| Show 4E The Salt Lake Tribune Sunday January 21 George Dibble's art scene Show captures essence of Utah's grandest hotel fraSentiment is a grance carried from the sea Nostalgia is a little more compelling — like the hint of spring in a thawing landscape Stronger than either more compelling and reliably confirmed is an adjusted lifestyle that like a glove or an old shoe anticipates the slightest movement of its wearer It is an emotional frame of life adjusted to the movements of people and events — a much-lovebuilding for example well designed and created with inordinate craftsmanship a one-tim- e creation that may never recur once lost never regained It is history Laurel Ball Mabey remembers the Hotel Utah in visits with her mother when she came to Salt Lake City from Heber She remembers delightful luncheons together and the meeting of longtime friends Such memories were firmly rooted in a building of able craftsmanship which held its head high among others When we gave up these patterns we lost history she says "We lost a grand old lady when we lost the Hotel Utah" It is a pattern not novel in today's communities when changing circumstances bring poignant reassessments It was a shock that led Laurel Mabey to employ her art in a probe of the feelings and emotions that stirred with announced replanning for the elegant building that stands at the head of the city's Main Street Presently an associate instructor wind-blow- n George Dibble of photography in the University of Utah's art department Mabey undertook an analysis of her feelings with a documentation which required 10 months at a time when change paralyzed functions of the familiar center Her understanding appraisal of Utah's grandest hotel is being exhibited in the Loge Gallery in conjunction with Pioneer Theater Comp- d any's production of "Broadway Bound" Mabey says her photographs participate in "the act of connecting a present state (whether physical or psychological) to a past experience through the webbing of memories These photographs are the vehicle to rekindle saved and forgotten re- membrances" The project also satisfied part of the requirement for an MFA degree from the U of U where she received a bachelor of arts in 1984 People have responded enthusiastically to the magnetism of the beehive-capped building where meetings reunions and dining survived added construction to the hotel Con ference visitors were regularly united with friends and acquaintances civic clubs gathered in the Empire Room for weekly meetings and educational gatherings maintained a steady concourse through the handsome lobby and mezzanine Travelers began a busy day with an early breakfast in the cafeteria Professional and business people came from all sections of town and evening hours found regulars and visitors moving to the Roof Garden for exotic views of the city while dining and dancing It was a jeweled spectacular spelled out in colored lights on black velvet all the way to the edge of an inland sea Historic changes are wrenching bringing pain and stirring poignant memories The more aesthetically satisfying the experience the more painful it becomes The Hotel Utah was comfortably situated in a handsome part of the city and it carried off its belongingness with a dignity and artistry that enhanced its station Mabey was allowed to follow each dismantling step and her findings trace the heartbeat of a beautiful time while revealing much of the structural elegance that was overlooked in the business of the day A grand stairway glows in the limelight of sudden interest Refinement is evident in the details of bathroom fixtures or a heating element that lacking the cumbersome usualness of such could scarcely be re- ferred to as a radiator Classical simplicity in delicately formed newell posts and curving balustrades that move above and below rival the charm of eye and travel paths throughout the building Painting with light and shadow Mabey lets us understand much that was taken for granted and such understanding intensifies the emotional pangs Curiously one does not miss the association of people in the beginning study of the lobby The elevator beckons the rococo hoops roll along the mezzanine railing and the reception desk to the right is showered by light from the shimmering chandelier that enhances the magic setting Footfalls seem to recede in the awesome quiet that follows the camera artist in her peregrinations A confirmation of loneliness grows in the neatly stacked draperies or stored television sets Color in the photographs moved me less than the somber dignity of black and white or the delicate fragments of white light that seem to embrace color in the imagery as needed There is as much color in a Rembrandt etching as in his oils How better can the eloquent drapes express their devotion to heavy casements than in the soft masses of light and shadow alone? Quiet tones across the floor from a door a diminishing foreshortening of corridors and the perspective of going away offer a hushed note as the camera lens probes the ascending stairs It is good to see outside the building — along the west wall — where the light like the acid on a lithographic plate vitiates the grain of the artist's crayon This is where the traveler disembarked from the other world An aura of open sky augments optimistic reflections from the wall's smooth blocks of enameled white The trees which cast their leaves judiciously in autumn and flash their chartreuse signals in spring take on more of the air of Paris France This was always the best way to enter the building Like picking up a adventure from a far away place The exhibit runs through i " ' &mim&&' Laurel Mabey's "Hotel Utah Staircase" SL gallery invites visual artists to submit applications slides half-opene- d Visual artists who wish to exhibit in the Finch Lane Gallery during the year November 1990 through October 1991 should submit applications and slides to the Salt Lake City Arts Council by March 5 Applications are available at the gallery Finch Lane at Reservoir Park The Visual Arts Committee of the Salt Lake City Arts Council will select the exhibits Proposals may involve two or more collaborating artists or disciplines installations new technology or innovations or ethnic or multicultural subject matter Artistic quality craftsmanship and the needs of the community are among the selection criteria Traditional and contemporary art is exhibited at the Finch Lane Gallery which provides an opportunity for both emerging and established artists to present their work to the community WE BUY ENTIRE ESTATES OR SINGLE ITEMS Selected Consignments Accepted Batter grade furniture at fair prices Professional refinishing Over 1 2000 sq ft American Oak Pine & Walnut Furniture alt fake tribune 1990 SPRING HOME & GARDEN Laurel Mabey's "Hotel Utah Mezzanine" SMOW id) Thursday March 8th Friday March 9th Saturday March 10th Sunday March 1 1th AT THE SALT PALACE STARTING IN FEBRUARY 1990 WATCH FOR THE BRIGHT RED NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINES BECAUSE THE PRICE OF SPECIAL FEATURES: THE PAPER INSIDE IS o EXOTIC BONSAI © © © © THE REGULAR DAILY OR SUUDAY PRICE mm 71 9 JUST OUR WAY OF SAYING THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND CONTINUED PATRONAGE REMEMBER TO WATCH FOR THE BIG RED MACHINES WHICH MAY BE ANYWHERE TO GET ¥t OFF THE NORMAL PRICE (4 DESERET dt £akt $f ttmnr ORCHID DISPLAY RARE CACTI & SUCCULENTS DECORATIVE QUILTS © CRAFTS UNIQUE CERAMICS © PHOTO UTAH JCPENNEY FASHION SHOW F M mm 5 7 0 AM © © LIVE BROADCAST © PERSONALITIES PRIZES © REGISTER TO T NEWS REGISTER AT THE KISN BOOTH TO WIN A TRIP TO UNIVERSAL ' STUDIOS INCLUDES: AIRFARE RENTAL CAR ACCOMMODATIONS UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PASSES 9S5B3 i jta a n & m M jw 5Si BskwiIfc3ftJl feAtn i d |
