{"id":33153,"date":"2016-04-11T07:52:33","date_gmt":"2016-04-11T13:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=33153"},"modified":"2016-04-14T12:24:13","modified_gmt":"2016-04-14T18:24:13","slug":"a-bit-of-fame-a-lot-of-cash-two-utah-installation-artists-win-prestigious-state-fellowships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/a-bit-of-fame-a-lot-of-cash-two-utah-installation-artists-win-prestigious-state-fellowships\/","title":{"rendered":"A Bit of Fame, a Lot of Cash: Two Utah Installation Artists Win Prestigious State Fellowships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many apply but two are chosen. Each receives a little glory (spots in a couple of exhibits, an Artists of Utah\/15 Bytes video profile) and big bucks \u2013 a $10,000 fellowship goes to each artist selected. No matching funds required.<\/p>\n

So, yeah, it\u2019s a big deal. Every year, the Utah Division of Arts & Museums has a noted curator select two\u00a0artists to receive an award honoring excellence in visual art. This year 124 artists applied, making the decision of JoAnne Northrup, director of Contemporary Art Initiatives at the Nevada Museum of Art (and a 2011 Fulbright Senior Research Scholar at the ZKM Center for Art + Media in Karlsruhe, Germany), a difficult one. She selected two installation artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a state known for its natural beauty, it is remarkable that artists with a tendency to look inward are creating what I deem to be the most compelling art coming out of Utah today,\u201d she explains in a press release. \u201cBoth Pam Bowman and David Brothers have constructed detailed\u2014even obsessive\u2014alternative worlds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are both storytellers, and those stories seize the imagination of viewers. While it is tempting for Utah artists to reflect the glory of the natural environment, I was drawn to work with a strong conceptual basis, with a specific point of view conveyed through the formal elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bowman_web-200x300\"<\/a>Bowman, of Provo, says she tries to \u201cexpress the value of the human experience through installations that incorporate natural materials and traditional, labor-intensive processes.\u201d The award will help cover the costs of materials and technical assistants.<\/p>\n

\u201cMateriality is the foundation for my installations,\u201d she says. \u201cNatural materials and fibers relate to the earth, the lives of men and women throughout time, and to the work they need to accomplish. . . . Many of these processes relate to traditional fiber techniques such as weaving, braiding, and quilting. These techniques are reminiscent of ancient repetitive work necessary for home and life. Their historical associations with work and meticulous constructive processes provide a powerful metaphor for the human experience. . . . Experiences, like fibers, do not idly line up but pull, cover, tug, and jockey for position in a complex, shared journey.\u201d She adds that her installations \u201creveal with magnitude and grace the extraordinary results of simply living.\u201d You can see more of Bowman\u2019s work\u00a0on her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Salt Lake City artist David Brothers says he will use the fellowship funds to \u201cfulfill current aspirations with less compromise.\u201d He works almost exclusively in the studio, using painted and constructed sets, he says, \u201cbuilding places and propositions. My end results are primarily photos but can also include film and installation. A favorite reoccurring theme would be artificiality and especially, the methods\u00a0used to rebrand the fake into authentic. This rebranding, usually the domain of film and theater, is, I believe, optimally suited to photography because of its non-meddling nature, giving the duration of focus back to the viewer.\u201d This dialogue, he says, \u201cis half of my action and is the stuff film and theater are made of but without that messy manipulative narration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Brothers_web-300x169\"<\/a>Brothers has made numerous films and videos, some feature length, three of them featured at Sundance. He has had photos published in Rolling Stone<\/em>, Maxim<\/em>, Popsmear, Slug<\/em> and elsewhere. His work has been frequently exhibited,\u00a0most recently at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art.<\/a><\/p>\n

In partnership with\u00a0\u201cArtists\u00a0of Utah-15 Bytes,\u201d the Utah Division of Art & Museums produces short artist profiles of the recipients as part of the award.\u00a0Please see the links below to some of the videos.<\/p>\n