7/12 CITY WEEKLY: Get to know the Republic of Zaqistan, a micronation enclaved in Utah’s west desert
Sculptor Zaq Landsberg came across one of those elusive “Big Ideas” in 2005. After it arrived, he invested his time and his money and then more of his time into it. And today, the project he created is still a part of his life.
What would become The Republic of Zaqistan started with Landsberg’s hearing of a plot of land for sale in the desert west of Salt Lake City. Interest piqued, he bid on the land for $610 on eBay and in August of 2005, he visited the site of his new country for the first time, dubbing that trip the “First Expedition.”
DEEP DIVE: Read our review on the Zaqistan project from September, 2016
7/7 SLTRIB: Clever Octopus, a sustainable art supply store, shuts down after eight years
The Utah nonprofit Clever Octopus Creative Reuse Center, which resold art and craft supplies to inspire “creativity and environmental consciousness,” has permanently closed, according to the organization’s website and an Instagram post shared Friday morning.
No reason was given for the closure. The Instagram post said: “Thank you for being so supportive of our nonprofit organization over the past 8 years and sharing your love of creative reuse with each other. We hope you continue on the ever-changing path of sustainability.”
DEEP DIVE: Rear our article on Clever Octopus from June, 2017
6/28 SALT LAKE CITY NAMED FINALIST FOR A BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES PUBLIC ART CHALLENGE GRANT
Salt Lake City has been selected as one of 17 finalist cities in the running to receive up to $1 million as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge the philanthropic organization has announced. Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced that The program supports temporary public art projects that address important local civic issues in cities across the country.
The Salt Lake City Arts Council’s proposed project, “Wake the Great Salt Lake” aims to address the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake by curating and installing several temporary public artworks by diverse local, regional, and internationally recognized artists that speak to this environmental crisis. The goal of the project is to educate and inspire both residents and visitors to identify possible solutions and take action on a local and national level.
Salt Lake City was selected as a finalist from more than 150 project proposals received from cities in 40 U.S. states. This fall, Bloomberg Philanthropies will select up to 10 winning cities to execute their projects over the next two years.
(from the press release)
6/20 PBS UTAH: Art Elevated: The Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards 2022
PBS Utah recently released the first episode of Season Two of “Art Elevated: The Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards.” The episode profiles the winners of the 2022 awards: Richard Elliott, Tabernacle Choir Organist; Paisley Rekdal, Utah Poet Laureate; and Clytie Adams, Director of Clytie Adams School of Ballet. Visual artists include Paige Crosland Anderson, painter; Carrie Trenholm, glass artist; and Leroy Transfield, sculptor.
6/19 Moab Sun News: How the Moab Museum put together its new exhibit: Q&A with Tara Beresh
The Moab Museum’s new exhibit, “The People’s Tapestry: Weaving Tradition in Navajo Culture,” will feature over 80 textile works made by Navajo artists. The Moab Sun News chatted with the museum’s curatorial and collections manager, Tara Beresh, about how and why the museum put the exhibit together.
Moab Sun News: What do you think is important about highlighting historic and especially, contemporary, Indigenous weaving? Why create this exhibit now?
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.
Categories: Local Art News | Mixed Media | News
Thanks for putting this together regularly. It is always important information about Utah’s arts community (past and present) and I thoroughly enjoy reading it. I realize this isn’t easy to compile and appreciate the time, thought and care — not to mention energy — put into the production of a column such as this. Please know, as I am certain you do in this computer age, that it is read, absorbed and also valued — a quality you can’t measure but one I hope to convey.