{"id":93216,"date":"2025-05-22T13:20:41","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T20:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=93216"},"modified":"2025-06-02T15:22:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T22:22:38","slug":"abigale-palmers-dare-mighty-things-anchors-new-learning-space-at-usu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/abigale-palmers-dare-mighty-things-anchors-new-learning-space-at-usu\/","title":{"rendered":"Abigale Palmer\u2019s \u201cDare Mighty Things\u201d Anchors New Learning Space at USU"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A

Artist Abigale Palmer with the completed mural Dare Mighty Things, now a permanent feature of USU\u2019s Gardner Learning & Leadership Building.<\/p><\/div>\n

From vibrant concept to monumental installation, Utah artist Abigale Palmer\u2019s<\/a> newest public art project is a celebration of ambition, growth, and collaboration\u2014perfectly suited for its home in Utah State University\u2019s Carolyn & Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building (GLLB).<\/h4>\n

Titled Dare Mighty Things, the six-panel, 25-foot-wide oil painting now graces a central wall in the new GLLB, a state-of-the-art, 45,000-square-foot facility dedicated to experiential learning and leadership. Located within the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, the building emphasizes \u201clearning by doing\u201d and houses several co-curricular centers focused on entrepreneurship, data analytics, and leadership development.<\/h4>\n

Palmer\u2019s mural was inspired both by the surrounding Logan landscape and the metaphorical terrain students must navigate as they pursue education and growth.<\/h4>\n

\u201cMountains are a powerful symbol of adventure, beauty, strength, bravery, and courage,\u201d Palmer notes. \u201cThis composition mirrors the surrounding views and invites students, faculty, and visitors to reflect on their own journeys\u2014where they\u2019ve been, where they are, and the peaks they\u2019re striving to reach.\u201d<\/h4>\n
\"Three

Palmer\u2019s studio filled wall-to-wall with panels as she began building the layered landscape of Dare Mighty Things.<\/p><\/div>\n

The work was selected through a competitive public art commission process. Palmer, a participant in our 35×35 exhibition in January 2024, submitted a detailed 20-page proposal complete with mockups, a timeline, and research into the building\u2019s mission. She made the presentation the old-fashioned way\u2014printing 13 hard copies. Her dedication paid off, and she was awarded the contract to create the signature piece for one of USU\u2019s most forward-looking buildings.<\/h4>\n

Over the course of nearly a year, Palmer took plein air trips around Logan, built and painted the panels in her packed studio, and moved the work between multiple locations to evaluate color, lighting, and composition. \u201cI used all the tools in my belt,\u201d she says. \u201cPainting, digital edits, and peer reviews with artist friends.\u201d<\/h4>\n
\"Three

Light strikes Abigale Palmer’s massive mural celebrating the mountains near Logan, Utah.<\/p><\/div>\n

The result is a vibrant, dynamic landscape that not only connects to the outdoors visible through the building\u2019s large windows, but also visually anchors the mission of the GLLB. The mural\u2019s title, Dare Mighty Things, echoes a central theme of the Huntsman School\u2019s leadership philosophy\u2014drawn from Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s famous “Man in the Arena” quote\u2014and reinforces the idea that bold ambitions, met with courage and teamwork, can lead to extraordinary accomplishments.<\/h4>\n

Palmer\u2019s mission as an artist is to bring joy and energy into everyday spaces: \u201cI believe that what we surround ourselves with visually has an impact on our emotions. I want my artwork to breathe vitality into a room, the way fresh flowers or a bowl of fruit does.\u201d<\/h4>\n

With the GLLB\u2019s emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and bold thinking, “Dare Mighty Things” serves as a fitting visual anthem. Both the space and the artwork it houses challenge and inspire all who pass through them to scale their own mountains\u2014and to do so, together.<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

All images courtesy of the artist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From vibrant concept to monumental installation, Utah artist Abigale Palmer\u2019s newest public art project is a celebration of ambition, growth, and collaboration\u2014perfectly suited for its home in Utah State University\u2019s Carolyn & Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building (GLLB). Titled Dare Mighty Things, the six-panel, 25-foot-wide oil painting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1685,"featured_media":93218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,3911],"tags":[4525],"class_list":["post-93216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visual_arts","category-wip","tag-abigale-palmer"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Install-phase-one-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-28 18:49:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93216"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93224,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93216\/revisions\/93224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}