{"id":106859,"date":"2026-11-06T13:54:45","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T20:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=106859"},"modified":"2026-11-09T15:21:36","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T22:21:36","slug":"a-little-bit-of-everything-and-plenty-to-think-about-slccs-presidents-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/a-little-bit-of-everything-and-plenty-to-think-about-slccs-presidents-show\/","title":{"rendered":"A Little Bit of Everything, and Plenty to Think About: SLCC’s President’s Show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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32nd Annual President\u2019s Art Show at Salt Lake Community College South City campus.<\/p><\/div>\n

What do 103 artists, 465 submissions, and a $5,000 award pool have in common? They’re all part of the 32nd Annual President\u2019s Art Show at Salt Lake Community College. Impressive numbers, certainly. But if you think that’s what makes this exhibition worth your time, think again. What you’ll find is something much more interesting: a lively cross-section of Utah’s visual arts, filled with diversity, imagination, and some genuinely thought-provoking work. And the best part? There’s something here to engage just about everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s one of the things I like most about this show,\u201d says James Walton, Gallery & Art Collection Manager for the college. \u201cAny individual in the state of Utah can enter; you get a great diversity of media, of themes, and of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that’s exactly what makes this exhibition so interesting. You’re not looking at a collection of artists working toward a single theme or style. Instead, you’re getting a glimpse of what Utah artists are thinking about, experimenting with, and creating right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously,\u201d Walton continues, \u201cthere are a lot of artists who aren’t in this show, but I think it’s a great sampling, a great way to get a snapshot of what’s happening in the art scene today.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Robert Fuerer, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” 2026, buttons and oil paint on panel\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s a snapshot worth taking a closer look at. The show’s jurors were an accomplished mix of practicing artists, visual arts managers, consultants, curators, collectors, and instructors. They were also joined by Dr. Greg Peterson, the college’s 9th president and an advocate for the institution’s support of the arts.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at a few works that caught my attention.<\/p>\n

Ky Bates’s three-dimensional work, “It Blew in From the West” is a good place to start. It depicts a faceless character being pelted by sandy debris from the salty lake. Take a moment with this one. Is that raised hand protecting the figure from existing lake toxins, or are we looking at a protester being silenced by commercial developers? Perhaps both? Bates leaves the interpretation to us. Whatever you decide, there’s something haunting about the image.<\/p>\n

Then there’s “Following the Thread, the Veins, the River,” by Erin Coleman Serrano. Don’t expect fashion or anything that adorns the body here. Instead, the body seems to have disappeared, leaving behind something closer to the essence of the spirit. Its redness is visually disarming, while the technical execution is beautiful to behold. It’s one of those works that rewards a little extra time.<\/p>\n