Ellipses ... the continuation of thought

New Things to See

2008-07-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

New things are happening at the Salt Lake Art Center (and have been for awhile ... I apologize for my electronic absence). Visit the Art Center and see Present Tense: A Post-337 Project in the Main Gallery, featuring works by local artists who participated in The 337 Project. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, film ... it's all here. Come and see what some 337 artists have been up to since the building came down.

In the Street Level Gallery, we are currently featuring Interweave: Innovations in Contemporary Basketry. Artists put a new twist on an old object by using unconventional materials and provocative designs.

This basket pictured at the left is entitled Beauty in the Deep, by artist Jennifer Falck Linssen.

Dates to Remember

2008-06-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

The galleries at the Salt Lake Art Center are currently closed for installation. Join us Friday, June 20 for a public reception marking the opening of two great summer exhibitions - Present Tense: A Post 337 Project and Interweave: Innovations in Contemporary Basketry. The reception will be held from 6 to 9 pm. It's free to the public and does fall on June's Gallery Stroll.

But don't despair, there's something just around the corner ...

The Salt Lake Art Center will host the premiere of Afterimage: The Art of 337 documentary film on Friday, June 13, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. followed by a Q & A session with one of the film’s producers, Davey Davis.

The 70-minute documentary, produced by local filmmakers Davey Davis and Alex Haworth and scored by local musicians, provides an in-depth look at The 337 Project - the “art happening” of 2007” - through great interviews, music, and incredible footage of 337 from evolution to demolition. The film follows the journey of the building: beginning with blank walls, watching the artists on their journey to transform the building, documenting the reactions of Salt Lake's most influential spokespeople, and concluding with the building's spectacular raising. Afterimage: The Art of 337 is the definitive documentation of this landmark art event. The 337 building was demolished on April 5, 2008, making way for a apartment complex made entirely from international shipping containers.

Afterimage: The Art of 337 is a major component of the Salt Lake Art Center’s upcoming exhibition, Present Tense: A Post-337 Project, which opens to the public on Friday, June 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. The film will be screened in the Main Gallery to complement the artwork and site-specific installations created by 25 artists who participated in The 337 Project.

The Art Center will also screen Afterimage in the auditorium on three additional Fridays at 7:30 p.m. July 19, August 8, and September 12 and on four Saturdays at 4 p.m. June 21, July 19, August 16, and September 20. On June 21, Davey Davis will again be available for a Q & A session immediately following the screening.

Afterimage: The Art of 337 was sponsored, in part, by The Salt Lake Art Center with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough.

Last Days of Gaylen Hansen

2008-05-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out Gaylen Hansen: Three Decades of Paintings before it closes this Satruday, May 31, at 6 pm. The show has been a great success with visitors of all ages and we encourage to join us for its last days.

Admission, remember, is always free.

Our next shows, Present Tense: A Post 337 Project and Interweave: Innovations in Contemporary Basketry will open during Gallery Stroll on June 20 at 6 pm.

Art Talk Tonight - Vicki Halper

2008-05-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

Start Gallery Stroll at the Art Center. Join us tonight at 6:30 pm for an Art Talk entitled "The Life of the Kernal" by Vicki Halper.

Vicki Halper is an independent curator and writer specializing in modern art of the Pacific Northwest and crafts of the United States. She is a former associate curator of modern art at the Seattle Art Museum and recent James Renwick Senior Fellow of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Her publications include Storm Watch: The Art of Barbara Earl Thomas (1998), James Lavadour: Landscapes (2002), Look Alikes: The Decal Plates of Howard Kottler (2004), and Contrasts: A Glass Primer (2007). She is co-editor of the anthology Choosing Craft: A History Told by Artists (2009).

Art Talks are FREE and all are welcome.

It's Coming ...

2008-04-23T08:41:00.001-07:00

It's taking its time about it, but spring IS coming. The weather's turning, the sun's out - it's time to step outside and visit your local art destinations. The Salt Lake Art Center is free to the public, open Tuesday through Saturday, and offers a variety of changing contemporary visual arts exhibitions for your viewing pleasure.

Photo by Oswald Skene

Art Talk Tonight!

2008-04-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Join us this evening during Gallery Stroll for an Art Talk featuring three of Gaylen Hansen's former students in conversation:

Nancy Kiefer, Artist

Linda Okasaki, Artist, free-lance Art Consultant and Researcher

Ric Collier, Artist, Former Director of the SLAC

The discussion will be moderated by Monika Del Bosque, Director of the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery at Weber State University.

The talk begins at 6:30 and is free to the public. Start Stroll at the Salt Lake Art Center!

We're Open - Stop In

2008-04-16T16:13:00.001-07:00

Our Interim Director Leslie Peterson offers some words of comfort during the tumult of the City Creek development.

Dear Art Center Patrons and Members,

When the City Creek Center demolition began we assured our patrons that our commitment to bringing contemporary art to this community will not be affected by the construction, and a year later we are still honoring that commitment. During the past year, in spite of being in the middle of all the construction, our attendance numbers have actually increased and we are so grateful to all our patrons who have continued to take advantage of our top notch and free programming during this time. We invite you to continue to do so as the downtown landscape evolves.

We want to alert you to an upcoming traffic and parking change: the north bound lane of West Temple between 100 South and South Temple will be closed until November, with the south bond lane becoming a two-way street. This action has eliminated several metered parking spots in front of the Art Center. Do not let this keep you from experiencing our exciting exhibits; please visit our website (www.slartcenter.org) to find alternate parking and transportation tips.

Just a reminder to join us this Friday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. for a Free Art Talk during Gallery Stroll. Three of Gaylen Hansen's former students will discuss his work and teaching techniques. Panelists include; Ric Collier, artist and former Director of the Salt Lake Art Center; Nancy Kiefer, artist; and Linda Okasaki, artist and free-lance art consultant and researcher. This panel discussion will be moderated by Monika Del Bosque, Director of the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery at Weber State University.

Once again I would like to thank you for you continued support and I look forward to see you at the Salt Lake Art Center.

Best Wishes,

Leslie Peterson

Interim Director

Art Talk - Gaylen Hansen's Students in Conversation

2008-04-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

Join us this Friday during Gallery Stroll for an Art Talk with three of Gaylen Hansen's former students:

Nancy Kiefer, Artist
Linda Okasaki, Artist, free-lance Art Consultant and Researcher
Ric Collier, Artist, Former Director of the SLAC

The panel discussion begins at 6:30 pm and will be moderated by Monika Del Bosque, Director of the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery, Weber State University.

Art Talks are free to the public.

For more information, call 328-4201 or email saras@slartcenter.org.

Visitors React to Gaylen Hansen

2008-04-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

These comments were left by visitors to the Gaylen Hansen retrospective currently on display at the Salt Lake Art Center through May 31, 2008.

We invite you to come and leave thoughts of your own!

Colorful, I love color.
-DOJ, 2/15/2008

Loved the portrayal of the notion of being menaced by, yet unaware of the world around the Kernal.
Rebecca & Art, Pittsburgh, PA

The paintings are so many different things: intriguing, inspiring, haunting, disturbing, funny ... Thank you.
-Johanna

Fascinating. Whimsical, funny, disturbing. Thanks.
-Christopher, 3/07/08

The dog and man that were standing, looking through their legs at each other is amazing! Not many paintings have the capacity to brighten my day the way that did. Thanks!
-Erin Potter

Making the invisible visible & the visible more visible

2008-02-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

The following is a missive by Salt Lake Art Center Curator of Exhibitions, Jay Heuman.

Humanity is physical, psychological and spiritual. Yet the post-modern is a dystopic marriage of convenience between evolving technologies and savvy marketing that meddles with the senses.

There is distraction by both the scale and volume of visual culture – colliding with the cacophony of sounds and smells – that serves only to disenchant. There is enhancement of the senses that demystifies sensation: microscopes and telescopes, amplifiers and mufflers, artificial flavors and artificial emotions. There is a betrayal of the senses: from the common to the personal and from “civil society” to “private logic” – instead of “I and Thou” or “All for One and One for All.”

The visual arts serve as object of the gaze imbued with content relevant to viewers. Perhaps this is more obvious in some artworks, less so in others inviting a meditative approach as these are subtle compared to billboards for consumer goods made with the dual motives of cost-effectiveness and quick turn-around.

For mass production inspires a quickening. The Mod style of the 1960s lasted a decade. Now, shoes are in and out of fashion in a season. In 25 years, computer data storage evolved from magnetic tapes to 5¼” floppy disks to 3½” floppy disks to ZIP disks to CD-Rs to jump drives. But now, a one-year-old cell phone is passé as it likely lacks video capability, internet access and/or mp3 storage.

But in the visual arts, there is no “mass” production, and its quickening is different. Take for example the Italian Renaissance and Pop Art. The former lasted 200 years and was entirely handmade; the latter lasted 20 years and was screen-printed and air brushed. But Pop artists understood popular culture was a subject … not an objective.

In pre-Modern times, manual craftsmanship was the only method to create an artwork, striving to represent the visible world as it existed and the spiritual world as it was thought to exist. In Modern times, with machines and assembly-lines spitting out Fords and Frigidaires, artists continued to value manual craftsmanship; but, disenchanted by the external, they turned inward to explore what machines could not define for us – the indomitable human spirit. And what we call “contemporary,” a society valuing:

the binary, without room for all the shades of gray between extremes of 0 and 1;
the digital, not the digits of manual craftsmanship;
the finite colors of computers, to simplify the infinite palette the human eye can see; and,
the indiscriminant compositions of digital cameras (lacking emphasis), not personal choice.

The realm of ideas and ideals, the worlds of spirit and ether, cannot be mass produced and mass marketed, and is neither a fad nor feeble.

From historians, we know the past. From the news, we know the present. From philosophers and science fiction authors, we suspect the future. But visual artists, embrace all these functions – and more. They reveal past, present and future. They represent the visible world, often selecting those aspects of everyday life that others do not notice or choose to ignore. They explore their invisible inner-space – the mind’s eye and the spiritual journey. They depict the real and the ideal, the technological and theological, and the ‘pro’ and ‘con’ of most every issue.

Book Fair This Friday

2008-02-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

Support contemporary art this Friday by participating in the Salt Lake Art Center Book Fair at the Gateway Barnes and Noble. A portion of your purchase will be given to the Art Center to fulfill its mission of encouraging artists and art that challenge and educate public perceptions of civil, social and aesthetic issues affecting society.

It's easy:

1. Visit our website and click on the link to print a voucher for the Book Fair. Print it out.

2. Bring the voucher to the Gateway Barnes and Noble between 11 am and 5 pm this Friday, February 22. Use it when purchasing books, magazine, snacks and coffee or gift items.

3. The Art Center will receive a portion of all purchases made with a voucher. This money helps us fund the thought-provoking educational and exhibition programming we offer to the public free of charge.

Hope to see you there!

Join Us - Gaylen Hansen Opens Tonight

2008-02-15T13:22:00.001-08:00

Gaylen Hansen: Three Decades of Paintings opens this evening at the Salt Lake Art Center during a public reception from 6 pm to 9 pm. This event is free and open to the public. We encourage you to drop by and see us during tonight's Gallery Stroll.

Hansen's paintings are colorful, large and whimsical. The image above, Bison, Fish & Tulip, 1994, is representative of his interest in animals and the natural world, as well as interesting pairings that produce a compelling visual experience.

At 6.30 pm, the exhibition's curator Keith Wells will deliver an Art Talk. This event is also free.

The exhibit runs through May 31, so if tonight isn't your night out, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy Hansen's imaginative reinterpretations of the western landscape. We hope to see you soon.

Support the Art Center and Expand Your Mind

2008-02-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

The Salt Lake Art Center Book Fair, at Barnes and Noble Gateway, is a great opportunity to support our mission and broaden your horizons. Print out a voucher from our homepage and join us next Friday, February 22, from 11 am to 5 pm. A portion of your purchase, be it a book, magazine, coffee, CD or gift, will go to the Salt Lake Art Center's education and exhibition programs for the coming year!

Check It!

2008-02-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is the day to show your loved on how much you care. Those who want to learn more about the contemporary art world (and who doesn't) will appreciate a Valentines gift that shows you want them to relax and take time for themselves. What better way to do that than curling up with a good book? The Salt Lake Art Center’s Bookstore has a wild selection of books to choose from.

One of our favorites is Gaylen Hansen: Three Decades of Paintings, your loved one will be blown away by this hardcover retrospective catalogue and its highly personal interview with the Utah-based artist. It has more than 70 color reproductions of his paintings, some of which have never before been exhibited publicly.

Mention this Blog at the front desk and receive 25% OFF your next purchase.

Join Us!

2008-02-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

There has never been a more exciting time to become a member of the Salt Lake Art Center! Our membership program caters to our unique patrons; we offer seven different membership levels ranging from $20 - $1000. Each level has exclusive benefits, including discounts to local organizations that represent the finest in culture and cuisine.

The membership program also offers opportunities for members to receive insider information on exhibitions and events. Members are put on our mailing list to receive all Salt Art Center mailings. Plus, they are invited to attend exclusive Member Only Previews where they can mingle with other members who share their interest in contemporary art.

For more information on the Salt Lake Art Center Membership program, please contact Kate, at katei@slartcenter.org or call 801.328.4201.

Last Days for David Kimball Anderson

2008-02-01T09:24:00.001-08:00

David Kimball Anderson: To Morris Graves closes tomorrow, Saturday, February 2, at 6 pm. Anderson's sculptures respond to the paintings of Morris Graves, Anderson's muse.

The Salt Lake Art Center is open tonight (and every Friday night) until 9 pm and tomorrow from 11 am to 6 pm. Admission is always free.

Spiral Jetty News - An Obstructed View?

2008-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

A request has been filed to permit oil drilling in the Great Salt Lake four miles from the Spiral Jetty. The proposed exploratory drilling, subsequent infrastructure, and staging area would all be visible from the Jetty.

The State has not yet made a decision on this application. Director of the Resource Development Coordinating Committee, Jonathan Jemming, will be taking comments from the public until Feb. 13, 2008. Please contact him and tell him about your concerns, referencing Application No. 8853.

He can be reached at:

Jonathan Jemming 801-537-9023
jjemming@utah.gov

New Moves

2008-01-31T10:24:00.000-08:00

The curatorial staff continues to prepare the galleries for Gaylen Hansen: Three Decades of Paintings. The walls have been repainted and are now being moved into place. Visitors should consider the placement of walls as they walk through the Main Gallery; Curator of Exhibitions Jay Heuman says the space definitely shapes a viewer's experience. He says: "Because Gaylen Hansen is a solo exhibition, my concept was thematic. I've arranged works addressing a common issue together, along with signage specific to that topic. Also, since the entire space is devoted to this show, I wanted an inviting diagonal that would lead people to the Projects Gallery."

The Gaylen Hansen paintings have arrived! The works are unframed and will be tacked to our walls. Here they sit, wrapped in tubes, waiting to be moved into the Main and Projects Galleries. The exhibit will also occupy the Street Level Gallery.

Gaylen Hansen: Three Decades of Paintings opens Friday evening, February 15th, at 6 pm with a special reception, free and open to the public.

STRIKE!

2008-01-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the curatorial staff of the Salt Lake Art Center began to strike SF Recycled and Masters of West Coast Assemblage & Collage. The strike process involves removing artwork from the gallery and repacking it for shipment, removing vinyl signage, repainting, cleaning the gallery, and rearranging movable walls for the new exhibition.

Although the Main and Project Galleries are currently closed to the public, and will remain so until the evening of Friday, February 15th, David Kimball Anderson: To Morris Graves is still on display in the Art Center's Streel Level Gallery through this Saturday, February 2.

Last Chance ...

2008-01-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

SF Recycled and Masters of West Coast Assemblage & Collage close this Saturday, January 26, 2008, at 6 pm. The shows have been featured in the Main and Projects Galleries of the Salt Lake Art Center since October of 2007, and hundreds of visitors have enjoyed the thought-provoking and playful works of the artists involved.

We invite you to come see the shows today, Friday, until 9 pm, and tomorrow, Saturday, from 11 am to 6 pm.

David Kimball Anderson's sculptures will be on display in the Street Level Gallery through next Saturday, February 2. Gaylen Hansen: Three Decades of Paintings will open on Friday evening, February 15, at 6 pm.

A Room of One's Own

2008-01-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

The Salt Lake Art Center features a Resource Library, complete with DVD library and player, two computers with free internet access, and a number of contemporary art periodicals and monographs to make casual browsing or more serious research accessible to our visitors. Be sure to check it out on your next visit.

New Digs at the Center

2008-01-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

With the new year comes a new space for the staff at the Salt Lake Art Center. What was once the Education Studio, where students in our youth education programs met to work, has been transformed into a meeting room and reception area, referred to as the Staff Room. The Education Studio has been moved to a nearby room with its own entrance, bathroom, extensive shelving and sink.

A small kitchen area has been added off the Staff Room, as well. Thanks to our Curatorial Staff for making it all happen!

We Wish You an Artful 2008

2008-01-04T08:17:00.001-08:00

The Salt Lake Art Center Interim Director Leslie Peterson shares a New Year's greeting.

Happy New Year to all! As I look forward to the challenges the New Year will bring, I know one of the things I can depend on is the ever-evolving landscape at the Salt Lake Art Center. One of the highlights of working at the Art Center is watching the galleries transform themselves into entirely different spaces for each new exhibition, and to see how the interior spaces are designed to best highlight the artwork, and, depending on the nature of the show, to create a sense of intimacy, awe, or surprise for visitors. It’s rather like setting the stage for a grand spectacle and inviting our visitors to be the players in our galleries.

Additionally, I eagerly anticipate what the students in our youth education programs will produce in response to our exhibitions. At the moment, for example, we have one of the most delightful landscapes in our education gallery created by students from Beacon Heights Elementary under the direction of artist/instructors April Daugherty and Ginna Herridge and based on our Main Gallery exhibition SF Recycled. Walking down the corridor outside our offices, we encounter a forest populated by all manner of enchanting wild life created out of recyclable materials. The imagination, tenacity and talent evident in the display are an inspiration to all of us.

You never know exactly what to expect at the Salt Lake Art Center, but you do know that you’ll find an opportunity to reflect, to celebrate, to contemplate and to discover.

I hope the New Year will provide opportunities for you to visit often, to take pleasure in the unexpected, to share your reactions with us, and to spread the word about the treasures one can find at the Salt Lake Art Center. Above all, I and my colleagues wish you peace and prosperity in 2008!

Welcome Annie Kennedy, Curator of Education

2008-01-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

The staff and Board of Trustees of the Salt Lake Art Center are pleased to introduce our new Curator of Education, Annie Kennedy. Kennedy comes to the Art Center from the Park City Kimball Art Center, having served as its Director of Education and Volunteer Coordinator. She is also an adjunct professor at Westminster College.

In 2001, Kennedy received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. During her tenure at RISD, she spent a year studying in Rome, Italy, as part of the school’s European Honors Program. In 2004, she earned her MFA from the Parsons School of Design in New York, New York. There she received the “Graduate Student of Merit Award.”

Her career as an artist has been equally lauded: in 2004, she was awarded an Artist in Residence Grant from the Salt Lake Arts Council. The following year she received an Individual Artist Project Grant from the Utah Arts Council.

Born in Salt Lake City as the youngest of six children, Kennedy was raised Mormon. She mines this experience for inspiration in her artwork. She writes: “Though Mormons share the landscape and history of America, many Mormon customs and beliefs vary from (or are even contradictory to) what many consider modern American values. As a part of this distinctive culture, I feel we have also developed an unusual visual language and aesthetic. My artwork is an exploration of this particular visual legacy and an examination of how it interacts with the culture of America and the language of the contemporary art world.”

Our pleasure at her installation as the Art Center’s Curator of Education is matched by her
excitement. She says: “As a long-time patron, I am honored to be joining the exceptional staff here at the Salt Lake Art Center. I believe deeply in the importance of art education and fully support the Art Center in its mission to promote contemporary art that challenges and educates the public in their perceptions of civil, social and aesthetic issues. I am enthusiastic about the many opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to further development in the wonderful education programming here at the Salt Lake Art Center.”

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

We'd like to wish all our friends (and friends we've yet to make) a very happy new year. We've got great things planned for 2008 and we hope to see you at the Art Center for Art Talks, Gallery Strolls and exhibition visits in the coming months.

Ars Poetica

2007-12-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

Curator of Exhibitions Jay Heuman will be a regular contributor to Ellipses. Below are his thoughts about speaking with artists.

Nothing replaces meeting and talking with artists face-to-face. Since September, in my role as the Art Center’s Curator of Exhibitions, I have enjoyed visits with numerous artists in their studios and during Salt Lake’s monthly Gallery Stroll. Though many visual artists feel their artworks should stand independently, that the spoken or written word neither “explains” nor “replaces” an intense gaze, I still recommend talking with artists. I ask artists about their experiences and outlooks, their media and techniques, their short and long-term goals. Unlike mass-produced goods, artworks are often unique and are as often linked to a story. Maybe this is the artist’s first oil painting or first etching? Then again, maybe the artist revisits their palette and canvas, etching plate and inks, chisels and marble block as a spontaneous conversation with an old friend. Maybe their artworks are inspired by introspection or observation, a stroll along the ocean, a novel or sonata or … so many possibilities. There is poetry in life – sometimes soothing, sometimes a jolt – with which a visual artist may imbue their materials. But do not overlook the poetry found in a gracious handshake, a mischievous grin, and a delightful tête-à-tête.

Art Speak - David Kimball Anderson

2007-12-19T08:23:00.001-08:00

The image above is of a piece in David Kimball Anderson's exhibition currently on display in the Salt Lake Art Center Street Level Gallery entitled Spring Flowers (Strawberry Flowers) 1, created in 2007. He's written some words about his experience here:

The Salt Lake Art Center is one of the best kept secrets of the west. It is a fine museum with a smart and warm staff.

My work currently on exhibit is highly decorative and could have easily been dismissed as only such. However, the substance of the body of work is the result of research and and care taken to respect the life work of Morris Graves. The curatorial and support staff recognized the greater scope of my endeavor which is evident in the wall texts, installation and lighting.

The costs to mount an exhibition can be difficult or prohibitive for an artist. The Salt Lake Art Center gave me financial support without hesitation. With this assistance I felt the work was genuinely appreciated.

Yours,

David Kimball Anderson (And the Jazz played a great game against Cleveland!)

Don't forget - Art Center staff will be wrapping gifts at the Gateway Barnes & Noble today from 11 am to 3 pm. Come and visit!

Wrappin' Up 2007

2007-12-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

Salt Lake Art Center staff members will be at the Gateway Barnes & Noble tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday, December 19 wrapping presents for tips. Drop in from 11 am to 3 pm to finish up your Christmas shopping, and stop by our table to wrap it up and leave some love behind!

Art Center @ Sam Weller's Tomorrow

2007-12-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Art Center employees will be reading in Sam Weller's "living window" display tomorrow afternoon from 1 - 3 p.m. Come in during those hours and mention the Art Center to receive 10% off your purchase. At the end of our session, the Art Center will receive the sum of the discounts offered to our friends in the form of store credit!

Come out and get a gift for a loved one or stuff your own stocking while supporting the Art Center!

Art Center School Registration Begins Today!

2007-12-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Registration for Art Center photography and ceramics begins today. A listing of offerings and prices can be found on the Art Center website. Classes begin January 8, 2008 and the semester runs through May 1, 2008.

For more information, call 328-4201.

SF Recycled

2007-12-07T08:46:00.001-08:00

SF Recycled is currently on display in the Art Center's Main Gallery now through January 26, 2008. Eight artists were chosen by exhibit curator Jim Edwards; all have participated in the Artists in Residence Program at SF Recycling and Disposal, a waste and recycling facility in San Francisco, California. During their time in the program, each worked in studio space on site and had access to the trash and recycling waste that is brought to the facility for sorting and transport. They have each taken objects from "the Dump" and transformed them into works of art.

The image above is of Andrew Junge's Pandora's Box, made with an old toolbox and neon in 2005. Andrew has said: "Objects have power, they are invested with meaning and purpose by their makers. They carry with them sotries of past use, past users and often a history we, as their temporary custodians, can only guess at. This point becomes ever more poignant in the face of our capitalist/consumerist culture. We throw so much stuff away. Cool stuff."

If you've visited the show, leave a comment about your favorite piece or your overall reaction to the exhibit. If not, write about your own recycling experiences and practices.

Visit the Salt Lake Art Center tonight as a part of the Salt Lake Gallery Association's Holiday Gallery Stroll from 6 to 9 pm. For more information, visit http://www.gallerystroll.org/.

David Kimball Anderson: To Morris Graves

2007-12-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Sculptor David Kimball Anderson has created a series of works in response to flower paintings by artist Morris Graves (1910-2001). Working in metal and glass, Anderson has reinterpreted Morris's more ephemeral, two-dimensional images. Much more than an appropriation, these sculptures represent a re-imagining of beloved works in a different medium, and are very much an homage to Graves.

The work above is entitled Winter Flowers (Rosehaws) 1 (2007). By incorporating paint in his own way, Anderson makes the weighty flower vibrant; one can almost imagine it truly curling and bending with a breeze.

The installation of this series in the Art Center's Street Level Gallery is unique, inviting viewers to ponders each piece in a calm, almost meditative environment. One might get the sensation of having walked into a strange garden, with each piece arranged just so and lit theatrically to highlight its form.

If you've attended the exhibition, please leave comments about your experience. If not, can you think of other examples of artists incorporating the images of other artists into their work? Have you ever been inspired by artwork and let it guide your own creative process?

Masters of West Coast Assemblage and Collage

2007-12-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of the holiday Gallery Stroll coming up this Friday evening from 6 to 9 pm, posts this week will focus on the three exhibits currently on view at the Salt Lake Art Center. Masters of West Coast Assemblage and Collage is featured in the Projects Gallery and runs now through January 26, 2008.

The image to the left is entitled Ragtime, by Betye Saar (2005), and was lent to our exhibition courtesy of the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery of New York. It is one of five works that represent exhibit Curator Jim Edward's idea of where collage and assemblage began and how it became so important to the development of art that came after.

If you've seen the show, please leave a comment about what you thought; if not, what do you think of collage? Have you had any experiences viewing or creating it?

Welcome to the Salt Lake Art Center Blog!

2007-12-04T08:11:00.001-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, we present a new addition to the Salt Lake Art Center's online presence - an Art Center blog. Our hope is that this site will be a venue for discussion about the Art Center, it's exhibits, mission, and current aesthetic, cultural and social issues. We encourage you to check back often and leave your feedback for us and for each other.

We invite you to come visit the Art Center while you're downtown viewing the lights to see our contribution to the festivities. The Art Center is open Friday evenings until 9 pm, but our lights are on every night to brighten your downtown stroll.

Speaking of strolling, don't miss out on the Salt Lake Gallery Association's holiday stroll, taking place this Friday, December 7, at participating galleries. It's free cultural fun, so bundle up and see what local galleries are offering! Visit www.gallerystroll.org for more information.

photo by Steve Greenwood