UMOCA May Newsletter

FEATURED ART

Mark Leckey: Green Screen Refrigerator

We all share the childhood experience of trying to catch the refrigerator light turn off before the door fully closes. We curiously investigate if the light is eternally on inside, even when no one is looking.

Mark Leckey's "Green Screen Refrigerator" assumes that the light is always on. The 9-minute video ventures through a Samsung Smart Refrigerator's stream of consciousness as it contemplates its origins, purpose, role in the universe, and intelligent design through its advanced features. Echoes of 2001: A Space Odyssey resonate through Leckey's piece, as the refrigerator takes on the form of the Monolith and demeanor of the HAL 9000 computer. The backdrop of "Green Screen Refrigerator" even recalls Dr. David Bowman's space-time journey in the stargate sequence from the 1968 Sci-Fi classic. Displays of our world and beyond are complemented through the rumbling sounds shared by the refrigerator's inner workings and the coldness of space travel, creating a voyage worth traveling.

Just as we found as children, we could never quite catch the light shut off before the door closed completely; we can never know the definite bounds of consciousness. Aristotle posited everything has a share of soul, and Leckey's work beautifully capitalizes on this idea through the existential thoughts of the sleek, shiny black, modern kitchen appliance. [Written by David Luhr]

EXHIBITIONS OPENING THIS MONTH

Utah Biennial: Mondo Utah

MAY 10 - DEC 14

The inaugural Utah Biennial of Contemporary Art presents artist statements, collections and positions that help define the cultural landscape of Utah and the specific languages the environment here has produced.

"This first biennial looks at the myriad of ways in which Utah has been used as a site, subject, support, and material," says Senior Curator Aaron Moulton. "Mondo Utah celebrates the diversity and richness of Utah's cultural landscape with a spectrum of voices from all sides of the community. Utah's cultural lore, forgotten icons and parallel art worlds re-imagine the possibilities and relevance of regionalism within an ever-globalizing perspective on contemporary art and cultural production."

Institutional collaborations and collections come from the Church History Museum, CUAC, Summum, the Special Collections Department at the J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Electronic Arts Intermix,

Wolf Productions, the Andy Warhol Museum, and the Salt Lake Art Center Collection. MORE>

Artist Lecture 7 PM

Opening Reception May 10, 8-10 PM

After Party At CUAC | 175 east 200 south

The Readymade Persona

A Selection of Screen Tests
By Andy Warhol
MAY 3 - JUN 8

Andy Warhol's Screen Tests are a seminal moment in the history of portraiture. Warhol asked hundreds of people to take five minutes and just sit in front of the camera without direction. The result reveals an essence of the person through their boredom and posturing. The subjects presented at UMOCA are Marcel Duchamp, innovator of the readymade; Jack Smith, a filmmaker whose work focused on slippage in states of being; and Allen Midgette, a man who played Warhol publicly until unmasked in Salt Lake City in the late 60s. MORE>

Artist Lecture 7 PM

Opening Reception May 10, 8-10 PM

Free Admission, $5 donations are appreciated.

David Ruhlman:A History of
The Hidden World

David Ruhlman's mixed media paintings are visual palindromes reflecting the circular nature of beginnings and endings.

A History of the Hidden World is an exploration of double entendres, surreal metamorphosis and natural phenomena. These themes relate to apocalypticism and how this mysterious fantasy spawns concepts of beauty and transcendence.

The artist experiments with form, color and texture, resulting in his own unique visual language. Recurring images of rams, reptiles, birds and fragmented figures tell stories that are not linear, but rather are repetitive trajectories of whimsical fable. MORE>

EVENTS

POP Gala

Each year, the award-winning Utah Museum of Contemporary Art hosts one of the most exciting gala celebrations in Utah. Enjoy an artisan dinner with entertainment, dance the night away, and get a charge out of our live and silent auctions.

One of Salt Lake City's most anticipated parties, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art's annual gala is a fun and sophisticated way to show your support of the state's contemporary arts. MORE>

JUN 1 at 6 PM

PURCHASE TICKETS>

Curatorial Walkthroughs

Our new curator tour series provides a behind-the-scenes opportunity to experience UMOCA and our presentations of groundbreaking artwork by local, national, and international artists. At the conclusion of the gallery walk, enjoy the opportunity to informally engage the curator with your questions and personal responses.

MAY 3 & 17 at 6 PM

Free admission, $5 donations are appreciated.

FAMILY ART SATURDAY

Making a Hive: A Collective Art Project

May's Family Art Saturday project will draw inspiration from the Utah Biennial: Mondo Utah.

This project Making a Hive invites families to work like a bee--together, that is!--to create a collective wall sculpture made up of individual honeycombs, each representing the person who creates it. This project will continue to grow with each child's addition and will be displayed on our Education Gallery wall throughout 2013. Participation is free, but donations upon admission are appreciated.

May 11 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM

MORE>

FILM SCREENINGS

The Invisible War

Nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards and directed by Kirby Dick, The Invisible War will be showing in the auditorium at 7 PM on Wednesday, May 8th. This documentary film features a groundbreaking investigation and powerfully emotional indictment of the sexual assault epidemic of the U.S. military unveiling one of the most well-kept and shameful secrets of our time.

Free admission or $5 donation is appreciated.

May 8 at 7:00 PM

ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS

We are 'Best Museum' in State 2013 for the Third Year in a Row

The Best of State Awards were created in 2003 to recognize outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses in Utah. Evaluated by a panel of 100 judges based on achievement, field of endeavor and innovation UMOCA is again awarded Best In State. Admission to the museum continues to be free, but $5 donations are appreciated.

"We at UMOCA feel incredibly honored to receive this prestigious award for the third year in a row, particularly being among many of the West's most exceptional museums," says Interim Director Maggie Willis. "As a small staff, we are so thankful to our dedicated board, committee members, and our partner organizations that have continually supported UMOCA - especially through this transitional period. We remain committed to offering the public the best local and international contemporary art."

Mary Toscano and Trent Alvey
Award Winners for Artistic Merit

Finch Lane Gallery's recent exhibition of 15 Bytes' 35 X 35 featured UMOCA's Artist in Residence Mary Toscano and UMOCA Board Member Trent Alvey. Each artist was recognized for their performance and dedication within and to the Salt Lake arts community.

Mary Toscano received one of three Juror's awards at the show and Trent Alvey was named an honoree of the inaugural Utah's 15 awards.

UMOCA's Curator of Education Jared Steffensen Receives Dazzling Art Review in Sculpture Magazine

Jared Steffensen, has been a long-standing artist receiving his undergraduate from the University of Utah and MFA in 2006. His solo exhibition, "Mom's always afraid I am going to hurt myself ...I usually do," was reviewed in this month's issue of Sculpture magazine, a publication of the International Sculpture Center. Steffensen's show at CUAC in 2012 describes an unexpected yet overlapping dialogue between skateboarding and art-making.

WORKSHOPS

Art Fitness Cools Down

We are wiping the sweat from our eyes as Art Fitness wraps up another amazing educational experience. Keep your eyes open this summer for those participants who are flaunting those beautifully tone art muscles.

A special thank you to CUAC and local artist, John Bell, and his partner Mary Fresques for opening their spaces and working out with us.

Stay tuned for more Art Fitness Training this Summer.

MORE>

Art Truck takes flight to Tracy Aviary

The Art Truck is going to Tracy Aviary for the Urban Bird Festival this Saturday, May 11th! There will be on-going activities, keeper talks, and educational tours hosted by the Aviary introducing visitors to the fascinating life of birds

Come learn about your local bird life and experience the Art Truck this weekend!

May 11th, 10-3 pm

589 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84105

MORE>

FEATURED ART SHOP ARTIST

Eleanor Scholtz

Scholtz explores social concerns and the human condition with humor and charm. Sculptures of cigarette box monsters expose cigarette consumption as a social villain, yet the empty container and monster's cartoon like allure leaves the criticism playful. Scholtz's portraits contain equal magnetism in the way they capture a moment revealing each individuals character, even if the moment exists outside reality.

SEE MORE ARTISTS>

EVENTS

ART SHOP