Gallery Stroll: Crawling Your Way Through Utah’s Art Scene

I have beer on the brain and I don’t know why. It could be that this is SLUG’s Fifth Annual Beer issue, and everywhere I look, from articles to ads, the word “beer” makes its way into every third sentence. Or it could be as simple as I want to get out of the house and throw back a few frothy pints.
Either way, I can’t help but think that gallery strolling has many similarities to the traditional pub crawl. A group of fun-loving, like-minded people migrate from one location to another, staying at each stop just long enough to take in the sights, chat up a few people, and have a little refreshment, then it’s off to the next locale.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t happen upon pub crawls every week or even every month. Did you know that you can find a Gallery Stroll happening in one of Utah’s fine cities every Friday night?  It’s true! Salt Lake’s Gallery Stroll takes place the third Friday of every month, but Ogden and Provo’s strolls take place on the first Friday, Sugar House Art Walk is on the second Friday and Park City’s is on the fourth Friday of every month! Using my “pub crawl = gallery” stroll equation, if you attended every gallery stroll, you could become an artoholic.

Fear not the ramifications of being an artoholic. The addiction can take years to show up, and by then you’re bound to have a huge house and lots of money to buy art, right? For now, we will focus on early intervention, using careful planning of which Gallery Stroll you attend and prioritizing the galleries themselves so you can keep your art experience healthy and fresh.

Always hip and never stale, Sugar House’s Art Walk (SHAW), has revamped and re-engaged its monthly art stroll, creating a dynamic group that includes over 16 venues showing close to 100 different artists each month­—from traditional forms of painting, photography and sculpture to modern dance, music and film.  Venues range from the historical, always electrifying Rockwood Art Studios to The Joint, a Chiropractic Care Center located near the Sprague Branch Library.

Sugar House Coffee has long been a place for artists and art patrons to intertwine, but manager Emily Potts explains why being a part of SHAW elevates that experience: “We are excited to have SHAW be a monthly event in the Sugar House community. Creating an inviting venue for artists to display art gives Sugar House Coffee the opportunity to contribute to community building and to enhance the character of local enterprise.”

Artistic Framing Company owner Scott Waters is excited to be a part of this energized group and see people back on the streets. “There are clubs, bars, restaurants and lots and lots of art, all within a very small walkable area,” he says. For a map of this area, along with a list of those participating venues, find them on Facebook.

Can you only make one stroll this month? I recommend taking a walk, crawl or stroll through Sugar House on May 11.