It was time for an art field trip so I took Friday September 9th to truck on down to Utah County in the state of Utah, USA, to visit some art galleries. I started out in Springville at the Springville Museum of Art and worked my way north to the Museum of Art on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo and ended up at the Orem City Public Library to see Abigale Palmers show of oil paintings. Here are highlight of my visits.
Springville Museum of Art
My main objective was to see the Mixed Reviews: Utah Art at Mid-century exhibit. I was able to make notes of artists I am not familiar with so I can look them up. Included with the show of paintings are two living rooms with furniture displayed as one might see in home.
Also at the museum is an extensive competition show of quilts. There are many traditional themes as well as some unusual themes.
There is also an exhibit called Soviet Stories: Layers of Reality that is quite nice.
BYU MOA etc.
I started off by going to the museum to see the “Monumental Matters exhibit of large sculpture and installations. There aren't very many pieces in this show but the most intriguing and engaging piece is a wall of glass jars filled with Windex in various shades of blue with video footage projected onto the jars.
I paid a visit to the Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC) to reminisce on days spent there back in the early 80s to see if there were any exhibits on display only to discover the art department has moved completely out of the HFAC to the old Provo High School. The music department remains in the HFAC for now.
I made an unplanned visit to the west campus in the old Provo High School to check it out. The art and design departments have a lot more space available to use than they had on the main campus. The art and design departments will remain there until construction of the new fine arts center is completed sometime in 2025. Stephanie Miller of the design department graciously gave me tour of the design facilities. I tried to visit the printmaking facilities but encountered only locked doors.
Fridays with the art and design departments are sleeper days when no classes are held so there wasn’t anything to see or observe. And the facilities are still under renovation.
Orem Public Library
My last stop before heading to my brother’s house for a visit was the Orem Public Library to see a show of paintings by Abigale Palmer who I follow on Instagram. I enjoy seeing her work online and since the real thing was so close to where I live I had to see the work in person. The show is titled “All the Colors”. There was to be an opening reception that night but since I’m not fond of driving in the dark I was allowed to get into the hall where the exhibit is hung so I could have a private showing. My thanks to the Orem Public Library.
I need to take more days like this.
Springville Museum of Art north entrance although you are required to use the east entrance. Springville, Utah.
One of several rooms of the extensive quilt exhibit.
This is my favorite quilt in the show.
Soviet Stories: Layers of Reality. Exhibition of painting from the Soviet Union.
One of the smaller paintings from the Soviet Stories exhibit.
Entrance to the Mixed Reviews: Utah Art at Mid-century.
One of two living rooms of the Mixed Reviews exhibit with typical furniture one might see in a home during the 50s and 60s.
Entrance to the BYU Museum of Art on the campus of Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
One of the installations in the Monumental Matters show at the BYU MOA a small show of large works. This one is by Rebecca Campbell and is titled “Two Years Supply: Clean”, 2016. Windex, tin plated steel, glass wood projection. There is a projector behind the spectator that projected a video that made the glass jars shimmer. Now and then one can see a large eye looking back at you. I found this one the most interesting and engaging piece of the whole show.
One Jim Dine’s painted metal word scuptures.
The Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC) where I hung out part of the time I was attending BYU back in the early 80s is now a ghost town.
One of the gallery spaces for the design department under renovation. The room through the lighted entryway in the middle of the image is the other half of the gallery.
Main wall of Abigale Palmer’s “All the Colors” show of oil paintings at the Orem Public Library in Orem, Utah.
I like these small oil paintings by Abigale Palmer.