Utah Visual Arts articles published in 15 Bytes, arranged by category.
What could be more sustainable than ceramics, right? Feldspar, the main component of clay, constitutes 60 percent of the earth’s crust. Water covers 70 percent of the earth’s surface (admittedly, most of it has salt). We’re not likely to run out of either anytime soon. Firing? Ok, that’s […]
Picture an event featuring the work of nearly 500 ceramic artists attracting thousands of clay enthusiasts. Some of these artists and visitors are local to Utah but many hail from across the United States and overseas. During the conference (and in some cases after) attendees and the public […]
When Shiya Zeng was invited by NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) to highlight her work for the Cultivating Community series, a striking absence became clear — the underrepresentation of queer ceramicists of color in Utah. This absence, Zeng observed, wasn’t due to a lack […]
Demolition began last week on Salt Lake City’s Fleet Block, where, since 2020, large murals depicting individuals killed by police, both locally and nationally, have faced the public along 300 West and 900 South. Created by the anonymous collective SL Mural Makers, the murals began appearing on the […]
There’s only one thing more enjoyable for an arts writer than discovering a fresh young artist (usually just escaped from one or another splendid college program and shyly showing off inventions they’ve been misled to expect no one will be thrilled by)—that even greater, if only because less […]
At Phillips Gallery, as part of the NCECA Conference, Strike While the Iron is Hot showcases the work of Utah State University graduate students and faculty members, offering a dynamic and cohesive exploration of clay as both a functional medium and sculptural language. The exhibition is a testament […]
“As a sculptor, my concern is for form,” Larry Elsner wrote in 1977, “a maddening search for the unity of space and mass.” An Idaho native and longtime Utah State University (USU) professor, Elsner would always choose form over function, regardless of the medium in which he was […]
New Sol LeWitt murals keep going up almost 20 years after his death. They’re new and yet old, some of the initial conceptions dating back to 1968. That’s when LeWitt first conceived of what are known as “wall drawings,” though they often take the form of massive wall […]
Since she assumed the role of Executive Director, Laura Allred Hurtado, along with her eight-member staff and accommodating docents, has seen to it that the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art’s six galleries present an unbroken parade of unforgettable exhibitions. While there’s no sign of flagging anywhere in the […]
When Salt Lake City’s visionary art czar Stephen A. Goldsmith decamped for Oregon in 2019, he left some stuff behind – like several of his own works at Phillips Gallery and many entrancing water projects in public spaces and private homes. Now, the Salt Lake City Arts Council’s […]
At the entrance of the Kimball Art Center, visitors are greeted by a large wall painted in a warm terracotta tone, which could be a nod to the foundational material of their current exhibition: clay. Curated by the Kimball’s Nancy Stoaks and staged in conjunction with The National […]
Two of art’s more technically challenging and aesthetically eloquent media are currently getting an unusual level of attention in local galleries. Under the influence of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, nearly every gallery in Utah is showing ceramic art sometime in March, a bounty […]
There’s a moment in Gandhi where an Englishman asks the film’s hero what a sympathetic member of the ruling class can do to help those who are struggling (for equity, diversity, access, inclusion, and respect), whereupon Gandhi tells him to go home and work on behalf of his […]
Whether one is drawn to the storytelling aspect of Joe Brubaker’s figures or the weightless elegance of Heather Zusman’s abstract sculptures, the works now at Julie Nester Gallery will undoubtedly spark conversation, both with others and within oneself. In the gallery’s beautifully lit space, enhanced by both natural […]
Deral Barton’s artistic journey spanned everything from Pop Art-inspired paintings to custom leather designs and hand-lettered signage. A fixture in Salt Lake City’s creative scene, Barton’s influence extended from the early days of Phillips Gallery to his counterculture leather shop that became a hub for artists and musicians. His versatile career blended fine art, fashion, and commercial design, leaving a lasting mark on Utah’s cultural landscape. As we remember Barton’s life and work, we reflect on his passion for creativity, craftsmanship, and community. Read more about Barton’s remarkable career and enduring influence.
In 2015, Logan, Utah’s Planning Commission granted conditional approval for a series of murals on a historic downtown building at 22 E. Center Street. The murals, mounted on a durable material designed to resemble paint, would change out periodically. While the project had strong support from the […]
When, at the 1938 International Surrealist Exhibition, French painter Marcel Duchamp hung 1,200 empty coal sacks from the ceiling of a windowless gallery lit by a single light bulb, then handed out flashlights at the door so visitors could find their own way through the art, this most […]
Pursuing quilting as a hobby outside of her traditional mediums of drawing and printmaking, Mary Toscano was in the middle of making a quilt when Andrew Rease Shaw, her husband and a professional musician, recognized the shapes she was working with as the waveforms of a Low Frequency […]
