A bright spot of hope was visible on the local art scene this month with the opening of the 15th Street Gallery in Salt Lake City. Late this summer local art aficionados mourned the closing of Palmers Gallery — which had given exposure to emerging and underappreciated artists — and have waited with bated breath to see who would be next to fold under the pressure of the economic downturn. To date, however, no one else has shuttered their doors — some galleries are holding on as best they can, others are thriving and some, like Utah Artist Hands, are busy reinventing themselves (more on this later, but stop by and watch the process as it goes along). The opening of 15th Street Gallery (1515 E 1519 S; 801-468-1515) has bolstered the spirits of many, especially the artists who have found a home in its bright, open space. The Gallery held a gala reception on October 23, a glittering event packed with patrons, good food and dazzling art. The inaugural exhibit features works by Wendy Chidester, Blue Critchfield, Steve Larson, Trent Call, Dennis Smith, Chris Miles and others.

Being on the south end of the city, 15th Street Gallery is somewhat outside the downtown orbit of Salt Lake’s Gallery Stroll. But with a number of other venues in a similar situation — Evergreen Art & Frame, A Gallery, Patrick Mooore, Sugarhouse Gallery and Charley Hafen — maybe an additional reception evening could be held for south-end venues?.

Up the mountains, Park City’s gallery scene is about to start hopping again. For the past month a number of galleries have been holding fundraising events for local charities, but as the ski season approaches they will get back into the business of exhibitions in earnest. And by earnest we mean two to three a month. Phoenix Gallerykicks off the season with their annual SMALL Invitational, a group show, like many in the state at this time of year, that features small works — which would make the exhibit hardly worth mentioning if it weren’t for the pre-party the gallery holds. For SMALL, gallery owner Judi Grenney invites several artists to join her gallery regulars uses the event as an opportunity for the artists to mix and have a little fun. The drop off party features a lively, friendly atmosphere with pizza and ping pong. The opening for the general public (November 27) is a little more white-collar: sushi and jazz will be used to fete the works by over twenty artists.

Back down in the valley, Salt Lake County is holding its own reception, for its newly purchased works. Since 1985 the County has been providing art for its citizens by purchasing works from Utah artists and putting them on display in its various buildings. Not only is the collection worth a considerable amount more than has been paid for it, but unlike other large collections in the state, all the art is always on public display. This policy is one of the reasons the trustees of the Francis Zimbeaux estate recently decided to donate a number of the artists’ work to the collection. “Our mission is to promote his work so if we donate it somewhere we want to be sure it is on display and not tucked into a basement somewhere,” said Duncan Hilton, one of the trustees.

Every November the County Art Committee, in conjunction with Mayor Peter Corroon, unveil the new acquisitions at a public reception. Like last year’s reception, the November 10th event will include the screening of video interviews with many of the artists, produced by Art Committee member Michael Stack. The reception is 5 – 7 pm at the County Government Center, 2001 South State.

In 2009 Salt Lake County has added to its collection over a dozen works by living artists, including digital images by Ed Bateman |0|, an installation by Trent Alvey, and paintings by Heather Barron, Nathan Florence |3|, Jean Arnold |4|, Jared Gilette |5|, Clay Wagstaff |6|, Dennis Smith |7|, Karen Horne |8|, Lisa Hubbert |9| and Ron Richmond |10|. These are augmented by a number of works by historical artists including Francis Zimbeaux, Mary Teasdel and Bertran Youth Andelin.

Note to Art Lovers: a healthy crowd at these receptions helps convince policy makers the program is worth funding. Note to Artists: works purchased by the County are nominated and voted on by the volunteer members of the Art Committee, who will be in attendance at the reception — getting to know them would not hurt your career.

Hobknobbing with influential people is just one of the keys to making it in the business of art. Two events this month will address additional issues.

On Thursday November 5th Artists of Utah will hold Pick Our Brains, a ninety-minute workshop where members of Artists of Utah’s board and staff open themselves up for questions. The event is organized in conjunction with the 35 x 35 exhibition and has been designed to aid emerging artists in understanding key issues in their future careers (see page 2).

If you’re interested in the business of art but are looking for an all-day gig in warmer climes, The Business of Art, being held in Kanab on November 14, is the thing for you. The free event is being organized by Dixie State College and addresses such nuts and bolts issues as packing, shipping and photographing your art, to broader and more developed concepts like copyright and tax issues to broader issues like gallery representation, portfolio development and building creative communities. Click here for a full list of the day’s events and registration information.

Another opportunity we’ve learned of down south is the Zion National Park Artist in Residence program, which offers professional artists the opportunity to live and work in the majestic desert environment of southern Utah for a period of one month. The residencies are February, March and April, but the deadline is coming quick: November 12. Go to our forums to learn about this and other opportunities.

Utah’s south is not only for artists this month. The Bluff Arts Festival, the last of the year, gives art lovers a reason to head down to the four corners area. The 5th annual event, November 12 – 15, gives visitors the opportunity to explore the landscape, art and culture of the area surrounding the San Juan River.

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.