New Things to See

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

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

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

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 ...

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!

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

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