Utah’s art scene continues to evolve in unexpected and vivid ways — from ski slopes turned into open-air galleries at Powder Mountain, to community-driven murals in Salt Lake City’s Ballpark neighborhood, to shifting landscapes of funding and institutional change. Recent articles reflect this dynamic moment: a book festival grappling with major budget cuts, the closure of The Leonardo museum after infrastructure failings, and a quilting tradition rising into fine art. Together they map a state-wide cultural ecosystem that’s resilient, experimental, and deeply tied to place.
10/23 DESERET NEWS: This Utah ski resort is turning its slopes into an art show. Powder Mountain becoming a skiable art museum
There’s an artistry to skiing and snowboarding that comes with a blend of technical skill, creativity and style as skiers and riders choose unique lines down a mountain, seamlessly integrating natural features into their runs.
Powder Mountain has plans to add to that living art with a series of permanent installations on its northern Utah slopes, effectively creating a skiable outdoor museum.
“Collectively, these new works create pockets of wonder and introspection throughout the mountain. They’re sited with great intention, working in harmony with their natural surroundings,” Alex Zhang, chief creative officer, said in a press release.
“The idea is not to distract from the natural beauty of the mountains or the ski experience, but to enhance them and create seasonally dynamic moments for those who are inspired to seek them.”
10/20 DESERET NEWS: A Utah book festival lost funding due to DOGE cuts. Utah’s book community came together to fill in the gaps
To understand the challenges the Utah Humanities Book Festival faced this year, you have to go back to April 3.
That was the day, according to Jodi Graham, the executive director of the nonprofit Utah Humanities, that the organization received an email out of the blue, letting them know that their operating support grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities had been canceled.
That meant a loss of over $1 million — half of Utah Humanities’ operating budget.
10/19 DESERET NEWS: Salt Lake’s Ballpark community lost its anchor. These 10 new murals highlight how it’s still ‘unified’
As a Ballpark resident, Alli VanKleeck jumped at the opportunity when she heard Salt Lake City wanted artists to paint new murals all across her neighborhood.
She and Caroline Kane, who make up the mural artist group Smock and Roll, were selected and soon paired with a local business and worked to design a piece that tells a story of Ballpark’s baseball roots and beyond.
Their piece and nine others emerged over the past few months, which city officials and neighborhood leaders celebrated with a get-together with all the artists Thursday night.
10/8 VOYAGE UTAH: Daily Inspiration: Meet Emily Fox King
I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a child. My mom is a painter, and she always let me use her supplies and studio space, which made art feel like a natural part of my life. Growing up in a big family of seven kids, everyone was creative and talented, so I had to figure out how to stand out. Art became my way of doing that.
I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art from Western Washington University and later went on to complete an MFA at Brigham Young University. Both experiences shaped the way I think about creativity, not just as an individual pursuit, but as something that can connect and inspire communities.
I started painting florals unexpectedly when my dad asked me to paint something for his office waiting room. That was the beginning of many more floral paintings. While it wasn’t a subject I ever thought I’d devote myself to, I discovered I really enjoyed the process.
10/4 DESERET NEWS: How quilting became fine art. The history of quilting, from Jenny Doan to Carolyn Mazloomi.
The fabric she chooses features a melange of blues, from sky to Carolina to navy. Pulling in swatches of yellow, gray and white, she snips each one into a shape. She selects shapes to sew to other shapes and to her blue base, the accents helping to form a square. Then she repeats the process, block after block. Their sizes vary, because this is a human creation, but the results fit together in uneven rows. Eventually, a perimeter of twisting leaves frames a border of squares surrounding a deep-blue field dotted with what look like little white tadpoles. A massive eight-point star of stunning complexity rules from the center of the quilt.
Laurie Robinson, an understated 62-year-old from Logan, Utah, is pleased. Behind the quilt’s face, she will fill it with batting — stringy fluffs of practical cotton, luxury wool or an economical polyester blend — which lends both insulation and structure to the finished piece.
9/25 SLTRIB: Here’s why The Leonardo museum in Salt Lake City says it’s closing for good
After almost 15 years in Salt Lake City, The Leonardo museum has announced that it is permanently closing.
In a statement posted on the museum’s webpage, the institution said its decision comes after years of challenges from its 61-year-old building.
“Critical infrastructure necessary for The Leonardo to operate, including the escalators, elevators, and plumbing, has reached the end of its serviceable life,” the statement reads.
“Despite efforts with the city and dedicated vendors, these issues could not be overcome,” it continued, without citing more specific detail.
UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Categories: Mixed Media
