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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.cor 5 ARTS ► Thursday February 27, 2014 "Utah's 15" showcases influential artists pi Jessica Julian PERFORMING DANCE COMPANY DANCERS PRACTICE THEIR CHOREOGRAPHY FOR THE UPCOMING PDC CONCERT, WHICH BEGINS TODAY AND CONTINUES WITH PERFORMANCES UNTIL MARCH 8. STAFF WRITER The artistry and passion of some of the state's most creative thinkers are highlighted in the exhibit "Utah's 15." The artists of Rio Gallery's "Utah's 15" have changed the landscape of Utah's culture. "This is actually a project I started a year ago," said Laura Durham, marketing and public manager for the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. "A couple years ago, I was looking through Time Magazine's ioo most influential people in the world, and I kind of got the idea of 'What if these people were artists?" Durham said that artists have a way of shaping the landscape in a society, a belief that recurs throughout the showcase. There are many remarkable artists in Utah, but what makes these 15 stand out are their contributions to the local culture. "I decided to have a nomination process and have people nominate artists who they felt were influential," Durham said. Durham was hoping for 5o nominees, but, she said, "We got 97 nominations from people, and they were across the map as far as artistic disciplines." Those featured in the exhibit come from all backgrounds, but the vast majority are visual artists. Joan Woodbury a professor emerita in the U's Department of Modern Dance, cofounded the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, which helped to establish Utah as a venue for modern dance. "You can just see what she's done — she's transformed the department," Durham said. "Dance used to be under the physical education department, and now they have their own dance department because of her and Shirley Ririe." Others from the U are represented in "Utah's 15." John Erickson's mixed-media work, which features paint, latex and magazine strips, is on display at the Rio Gallery. Erickson, a professor in the Department of Art and Art History for 3o years, is considered an icon of the 'stay true to yourself' artist. He encourages students to test the edges of creativity. Though he's not connected to the U, favorite local artist Brad Slaugh's paintings use motifs that will be familiar to art history students — though in an unusual, whimsical way. Micah Lehman, a Salt Lake City native and local painter, is an admirer of Slaugh's work. DANE GOODWIN/The Daily Utah Chronicle Professor John Erickson poses for a photo in his studio in the art building on Wednesday afternoon. "It's one thing to paint replicas of iconic images within art history. It's something entirely different when you can take portions of iconic images and then turn them into something that represents a twisted sense of Utah," Lehman said. Utah's 15: The State's Most Influential Artists, available for purchase at the gallery, celebrates the influence of the 15 art- ists with essays. "The book was my real project," Durham said. "I worked with all the artists to put on an exhibition to kind of highlight the book and what they do." Though the exhibit runs only through March 21, the book is a way to preserve its spirit. j.julian@chronicle.utah.edu CHRIS AYERS/The Daily Utah Chronicle SLC library makes art lovers of the unsuspecting Frances Moody ARTS EDITOR Books falling into all categories of the Dewey Decimal System are housed in the downtown library. Pulling from the literary genre of arts and recreation is the library's fourth floor gallery. Titled "The Main Gallery," this area presents an array of shows throughout the year. And this Friday, the gallery will tie up two exhibits — "Considerations of the Mixed Media Still Life" and "Always Within Never: Works by Una Pett." Like many art spaces, the Main Gallery aims to expose viewers to new concepts of visual art. However, many people believe galleries are reserved for culture's art lovers, but to librarian and part-time curator Paul Reynolds, the library's art space is capable of introducing art to people from all walks of life. "I think the library is a fabulous place to have a gallery because we catch a lot of people who aren't familiar with galleries or aren't comfortable going to galleries," Reynolds said. "A lot of library patrons just happen on the exhibits." For the last month, library-goers had the opportunity to discover the work of Jamie A. Kyle, a U master's student studying studio art. Intertwining twodimensional and three-dimensional elements of photography and drawing, she created an assortment of pieces for "Considerations of the Mixed Media Still Life." For the showcase, the gallery's walls became adorned with still life photographs. Taking the idea one step further, Kyle layered the black and white photos with two-dimensional medias such as drawing and painting. She concocted the idea of combining artistic genres when designing a setting for a photographic still life. "I started to think about the nature of still life photography. Why, if we spend so much time setting up the shot [lighting, arrangement, etc.], do we not go one step further and actually begin to create part of the image?" Kyle said. "We control every other aspect, so why not also take an active role in creating the still life?" Alongside Kyle's work, Una Pett's depictions of the downtown library's distinct architecture made a home at the Main Gallery. Closing this Friday, "Always Within Never: Works by Una Pett" highlights the quiet and comfortable ambiance of the library. Playing with the subtle changes of light and the mood it creates, Pett's work shows the art of an atmosphere in constant transition. By tracing the delicate shapes created by shadows and capturing the defining look of the building, Pett pays homage to the downtown hub. "There is a kind of everyday patience to these odd passages of beauty: they wait for us to take notice, to pause, to appreciate the play of light on form, the naturalistic echoes," Pett wrote in her artist statement. From the quiet corners of the library shelves to the loud statements of art on its walls, Reynolds hopes to combine the joy of reading and the passion of art. Because the library has the ability to attract those foreign to the world of art, Reynolds hopes that upon discovery, patrons will feel the urge to research the many mediums of art. "The library is all about exposing people to a variety of ideas," Reynolds said. "The gallery happens to be on the level where all our arts books are. This galley and the collection of books play off one another." fmoody@chronicle.utah.edu DANE GOODWIN/The Daily Utah Chronicle An exhibition by Jamie A. Kyle is on display at the City Library. |