the collector to donate artwork. Ironically, they more often turn to you, the artist, whose […]
There are few competitions like it in Utah: Your reputation is irrelevant. Your resume is immaterial. There is no entry fee. Any Utahn 18 years or older has a fair chance. First-time applicants may get juried in; strong, well-known artists may get juried out. The artwork must stand […]
