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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle, Wednesday, June 29, Page Eight 1983 1983 Utah Arts Festival Draws Record Crowds P by Kathryn Samuel Chronicle staff c- - B iWHjS ErITl 53 of a million people attended the seventh annual Utah Arts Festival, held June 6 in downtown Salt Lake City. Fifteen hundred volunteers worked for the festival which had a budget of $155,000 this year and is the only statewide, arts festival in the nation. This year's festival continued in the tradition of past and offered a potpourri of performing arts, visual artists, a children's art yard and food arts. Two popular additions to the festival were the Billboard Project and the phone booth theatre. The Utah Arts Festival has always been an opportunity to see some of the best performing artists in the state, and this year One-quar- ter 22-2- state-support- ed audiences were treated to outdoor performances by Dance Company, Ballet West and Repertory Dance Theatre, as well as belly dance troupes, folk dancers and jazz perfomers. Heart Throb Theatre, comprised of University Ririe-Woodbu- ry musical students, provided entertaining and theatre and the Children's Dance Theatre were spotlighted as well-perform- ed well. The Joe Muscolino band and the Saliva Sisters attracted a large crowd Friday night on the main stage, while an equally large number danced to Connie and The Rhythm Method at the Bistro Stage. 004 entertained a dancing crowd of thousands on Saturday night. Other musical performances included a barbershop quartet, The Utah Symphony with the Utah Opera Company, Syrinx, a classical flute trio and the Wolking-RovnSextex jazz group. Visual artists from Utah and 12 other states sold art works in 67 booths. painting, photography, fiber, metal work and jewelry, ceramics, batik, glass, papier-machand all sale. were for on and calligraphy display Designed and coordinated by a children's art group named Lallapalooza, the Children's Art Yard displayed design projects with sand sculptures, papier-mach- e, a community quilt, towering scarecrows and handmade pottery. Face painting by Lallapalooza transformed children and adults, into wild creatures. An international menu featuring southern style barbecued ribs, Creole and cajun seafood, Navajo tacos, barbecued shark, Greek souvlaki and pastries, Mexican burritos, Japanese yakitori, French quiche, crepes and croissants and Caribbean and West Indian seafood was available. Carts were filled with fruit kabobs, popcorn, snow cones and fudge sundaes. er Doll-makin- g, e, three-dimension- al A Billboard Project, sponsored by Reagan Outdoor Advertising, Inc., was a first for the festival. Out of 90 entries by visual artists, three designs were selected to be reproduced as 48 feet by 14 feet billboards. The winners were Philip Barlow, Ron Escudero and Peter Pigott and Gilbert Shaeffer of Innovation The winning artists received $1,200 each. Sixty reproductions of the billboards will be exhibited statewide 17. through June. Another addition to the festival was the phone booth theatre sponsored by Nordstrom and Mountain Bell. Eighteen Utah writers contributed 30 comedies, poems, monologues and ranging from 15 seconds to three minutes. These aural dramas were equipped with sound effects and background music. The Arts festival was sponsored with grants from the Salt Lake Arts Council, the Utah Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities and Triad Utah, as well as other private organizations. The Utah Arts Council has been invited by Triad Utah to hold the 1984 at the new Triad Center. mini-mysteri- es, JSj7fljmH ARTS Mm?mm .um 22-2- 6, 1983 Clockwise from top: Crowds gather to watch the performing arts at the Bistro Stage; Heart Throb Theatre performs a scene from "Prescription for Heartache;" and lemonade provide dozens of Arts Fest patrons with a refreshing snack. Children and adults cool off in the bubbling fountain. Over 250,000 people attended the Utah Arts Festival that ran from June Shark-on-a-sti- 22-Ju- ne ck 26. |