Inside the Vault: Works from Public Art Collections
From Wall to Floor
Winston Tite's Hot on the Trail with Deputy Dog
The State of Utah has been collecting artwork since 1899 thanks to the initiative of Alice Merrill Horne, legislator and founder of what is now the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. Artwork is acquired every year whether it is through a donation or a purchase. The Division has an acquisition committee that carefully and thoughtfully seeks out both contemporary and historical works to fill in gaps in the Collections. The fine arts collection consists of everything from traditional landscapes and portraits to video works. The collection can be viewed in many public buildings around Salt Lake City including the Utah State Capitol, the Governor's Mansion, the Rio Grande Depot and the Glendinning Mansion, including regularly curated shows featured in the Alice Gallery.
Hot on the Trail with Deputy Dog by Winston Tite, who attended Weber State College before pursuing further education and a teaching career in North Carolina, won the purchase award for the 1977 Statewide Annual Competition. The whimsical wood sculpture is made of wood with six intersecting sticks, three fins, and a propeller. The piece prompted registrar Emily Johnson to put together an exhibition called Mélange with strange and eclectic works from the Fine Art Collection. The show, co-curated by Johnson and Visual Arts Manager Felicia Baca, was on display at the Alice Gallery in the spring of 2013. The piece was hung on the wall as one of the highlights of the exhibit. Baca emailed the artist asking for more information and Tite said he created it while a graduate student at Arizona State University. As for the title: “It is whimsical also” he says. "It has no connection to the cartoon character, although the wind-up end kind of reminded me of a dog with its nose to the trail following a scent!” He also enlightened the staff on to how it should be displayed. When it was photographed for the collection years ago, the photographer placed it on the wall, so the staff naturally hung the sculpture in the Alice Gallery, but Tite said it is meant to be placed horizontally as a floor piece. The message wasn’t received in time to have it displayed on the floor for “Mélange”, but next time Deputy Dog hits the trail, we’ll put that information to good use.
This column is sponsored by the Visual Arts Program of the Division of Arts & Museums. Each month the program distributes a newsletter about upcoming events and opportunities for artists. It also features a work from the collection each month. To subscribe, email fbaca@utah.gov. |
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15 Bytes: About Us
Our editorial contributors
The content you see in this magazine is provided by a fluid group of volunteers whose ability with the pen or camera is matched by their curiosity and enthusiasm for Utah's art world. 15 Bytes is an open community forum. If you are interested in writing an article, or providing images for our magazine contact editor Shawn Rossiter at editor@artistsofutah.org
Ashley Anderson is a choreographer based in Salt Lake City. She is founder of loveDANCEmore, a blog and biannual journal about dance in Utah, and currently serves as 15 Bytes's Dance Editor. |
Simon Blundell is a Salt Lake native and has studied art, communication, journalism, design, and advertising. He has a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and continues to explore photography and art in all its aspects. |
Ehren Clark studied art history at both the University of Utah and the
University of Reading in the UK. He is now a professional writer. |
Jared Christensen grew up in North Ogden, Utah and finally moved to Salt Lake at the age of 18 to go to school. He graduated from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography. He continues to explore his art and exhibit locally, and currently works for 15 Bytes and for Tanner Frames in Salt Lake City. |
Scotti Hill is an art historian based in Salt Lake City Utah. She teaches art history courses at Westminster College, University of Utah and Utah Valley University. In addition to her work in higher education, Scotti has experience in and actively pursues curating and freelance writing. |
John Hughes is an award-winning artist and teacher who has been painting the landscape both in and out of the studio since 1983. He maintains a studio in Taylorsville and teaches students in private workshops and in a course at Salt Lake Community College. |
Sue Martin holds an M.A. in Theatre and has worked in public relations. As an artist, she works in watercolor, oil, and acrylic to capture Utah landscapes or the beauty of everyday objects in still life. |
Michael McLane's work has appeared in numerous journals, including Denver Quarterly, Colorado Review, Western Humanities Review, and Sidebrow. He is the co-editor of the journal saltfront and the review editor for Sugar House Review. He lives in Salt Lake, where he works as the Literary Program Officer for the Utah Humanities Council. |
Nathan Meier grew up in Holladay, Utah, attended the California Institute of the Arts and now is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles. |
Camille Pack teaches Language Arts at a private boarding school and received her MA in Literature and Writing from Utah State University. |
Ann Poore is a freelance writer and editor who spent most of her career at The Salt Lake Tribune. She also worked for Salt Lake City Weekly and has written for such publications as Utah Business Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine. |
Shawn Rossiter, a native of Boston, was raised on the East Coast. He has degrees in English, French and Italian Literature. A professional artist and writer, he founded Artists of Utah in 2001 and is editor of its magazine, 15 Bytes. |
Geoff Wichert has degrees in critical writing and creative nonfiction. He writes about art to settle the arguments going on in his head. |
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