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March 2006
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March at the UMFA . . . from page 1

Legends explaining each of the symbols are provided next to the artist statement. In this statement, the artist invites us to contemplate the symbols as a method for “curing.” Snapp makes no pretensions to magical abilities. Though he uses many images of plants associated with traditional medicine, he says the signs are meant to be a contemplative exercise, to cure from metaphorical rather than physical ailments. If this all sounds a little too new age for you, well it may be; but don’t worry, Snapp is not a new age ideologue and what I enjoyed most about his artist statement is his humor. “I am no longer interested in trying to create balance in my life,” he says, undercutting a usual mantra of the new agers. “I have yet to live in a world disappointingly directed towards compassion to know whether balance is important or attainable.”

Compassion, the viewer assumes, is achieved by contemplating the symbols culled from a variety of cultures and methods of thinking, which implies an all-inclusiveness. But I think one of the powers of symbols is their ability to be understood on a non-linear level by the community that employs them. To need a legend to understand the symbols strips them of their immediacy. The stylistic variance in the chairs are, I assume, also meant to imply a universality, but I think this is complicated by the fact that though different styles, the seatings are all still Western seatings. But I do appreciate the fact that Snapp incorporated a seating arrangement in the installation. Far too much artwork is seen standing up on a concrete floor, which does not encourage lingering, let alone the contemplating desired by Snapp.

Despite my caveats with the installation, I do think Snapp’s exhibition is worth contemplating and absorbing. Visually, the show creates a nice dialogue between repetition and individuality. I didn’t take the time to sit in every chair and contemplate the installation from every angle, but one could. And I felt the ceramics were a strong visual element. They look somewhat like a box lantern but are irregularly shaped, and designed so that they look like wet clay hanging from the meat hooks. One feels that they could slip off at any moment and crash to the ground. This is intentional, I assume. As the artist explains, “If we don’t do something soon to change the politics of intolerance we are all dead meat.” And the legends are worth it if only to learn what the Hobo symbol for “mistress of the house is horny.” (Apparently there are either few hobos or few horny women in Salt Lake because I have yet to find a house with the marking). If anything, I think I would like to see more of Snapp’s humor directly in his work. He’s obviously serious about what he wants to say, but sometimes irony is the only way to speak to people these days.

Less problematic as a whole are the works of Hyunmee Lee, which, beginning with a reception on March 9, will be hanging in the expansive Great Hall. Oftentimes the Museum’s peach walls can seem impossible to deal with, but Lee’s subtle shadings of grays and ochers look great here. The dozen or so works in the exhibit are all large, about 7 ft square. The show’s subtitle “Gesture Paintings” is unfortunate because it seems to lead away from the work rather than towards it. Gesture painting refers to Harold Rosenberg’s term, action painters, for the Abstract Expressionists. For Rosenberg the canvas was a sort of existential playing field and the marks on the canvas were a record of the artist’s struggle. If Lee’s works are to be seen in this vein, I think they must be seen as a slow, steady struggle, an accumulation of experiences, slowly and intently layered over time. A few superficial marks are carved out on the top of the surface of the paintings, but they serve more to accentuate or occasionally delineate than they serve to be the full expression of the painting. The show’s title “Intimacy Without Restraint” is much more apt of what is going on in these works.

The Frida Kahlo portraits by portrait photographer Nickolas Murray are on exhibit in the upstairs changing exhibitions room. The first thing you’ll notice is the real Kahlo was not near as cute as Selma Hayek, but this suite of 21 photographs dating from 1937 to 1941 show that she is vastly more interesting than the screen actress. The blending of European and Mestizo that was in her blood and in her paintings become apparent in these portraits. The UMFA has also included in the exhibit objects from their pre-Columbian collection reflective of those found in the photographs of Kahlo.

Working our way backwards (literally because these works are in the very back, at the second floor hallway near the board room) we come to the exhibition on Utah pioneers, “Revisiting Utah’s Past” which features paintings and some sculpture by early Utah artists as well historical materials such as photographs, books, and journals that emphasize the historical nature of the exhibit. The Museum’s press release points out that the settlement of Utah was not typical, and the Mormon pioneers’ desire to find a place of safety in the high desert may have let them overlook some of the harsher aspects of their environment. An 1861 journal entry from artist George Martin Ottinger reads, "As we drove out of Emigration Canyon and got a view of the Valley with its Great Salt Lake glistening like burnished silver on the morning’s sun. The rich green foliage and neat white villas of the city – the air of peace and quiet hovering over the ‘Rose blossoming in the desert.’ We could not but stand speechless with admiration and wonder. It was so beautiful and as we cast on thought back over our toilsome journes [sic] we could not help but give one – long hurrah. The accumulated hardship of days was forgotten – Our heaven was reached."

Ottinger’s optimism is sometimes mimicked by lovers of early Utah art, who often have trouble seeing the actual work behind the date and name of the few artists who painted in Utah in the early years. And if you hear anyone gushing about the actual pieces in this exhibit, that is probably the case. There is really not an astounding piece in this exhibit, though the piece by John Hafen is nice; the Albert Bierstadt is capable but not anywhere near his best work. I think it is no mistake that this exhibit has been hung back in the interior of the building, the place for board meetings and research committees, as it emphasizes the art historical aspect of an art museum. But as an historical exhibit it is interesting and as a cultural mile marker it indicates just how far we’ve come in our short history.

Well, there you have it, something for everyone and all for only $4. Take the time this March to visit the UMFA. My suggestion is to see the Lee exhibit while your eyes are fresh, then take a breather on one of the many chairs in Brian Snapp’s installation. Find your favorite hobo marking and make a mental note of it to be painted on your neighbor’s house at a convenient time and then proceed upstairs for a quick dash through the Kahlo portraits before taking the time to get educated about Utah’s artistic past.

Brian Snapp images 0 | 1
Exhibition Spotlight: Salt Lake City
Lindey Carter at Phillips
by Laura Durham


Lindey Carter, currently showing her work at Phillips Gallery, is one of the gallery director’s happy discoveries. Meri DeCaria came across Carter’s watercolors at the Ogden Farmer’s Market one day and knew she wanted to represent her work.

Carter, the triple great-granddaughter of pioneer artist C.C.A. Christensen, grew up in Kaysville, Utah in a large family and with a passion for art. She could often be found alone her room drawing rather than playing outside with her brother and five sisters.

Most of Carter’s paintings are small, measuring a mere five inches square. They are in watercolor painted on gessoed masonite. Carter uses a subtractive method in which she rewets the paint and pulls it from the surface, allowing the grainy quality of the paint and happy accidents to enliven her work. They are surprisingly simple little pieces, which is probably what initially intrigues the viewer. They may be simple, but titles such as “Even in Sadness,” “Strange Potential” and “Provincial Irony” tease the viewer to look deeper and uncover a more meaningful content.

When the time demands of being an art major at Weber State University interfered with Carter’s need to care for her newborn baby, she decided to take upper division English courses to fill her graduation requirements. This allowed her to stay home and also opened her eyes to the strong connection between art and literature. “I love to read and I have found that Henry James, Willa Cather or Stephen Crane are as good at curing artist block as Picasso, Gauguin, Renoir or any of the masters of art.” She explains that this strong connection with literature is probably why many of her paintings are overly simplified and often symbolic.

Trees are a common symbol used by Carter. “A professor of mine once told me that trees are a metaphor for that which connects heaven with the earth. I later realized he was talking about all of us. Every time we dig our toes into the mud or dance with our arms waving free, I think of that part of us where heaven and earth collide.”

It is clear that serenity and simplicity is what Carter craves. She says each of her paintings is really a “snapshot of a larger picture.” Studying the details of something larger and more complicated is her way of making sense of the chaos that surrounds her.

Carter’s watercolors will be on display at Phillips Gallery in a two-person show with Thomas Howard through March 10th.


Exhibition Spotlight: Salt Lake City
YWCA at the MUAH

Don't let the acronyms turn you off. The current show at the Museum of Utah Art & History (MUAH) may be about an institution, SLC's YWCA, but its exhibit of 100 photographs is a warm and inviting look at 100 years of the institution's history.

Opened on February 3rd, “YWCA Centennial HerStory,” chronicles the 100 year of community involvement spearheaded by the YWCA of Salt Lake City. The exhibition features black and white photographs that document the changing role of women during the last 100 years because of societal, political, and personal influences. The exhibition is the first event of a year-long celebration planned by the YWCA.

The exhibition looks at these and other issues decade by decade and provides commentary with each photograph. It also provides an important historical look at the changes that have occurred in Salt Lake City and Utah.

The selected photographs not only illustrate the passing of time, but also the YWCA’s role in creating unity in the community. Examples of this are the photographs focusing on the swimming pool as the subject. Built in 1919, the pool serves as a site of shared memories for many who grew up in the city. Not only were swimming lessons taught there, it was a place of recreation, synchronized swimming, and a place to find new friends.

Another subject explored in the exhibit is the inclusion of minorities throughout the 100-year history. Photos spanning the century evidence how the YWCA was a refuge for equality. Women’s involvement with employment during World War II are documented in the photographs as well as scenes from classes and workshops held at the YWCA.

The YWCA Oral HerStory has been created as an audio tour to accompany the exhibition. Each track corresponds to a specific photograph, composed of commentary recorded from various women in the community who have participated in the YWCA and help shape the community. Thirty-eight different segments of oral history are presented. There is no charge for using the audio equipment to listen to these stories. The Guide was recorded and produced by YourStory: Record and Remember. Dr. Margaret Brady, oral historian, selected and compiled the tracks for the audio guide.

The museum is open 11-3 Tuesday-Sunday and the exhibit closes April 16. There will be a free, public program March 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wells Fargo building at 299 South Main Street. See Upcoming Events for more details.