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Show RS r - THE ARTS - RED MAROS risk wsm w -- -- MT I swi -- fWfljjjai' All I? t Their Element by Brooke Johnson An the Women's Week committee to nominate just one person who they thought made a difference in the community." Although there are 30 committee members, "there ended up old cliche says a picture worth a thousand words. that estimation, 24,000 fascinating words about the strength and dedication of women activists in Utah are crying out to be heard in the A. Ray Olpin University Union Gallery's latest exhibit. Titled "Activists," the show of 24 photographs of t Utah women activists line the walls of the small gallery in conjunction with this year's Women's black-and-whit- being 24 women who are being honored for their activist roles in Utah," said Duffin. The nominees represent "a huge spectrum of different ways that people are activists in the community." Each photograph shows the woman in her element. The places chosen by the women range from their offices to the Utah landscape to their homes. Photographer Tracy Longley-Coospent time to know each woman getting before photographing her, and Longley-Cook'- s insight into the motivations and lives of the e Week. Curator Lance W. Duffin had the difficult task of incorporating visual arts with the chosen Women's Week theme: (Reconstructing Activism. Duffin said, "I asked each one on k women is apparent. 1 A beautiful photograph of Alberta Henry, founder of the Alberta Henry Education Foundation shows nothing but Henry's face. Without scenery to explain Henry's role as an activist, her face says enough. Light filters through a window onto her face that can only be described as loving and generous. One of the most striking pieces in the collection, it is also the most simple. The photograph of Henry reflects her motivation for activism, and it also illuminates the motivations of other women honored in the room. Because each woman photographed has contributed in some way to the community, the stories behind the art are just as I W j .... . L je is see ACTIVISTS, page Rll t-- of influential Utah women. J Something For Everyone Art Festival Helps Homeless by Erin Robinson place of refuge for of homeless in the Salt valley was full of festivities last weekend. Local volunteers combined ambition and services at the 12th annual Feed The Hungry Foster The Arts Festival. More than 50 artists displayed their work throughout two buildings, donating a portion of their sales to the St. Vincent d Homeless Day Center. Tne center has grown from a one-- f r.om operation, to an organization with 18 programs covering the entire range of social services along the Wasatch Front. The organization provides shelter for hundreds each day, with food, job services, showers, substance-abuse management and medical and mental health refer-rn'- among ethers. Wuh the help of some 2,200 iteers, more than 165,000 meals The DePaul-Weigan- unique sculpture garden. Walking through the forest, visitors encounter bronze animals, giant chairs, human trees . and other unique works. Wetenhall ended the lecture by touching on issues that museums must address in the near future, from effective email announcements to enhanced travel pro- very different views on future of the Utah of Fine Arts were When Wetenhall arrived, the museum had recently finished architectural plans to build a major addition to the Cheek Mansion, the museum's home. Unfortunately, the city of Nashville at the same time wanted to create a downtown museum for travelling exhibits. Wetenhall recognized the resources were not available to build two new buildings in a relatively small area. So, in this era of constant expansion, Wetenhall proposed a novel idea instead of building an expensive new addition, why not focus on the museum's strengths and put the money into those instead. Wetenhall advocated renovating the existing buildings and accelerating the botanical garden's master plan into a 20-ye- r ar process. restoring the building to its original splendor, Wetenhall emphasized the museum's origin as a mansion. The stable and carriage houses were renovated and turned into intimate locations for rotating exhibits by local artists and for sizable works of installation art. In another stroke of genius, Wetenhall made use of the museum's estate to create a forest path to house a By 55-ac- patter advertised the "Feed the Hungry Fotttr thtAtU" event grams. practical. He flowed effortlessly between pieces, themes and practical business considerations. After a few brief pleasantries, Wetenhall told the audience he would cut to the chase and explain what everyone really wanted to know what he has done and why he is the best choice to lead the UMFA. The bulk of his presentation focused on his tenure as director of the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, located outside of Nashville, Tenn. three-yea- This artuttic " John HetenhuU's vuienary presentation nowed museum patrons on Friday. presented this week by finalists for the museum's executive director position. On Friday, John Wetenhall's lecture proved to be an energetic mixture of the visionary and the see HOMELESS, page Rll s it jn Two features photograph 1 -- by Brent Olson Union Gallery thorn "Activists" - 2001 one-mi- le re Wetenhall is currently a hot commodity in the museum-directmarket, having already turned down an offer from another institution because he would prefer the position here. Wednesday's lecture by Inez ' Wolins was a detailed exploration of research on museum attendance with an emphasis on children. Wolins presented research on why people visit museums and what they remember from those visits. She found that mothers play a central role in influencing how children view art and that activities designed for children were used just as often by adults. W'olins also noted that most of the adult visitors were frequently taken to museums when they were children. According to Wolins, the UMFA has great potential for future research opportunities. Both of the finalists did a fabulous job of highlighting their strengths in the lectures. Wetenhall showed strong business acumen and a visionary ability to focus on an institution's strengths and rally donor support to reach the goals and implement the vision. Wolins demonstrated her experience in the realm of museum education, and showed herself to be exceptionally strong in elementary education. At least one and possibly two more finalists will give public lectures in the weeks to come. After all the finalists have visited, a selection committee-consist- ing of current Director Frank Sanguinetti, Dean of the College of Fine Arts Phyllis Haskell and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David Pershing will make the final decision. or . . |