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Show THE - SUMMER irii-- ii iiin C wrg'W.i1''"" THE CHRONICLE'S VIEW PT thing wi'ong about placing abstract oil paintings next to covers, or intricate shirts. next to Dancers and bands would never be expected to perform in tiny booths like commodities, yet visual artists must t It seems as if the true measurement of art has become its market value. If s lamentable that the future of art may come down to "festivals." Hundreds of spectators come to the festival each year to eat expensive gyros and get their faces painted. If even half of them went to visit an actual gallery, the state of art might be better off. Unfortunately, many people have never even heard about the free gallery strolls that are held sround the city each month. For sonae pecple, a festival is the only exposure to art that they ever stands and artists pedaling their have. "With that to mind, how cai "wares" in booths. they hep but view ar? as some"Artists wers not; exactly nteaot thing to shop for? Or a festivai as a to be business people flri, but place to look at photography, but. swecee-., only tae mariet-sjvv- y up buying s p$o;c$e? . . ; 1sc at as art fcstfaai the iestiv4 organizer WM , abfctf re there ta for bnsg-- v thtt r dyo&ps;, a'fck&i fc4 fortfesir watched aim ( inginal wfxiio tag There c-- .a P'm Axi i mmt centre rets - irt In art, an? ttfsy cw-it- eoiog anyone wiy T clkh tfttme for ioag. should be sppreciite-- ist :t own rifcht. But '.hero is Jh- axsxrx hvotshj cunxaiercyfL'zIng. i jwi some tin Ncr VAhGiE. TAX? VA'f vf..(ia-;,BVvVAp;A'c- eMQJGW EMPLOYE I TTTZTl IT..- mur A ST r TTC - ML THE MciJEY irnT YOU , csuo& pnpvZsi, lTj!gtM'T"w'?'"''"ll!( gs J J " tie-dy- ed vtl ior more " 1 light-switc- h wood-carvin- " r ",p""" "'". 1 A Grafts Market Is Not Aii Arts Festival was z time when art something. There a time when artists were applauded for experimenting with their medium, pushing the limits and basically trying to express something meaningful. That time, it seems, has passed. Now art is a business something to entertain the kids for a Saturday afternoon. At least that is what the Utah Arts Festival, held this past weekend, would suggest. The name implies a meeting piace for artists to shew their work and be appreciated by Utah patrons. What aerially occurred, however, resembled an art boutique or craft market rriore than a festival. Festival goers were greeted by ome amazing street performers, .such as the "electronic ballerinas" and a sidewalk chalk artist; but they also faced a barrage of food CHRONICLE UTAH U may stop naving xiy meaning at all Unsigned editorials reflect tfct mtjerity opinion ef Tb Diiy Utah Chronicle Editor!! Board. Editorial columns and letters to the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. The forum created on the Opinion Page is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolirence and respect. Material defamatory to an individual or group because of race, ethnic background, gender, appearance or sexual orientation will be edited or will not be published. T AFTER LETTER TO ,V, WE'LL J. EVEYqlE HkVcH T& EQUAUjfyv- - THE EDITOR Nothing Good About LGSU Center Editor: I was very sorry to read that the University of Utah was going to create a resource center for the Lesbian and Gay Student Union in the A. Ray Olpin University Union. I disagree with Barbara Snyder that this is "a most positive direction for the University of Utah." I sympathize with the notion of equal rights. However, the demands emanating from the gay movement sound more like spoiled children who want their lollipops. It is a far cry from meager demands of the suppressed. Minoritarianism is by its very nature selfish and without regard for the common good. With cultural and moral relativism as its vehicle and tolerance as a guise, it replaces morality with amorality, cultural identity with pluralism. The consequence is dissolution of cultural unity and civic morality. This is discouraging enough, but it is downright depressing to know that individuals are run ning toward it, embracing it as a better way of life. Most embarrassing is the fact that among those supporting the incoherence arc the intellectual elites, the supposed "wise men" of our time. Relativism is the progwhich begets moral chaos. enitor of One wonders how such a notion that this could be good for society ever made its way into the thoughts of the "elite." Perhaps it is their affinity for tolerance. True it is, that tolerance has increased, but with it immorality. Homosexuality, tccn sex, tccn pregnancy and a decrease in sincere religion arc only a few examples. So unlike Snyder, I do not regard the LGSU's advance into the public square as positive. In my view, it will only and demoralize the traditional serve to further American way of life. JARED WALKER Junior, Political Science post-moderni- dc-cult- Don't Le t Big City Bug Infect Salt Lake -- JAMES SEAMAN Chronicle Opinion Columnist month, I took a trip to the promised That place where the soil is rich the roads are paved with gold. I speak, of course, of California. Specifically, it was San Francisco I wanted to visit. Shooting west across the desert on the y I dreamed of asphalt of and Fisherman's Wharf, letting Robert Plant set the mood with "Going to California." All the while, I kept home nestled in the back of my mind. Inevitably, the comparisons between Salt Lake and San Francisco began working their way to the front of my brain. San Francisco is clearly the superior town, isn't it? The city by the bay is the home of Alcatraz, the birthplace of Joe DiMaggio and the object of Tony Bennett's affection. Few towns are recognized for their ability to survive a truly epic disaster. San Francisco has weathered two. The famous 1906 tremor resulted in a fire that must have seemed as though it escaped from the very bowels of hell when the Earth split open. And the 1989 quake was a catastrophe beyond even biblical proportions it halted the World Series. What, then, of our fair city? It sits high in Last Haight-Ashbur- o, the mountains, next to a great lake with no fish, under a sky that won't rain. Salt Lake City is there, somewhere, in the middle of nowhere. And though Salt Lake is certainly the state's jewel-- a relative marlin in Utah's sea of guppy towns-- it is still shark bait next to this nation's great cities. Perhaps Salt Lake is also destined for greatness. It seems, at least, that many people here entertain such ideas. With the Winter Olympics getting ever nearer, Salt Lake has its eyes on a larger prize. Maybe we will eventually become like San Francisco. Famous tourist attractions, a real night life and a downtown actually wider than five city blocks if Salt Lake could just get itself on the map. Civic leaders and overzealous alike want our city to become a showcase to lay-peop- the world. And for two wild weeks, Salt Lake will be the center of attention as figure skaters and luge runners do their thing. But what happens when everyone leaves? There is still that haunting uncertainty of what is left in the aftermath of the gold rush. Sure enough, there are plenty who hope that Salt Lake will become a media darling and a financial center. Tourists will visit, businesses will flock and people will move here. At least that is the hope. But the wisdom of the ages rightly warns to be wary of what you wish for you might just get it. So even as I hear local media posing the question, "How does the world see Salt Lake?," I return to a more important query: CHRONICLE COPY j le OPINION EDITOR SCOTT LEWIS "Who cares?" Clearly, one of Salt Lake's greatest assets is its relative isolation. It's certainly not a backwater city, but most people outside the region probably don't realize how great Salt Lake is. If they did, Salt Lake would cease to be great. The thing that makes Salt Lake livable in comparison to say, San Francisco, is that you can live here. The cost of housing isn't completely out of reach. You can find a parking space. You can even stretch your arms out. Everything in trade-of- f, Eife is a and Salt Lake currently sacrifices the thrills of the big city for the sanity that escapes most of those same metropolises. Roaming the big city for a few days made it obvious that Salt Lake is lacking in many areas. This town simply isn't large enough for great art museums or its own district of Italian restaurants. Still other problems loom larger for Salt Lake, such as the ultimate failure to welcome and embrace significant cul- Huge urban centers certainly have their advantages, and I love many of the ones I've spent time in: New York, Philadelphia, Scat-tiand even that blustery, midwestern to the world Chicago. This being said, the fact that Salt Lake is too small to attract a hoard of venture capitalists or a gob of tourists is not a complete detractor. and Salt Everything in life is a trade-ofLake currently sacrifices the thrills of the big city for the sanity that escapes most of those same metropolises. For those wishing to make Salt Lake their ticket to the hoping to turn this desert outpost into a social command center, try to realize how green the grass still is on this side of the fence. The afternoon rush hour here docs not last three hours, and all the diamonds of the night sky can still be seen from just a few minutes outside of town. Such is not the case in big cities where artificial light and the sheer crush of human weight squeeze out the subtlety of nature and strip the Earth of its beauty. From your living room window or backyard you can see the Wasatch Mountains in all their grandeur, with the canyons and a thousand great trails only a stone's throw away from your television set. But if Salt Lake were ever flooded with a wash of humanity, the natural spectacle would be replaced with a neon sign. c, hog-butch- f, big-tim- e, tural diversity. LETTERSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU er see BIG CITY, page 6 581-704- 1 |
