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Show The art scene The Salt Lake Tribune Sunday, July E3 15, 1984 Presentation a high point of Utah 84 By George Dibble Utah 84' looks good not cause it is the most prepossessing of works by f the state's artists albeit an abun- - ; dance of excellent Ij entries are in the f be- VI J show. Even with a considerable variety of expressions, it is not the widest range of style and expression. Nor is Mr Dibble it the most gener- ally representative expression of all the artists of the state. Characteristically the influence of educational institutions is marked by evidences of regional strength. There are many new artists represented along with veteran contributors to the annual show. Perhaps the aspect which lends preeminence to the exhibition this year is a feeling of assurance which builds in the congenial walls of a familiar institution the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. There has been considerable talk in the past of rotating the event from one community to another. Eloquent arguments from time to time pointed out the fairness of a policy which would take the exhibition on the road, so to speak, but that was before the different agencies of the Utah Arts Council and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts among others set up travelling exhibitions. Stands There were prior occasions, before such services were available, when Utah communities saw their first forg mal exhibitions of original art through the expediency of sending art staff members from universities with a truckload of art works for stands. I remember such a journey to the community of Monticello and the excitement that attended the viewing in the high school gymnasione-eveni- um. One of the major reasons for localizing the annual state art exhibition at the State Capitol building was a felt need to express Utah art works to tourists and other visitors. There were frequent hassles between Capitol guides who wanted to show off the building and art officials who wanted the gracious light from the dome to fall on a rotunda filled with painting and sculpture. All of which brings us to a point. The most exciting aspect of the current show Utah 84," is its presentation. With due respects to the fine museums and galleries that offer services at other state institutions, events which brought the Utah Museum of Fine Arts into being seem to have established an official home for the waif that had wandered for too many years. Excellent Facilities Although other agencies offer good museum. Gallery space has been made available to facilitate public viewing of a show with complex qualities, says director Frank Sanguin-ett- i. "We have kept larger and more vigorous pieces in a congenial grouping. The public can enjoy an exhibit where there is no conflict. Smaller works such as prints, photographs and other paper works are to be seen in another gallery. Professor Sanguinetti pointed to the diverse nature of all works submitted for entry in the show approximately 130 works selected from 750 entries. It might even be appropriate to schedule more than one event annually, he said, to properly feature different kinds of art. Works are usually juried by general experts. Those with expertise in categories. We selected works which special fields would be helpful in separate disciplines. Weavers, watercolorists, designers and photographers would benefit from such arrangements. Utah art has grown by leaps and bounds in quantity and excellence in the last few decades. Such presentational measures would enhance exhibition technique considerably. Permanent Collection In conformity with a policy to retain outstanding examples of the year for the permanent collection, three works, two paintings and one sculpture were selected. Randall Lakes Studio Wall, represents high painterly accomplishment and a very interesting ideational concept. The environs of the studio where work becomes routine in a strikes tens of thousands cer-tifiab- ly Baddley, Jacqui Biggs, Carryl Brown, Royden Card, Jenni Christensen, Shawn Clark, Ed Dolinger, Larry Eisner, Maggie Harrison, Thomas B. Kass, Robert Marshall, Bonnie Phillips, David S and G. Vaughn. Commenting that entries seemed to reflect the current of contemporary art with no style or trend dominating, the judges, James Haseltine, former director of the Washington Commission on the Arts, Olympia, and George Neubert, director of the Museum of Art of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, cited the exhibition "for the richness and creative energy of the artists of the region. Most Accomplished Works We tried to select the most accomplished works from a large number of submissions covering many accommodations for the annual show, facilities are excellent at the Best-selleri- tis Continued from Page E-- 2 made it a smashing best seller, presumably because its author had a respectable name and because she had written what was, if nothing else, an indisputably large tome. Ditto for James Gould Cozzens By Love Possessed, surely the least sexy sex book ever published; for William Faulkners A Fable, which has been read to its conclusion only by graduate students and assistant professors and one misguided book reviewer, for Saul Bellows Herzog, which is every bit as obscure in certain patches as The Name of the Rose is reputed to be. Readers Were Scammed These books and many others like them have become best sellers for reasons fundamentally unrelated to their merits or lack of same. The Cozzens and Bellow books got wildly extravagant reviews that practically ordered people to march out and buy them; but once these people sat down and tried to see what all the hullabal general sense was examined by the a painter with careful scrutiny concern for the casual yet meaningful aspects of everyday life. The other painting, Chair by E. David Dornan, is another work brilliant in execution which takes a common subject as a beginning point. The paint glows with the exciting nuances of lucid color. This work also won a cash award. A bronze sculpture, Mirage Seeker, a highly expressive piece by Laura Lee Stay, received a purchase award. Other cash awards went to David loo was about, millions of readers re- alized theyd been scammed. As for Faulkner, he had never been read in his native country, but by the time of A Fable he was a freshly minted Nobel laureate, and soon the novel inexplicably was awarded a Pulitzer Prize; therefore its appearance on a coffee table was taken to be prima facie evidence of its owners seriousness of mind, even if he never did manage to get beyond page 93 of the damned thing. Precisely how it is that such prestige was awarded to The Name of an esoteric mystery the Rose written by an Italian philosopher, of all things is surely one of the greater, and indeed more charming, enigmas of the age. But there you have it: In its hardcover editions it adorns the end tables and bookshelves of tens of thousands of proud members of the upper-middl- e class; and now, in its mass-markpaperback edition, it adorns. . . well, that, alas, is another story. Poor woman. et ic persuasions and media $ Rent or Purchase 25 00 Karen Andrews painting of the Marion Hotel, which stood on land now occupied by Howard Johnsons, is part of Utah 84. Suzuki, add to an interesting show. Photographs by R.T. Clark, Fred Wright, Richard Santiago, a woodcut by Royden Card, an intaglio by Kerri L. Buxton, a painting in gouache and By Anne Palmer Tribune Staff Waiter The visual arts have been an important facet of Utah society since the first inhabitants rolled into town, and with the Utah 84 competition and exhibition at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, one cannot help but admire the rich development of our local culture. From pioneer drawings to contemporary neon sculpture, Utah artists have clearly come a long way in developing specific regional styles; styles which identify their artwork as uniquely Utahn. Thanks to the foresight of Alice Merrill Horne, who in 1899 introduced a bill to the third state legislature to create the first state arts agency and an annual statewide exhibition which allows artists to participate in a juried art competition, the state is able to annually supplement a fine arts collection which boasts the best from both past and present. Oldest in U.S. 84 is actually the 85th anUtah nual state exhibition, and the project represents what is said to be the oldest state show in the United States. The vast array of styles and mediums exhibition on display in the evidences what jurors George W. Neubert and James C. Haseltine termed a reflection of the current of contemporary art with no one style or trend dominat130-wo- ing. In the process of awarding 15 $200 cash grants to artists whose works were selected as outstanding pieces in the show, jurors explained their criteria. The best works, we felt, were those which reflected a subjective and personalized response to the creators environment. For over 75 years, the Best of Show work from the state competition was purchased and added to the state collection. Since 1977 funds have been sufficient to pur jury-award- per mo. four-memb- er Buys Other Works According to Utah Arts Council director Ruth Draper, not all purchases are restricted to the annual exhibition. We are constantly looking for some specific historical artists to add to the collection. Willis Adams and C.C.A. Christensen are two artists in particular whose works the council is trying to acquire. Rising local, national and even international popularity of Utahs historical painters has made the works increasingly difficult to find, while high demand continues to drive up prices. The council remains hopeful that citizens will make private donations to the states collection, which is valued at $1 million. In the past, the collections focus was on works, with painting being the dominant medium. Now, however, the fine arts collection includes sculpture, crafts, prints, and photography, as administrators work constantly to build the depth of the collection. Three New Works This year $6,000 in purchase awards went toward acquiring three works for the state collection. Selected were two oil paintings, The Studio Wall by Randall Lake and Chair by E. David Dornan, and a bronze sculpture, Mirage Seeker, by Laura Lee Stay. An important dimension was add- - Cozy Environment The home has a cozy environment, with hand-tile- d fireplace and linen wall coverings. Curators intend to restrict historical works to the buildings main floor, while contemporary works will be displayed primarily on the upper level. July 19-Her- West Brass Quintet itage August 31 at 8 p.m. Admission, $4 per performance. For further information, call 521 --6040, ext. 4080. INSTITUTE Easy chairs. BEETHOVEN CHARLES ANDRES KETCHAM, CARDENES, Violinist Conducting 298 W table, 24" leaf Bow Back Side Chair Overture to Egmont Violin Concerto Symphony No. 5 Phone:533-640- 7 String Chamber Music All performances begin in the Music Pavilion. All p.m. Friday . The council places a great deal of importance on educating the public about the visual arts, and plans are under way to continue developing educational programming in regard to Utah art. Last year five lectures accompanied by slide presentations of state collection works were presented throughout the state. For those who have some interest in the visual arts already, docents are being sought for positions at the Chase Home. Volunteers will give tours and help plan arts programs to be presented to civic groups. Accord-ing to Dan Burke, Docents dont necessarily need any experience, just an interest in Utah art. He plans to offer training next fall. (Similar to illustration) - 8 well-receive- d. Chamber Music Series Friday, 8:00 p.m. Symphony Hall Saturday, 5:00 p.m. Snowbird 7-- mini-show- Spend Summer With Us! 48 Round Oak Table withl 24 leaf 4 Oak Bow Back Side Chairs 261-066- Meanwhile, works belonging to the in the Utah Arts Councils Glendinning Gal-- , lery, 617 E. South Temple. There works are constantly being rotated and displayed. Several paintings decorate Utahs Capitol. In addition, spes from the collection cial are put together as travelling exhibitions. These are displayed throughout the state in community centers, schools and libraries. Last year, the Utah winter landscapes show, which included 25 works from the fine arts collection, was extremely state collection can be seen SNOWBIRD nMMMi 0 FASHION PLACE MALL WAREHOUSE 4195 So. 500 West. p.m. Also Zim-beau- ed to the collection as a result of the recent arrangement between the Utah Arts Council and the Salt Lake City Parks and Recreation Department to restore the historic Isaac Chase Home in Liberty Park as a permanent site for the state fine arts collection. After years of shuffling the works between the Utah State Fairgrounds, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Salt Lake Art Center, and the Utah Arts Councils headquarters on South Temple, a fixed showplace has finally been secured where the access. public will have year-roun- d A retrospective show of the collection is planned for the Chase Home in r. Meanwhile, the home has been refurbished to exhibit a show titled Integrating Art and Crafts Into Architecture and Interior Design. The exhibition has helped to prepare the Chase Home as a gallery space for the installation of the state collection and a showcase for special exhibitions of Utah artists. chase between three and five works a year which are selected by a visual arts committee. According to the Utah Arts Councils visual arts coordinator, Dan Burke, an annual effort is made to choose not only the best works, but those which will help round out the collection. That collection now includes over 1,000 pieces. The council attempts to acquire works from various artists and in different mediums that are representative of the finest art work produced throughout the state. smm (pair CflDUWITIHlY Featuring Charles R. Walter, Hanil, Everett, Lowrey, Conn. Symphony and Snowbird tickets on sale at 123 W. South Temple 10 a.m.-5:3- 0 pastel by Marah Rohovit and an ink and wash drawing by Francis x with others contribute to another lively exhibition that may be seen through Sept. 2. State collection boasts best from past, present PIANO CONSOLE we felt demonstrated technical proficiency of material and media combined with a creative understanding of form and content. The best works we felt, were those which reflected a subjective and personalized response to the creators environment." Personal Favorites Among those checked on my program were a combination of newsprint and paint by David S, Kiyoshi Miyakawas metal Field, combining simplicity, strength and dignity, David Pendells Sky Tray, an elegant combination of earthenware, china paint and lusters; Ed Dolingers "Oblique Incident, in mixed media. Robert Marshall's "Pot Series 1, a fiber piece by Sharon Alderman and a portrait, Louisa by Lee U. Bennion also scored high on my list. Gary E. Smiths "Earth Man, a monumental figure of a worker accustomed to elementary forces of sun, wind and work, makes a poignant statement. Two works on paper in combined media by Thomas B. Kass, Carryl Browns ceramic work, Hung Kwai Chans oil and John Shaws mixed media work, are compelling. A pencil study by Hagen Haltem, a watercolor by Kim Grail, Stephen Lymans brushink on paper, Meredith Moenchs mixed media, The Agency of Fire, John Hess cotton-doubl- e weave, Kit Flannerys Bag Lady, watercolors by Bonnie Phillips, an ink on canvas study by Margaret Card and stoneware by Roichi Snowbird tickets also on sale at Snowbird until 5 p.m. Saturday. Phone 521 6040 59 China & Upholstery or slipcovers, plus draperies, pillows and bedspreads Calico Comers will help you decorate with ease. We have the designer fabrics you want in stock, at savings of 30 to 60. 643 Buffet Professional finishing available (fLICO Corners twttI FURNITURE 6150 South E31CTC31Y 3232 Highland Drive 467-313- lV provide custom labor. State 265-942- 3 (across from Fashion Place Mall) 10 a.m. to 6 pan.; Open Mon.-Sa- t Thurs. eve. 'til 8 p.m. 1 fc -- f Rs fa fa, fa, Jfa.fa fa fa JR. Jfa jfa 0 jfa JJj. 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