SUITE: Women Defining Space 02.13

SUITE: Women Defining Space 02.13
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Four years in, SUITE continues to be one of a handful of places where emerging dance artists can get a foothold and start work in our city. … read more

Gallery Stroll: The Great, Great Salt Lake

Gallery Stroll: The Great, Great Salt Lake
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For February’s Gallery Stroll, I recommend rekindling the romance with our own backyard by visiting three profound exhibits that act as love notes to the Great Salt Lake, all at the Utah Museum of Fine Art on the University of Utah campus. … read more

BADKIDS @ the UMFA

BADKIDS @ the UMFA
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Look who is at the museum—The Bad Kids! As multi-media selfie-installations and gender integrated performance art, I think they’ll feel at home here. … read more

The Night Contains the Day: An Evening of Rumi’s Poetry with Coleman Barks and David Darling

The Night Contains the Day: An Evening of Rumi’s Poetry...
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 For those who attended last year, don’t expect a rerun of the same pieces. According to Klerk, “They never do the same performance twice.” Barks chooses the poems spontaneously the day of, and Darling improvises in response. This reflects the essence of Rumi’s philosophy, which revels in the impulses that happen on the spur of the moment. By playing on their personal friendship, the duo makes manifest the love shared in every relationship, whether it be personal, professional, romantic, friendly or spiritual. … read more

Two to Watch: Gretchen and Paul Reynolds

Two to Watch: Gretchen and Paul Reynolds
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 They’re committed artists. Every room is clothed in images—landscapes of northern Utah, paintings for painting’s sake, personal photographs and points between. A leaved dining room table has been converted into a table tennis court, and that’s how our interview begins. Gretchen makes coffee for us and opens a beer for herself, while Paul beats me several times at ping-pong. Then we sit down to talk. … read more

SLUG Style: Nicole Morris of Omitted Youth

SLUG Style: Nicole Morris of Omitted Youth
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Far from the cookie cutter and suburban wardrobes of her Michigan hometown, marketer and designer Nicole Morris feels that her rock n’ roll and bohemian-infused style that always stuck her out like a sore thumb has found a better home with the eclectic style of Salt Lake. … read more

Salt 9: Jillian Mayer

Salt 9: Jillian Mayer
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 Jillian Mayer, a south Florida–based artist and Sundance Film Festival alum, is the ninth artist to be featured in the Utah Museum of Fine Art’s ongoing Salt series, which highlights contemporary work from emerging artists. Much of Jillian Mayer’s work investigates the fragmenting consequences of Internet usage through some of its most ubiquitous media—catchy pop songs, humorous YouTube videos, chat rooms and ephemeral linkages. … read more

Gheybin Comish and her Merman Obsession

Gheybin Comish and her Merman Obsession
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Comish points out her overall inspiration—she says, “I like the primitive act of fighting. I am into Inuit things and figures. I like the plump, fleshy figures.” I could not help but feel privileged to see notes, doodles and observations that she takes with her everywhere, a private insight to her whimsical imagination. Comish’s talent runs deep, and when she casually mentions that she was a child-prodigy pianist, I don’t bat an eye and enviously mumble under my breath something to the effect of, “Oh, of course you were.” … read more

Gallery Stroll: Turning The Corner

Gallery Stroll: Turning The Corner
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Utah is home to some amazing contemporary art venues and artists. Take, for example, Central Utah Art Center’s (CUAC) featured artist for the month of January, Steven Stradley.  … read more

The Skanks are Coming to Slamdance

The Skanks are Coming to Slamdance
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Documentary filmmaker David McMahon grew up in one of those pockets of open-mindedness and tolerance in the South. “It was a real lifesaver for me, growing up there. I got exposed to like-minded people and supportive people,” he says. So when he found out playwright Billy Ray Brewton was going to do an original musical called Skanks In A One Horse Town, he decided to give it a shot and turn the experience into a documentary, premiering at the Slamdance Film Festival this month.  … read more