Utah Visual Arts articles published in 15 Bytes, arranged by category.
This May, when residents of Alpine, Utah mourned the demolition of the town’s last remaining pioneer-era home, the Carlisle House—razed to make way for an expanding charter school—painter and sculptor Dennis Smith was among them. He grew up in this Utah County town, nestled beneath the soaring granite […]
For much of the 20th century, painting and photography felt like mortal enemies. Any history of Modernism will explain how the camera forced artists into the varieties of Abstraction, among other things. That the schism has now healed is shown by Maggie Davis in her “Windowpane Poppies,” a […]
There was no headline-grabbing announcement when Laurel Cannon Alder decided to leave the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. As grants manager, she wasn’t the public face of the division but rather one of the many art professionals who work in the community behind the scenes. And not […]
Dozens of ceramics line a back gallery at the Southern Utah Museum of Art. Some are so smooth yet tactilely tempting that you’ll want to reach out and caress them—or, maybe inspired by Harry Bertoia’s sound sculptures in the adjoining gallery, you’ll be tempted to pluck them with […]
Earl Jones, an influential artist known for his deep love of mountains and the human form, passed away Aug. 25, 2024 at age 87 after a remarkable life and career. His works, often described as poetic and unabashed, conveyed his vision of nature’s power and human vulnerability, themes […]
If there isn’t a narrative illustrated by “Flight of the Oculus,” viewers can be excused for inventing one. The appropriately highest panel on the wall depicts something that earlier generations would have pegged as science fiction: a drone floating in air on four spinning propellers. To the side, […]
Most Utahns know these towns as pit stops—places to eat, pee and refuel while traveling between the Wasatch Front and points south. They’re familiar only with the fringes, where chain restaurants and gas stations line the highway exits. But if you venture along the business loops between I-15 […]
A large drawing—large by most standards, but not by comparison with others hanging nearby—titled “Hazel’s Room” places an ancient symbol of menace, a wolf, at large in an up-to-date child’s bedroom. It’s every bit the nightmare image it appears: Hazel is the artist’s daughter, still an infant when […]
We’ve heard a lot recently about plans to transform or revitalize downtown Salt Lake City. There’s renewed interest in the city’s Green Loop, the idea for an urban forest meandering through the city that would provide more opportunities for recreation and community engagement. The grassroots Rio Grande Plan […]
There will always be artists who start out by looking closely at the world, then by copying it in one way or another. Doing so makes sense, after all, since appearances are often where knowledge begins. Later, it may become necessary to look beneath the surface, to the […]
Now on view at Finch Lane Gallery, “Life, Death, Decay (Olympic Peninsula) and Greenhouse” consists of a shadow box, the back of which depicts the Olympic Rainforest, the closest mainland USA comes to a tropical wilderness. In front of this dense forest of huge trees springing from lush […]
In a vitrine in the lobby of the Library of Congress lie the objects that were in Abraham Lincoln’s pockets when he was shot, one of which is a pair of reading glasses repaired with string. Contemplating these real objects is about as close as one can come […]
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art’s many virtues—currently under threat from short-sighted development—include its multi-level architecture, incorporating a vast space that still allows for intimate encounters. Right now, one grand wall of the main gallery is devoted to the unmatched video genius of William Kentridge, a South African […]
In the heart of South Salt Lake, a mesmerizing mural captures the essence of vibrant creativity and intricate storytelling. This large-scale mural, created by Key Detail, a Belarusian-born, New York-based muralist known for his vivid and dynamic compositions, transforms an otherwise ordinary wall into a vivid canvas that […]
Considering Logan artist Fazilat Soukhakian began her career as a photojournalist in her native Iran, it is unsurprising that we best know her artistic portfolio for works that center the human form, largely in a documentary style. You may have seen the Utah State University professor’s portraits of […]
Claudia Sisemore, a distinguished teacher, artist, and filmmaker, passed away on Aug. 9 at the age of 86, leaving behind a profound legacy that shaped the lives of many within Utah’s art community. Known for her charismatic presence, creative spirit, and deep dedication to the arts, Sisemore’s influence […]
Red Butte Garden and Arboretum is a dreamy venue for an exhibition, practically perfect in every way for Susan Makov’s dazzling 31-piece Tree Language, up through Aug. 26. The July opening was crowded and buzzing so the artist will give a talk and answer queries about her haunting […]
There’s a general rule at 15 Bytes: the art we write about should be on public display somewhere at the same time. For living artists, that usually means we’re writing about something made in the past year or two, freshly hung on a gallery wall. In the case […]
