William Lamson

Hydrologies Atacama 

 

At first glance this photograph does not seem to hold much, a row of white cones in an arid desert landscape. Yet, the more you stare at this "landing strip" of funnels, the more it beckons you to come closer and investigate. What are they signaling or representing? 


Hydrologies Atacama involved irrigating sections of the desert in the hopes of activating the dormant seeds and creating a line of flowers across the landscape. Lamson noted the task of awaking these seeds as like a ritual-a ritual that brought life to a dry setting and resurrected the earth. These cones housed pure life forms, small, tiny and delicate, only visible upon close examination. You may be looking for something large and grandiose, but sometimes the small things are far greater. There is simply more to the piece than what meets the eye. But when discovered, this desert becomes a place of renewal and growth amidst conflicting situations. Written by Hannah Stewart.

 

On view beginning October 17 as part of William Lamson: Hydrologies>

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
Quadruple Opening Reception

Pleas join us in a celebration of four exhibition openings for William Lamson, Amy Jorgensen, Catherine Yass and .gif Shop's second feature artist Adam Heath

OCT 17 l 7-9 PM
William Lamson: Hydrologies

William Lamson's Hydrologies represents two projects set  in  opposite hemispheres in which the mutual acts of adding and  removing water from the landscape become catalysts for generative works. 
 
Lamson engages the material agency of an ecological system and its geologic and cultural history. In
Hydrologies Atacama, Lamson irrigated linear sections of the Atacama Desert in Chile in an effort to activate the dormant seeds, while his
Hydrologies Archaea involves the removal of super saline water from the Great Salt Lake as a way to investigate how evaporation leads to calcified remains of hallophilic bacteria. View Exhibition>
 

Q+A With Lamson: OCT 17 | 6 PM

Amy Jorgensen: Far From the Tree

Amy Jorgensen explores themes and imagery of the apple as a loaded and sometimes contradictory cultural symbol. Her performative acts of eating, destroying, and documenting the common fruit speaks to the ways in which the apple embodies notions of sensuality, and by extension the female body, while simultaneously hinting to the negative connotations of a tainted fruit.

Through her exploration of this quintessential American symbol, Jorgensen rejects the traditional construct of the apple as a signifier of femininity and female transgression. Rather, she addresses themes of brutality embedded in the apple as a target of aggression. View Exhibition>

Projects Gallery: OCT 17 - DEC 6 
Catherine Yass: Wall

Winding through both dense communities and unspoiled landscape, Catherine Yass takes us through distinct experiences, corresponding to the sections of the barrier in Baka, Qalqiliya, Abu Dis and Al-Eizariya. Through a single viewpoint, Yass's movement of the camera is at once both subjective and mechanical. This restricted perspective of the camera parallels the limited view imposed by the wall, and embodies the impotent struggle to see the other side.
 

Through this documentation, Yass's Wall reveals a concrete and steel structure as a physical manifestation of psychological boundaries. View Exhibition>

 

New Genres Gallery: OCT 17 - NOV 29 

LEVEL UP

  

Hopefully you joined UMOCA last month in the first two debates of LEVEL UP, a series of five panel discussions starting at 7:00 p.m. that explore the social and ethical implications of in-game economics and open world creativity on global society. If not, don't be shy and come participate in the world of video games, philosophy and contemporary art with peers and our hosts Alex Johnstone, Associate instructor of Entertainment, Arts and Engineering at the U of U and C. Thi Nguyen, Professor of Philosophy at UVU.


T
he Minecraft Sensation: Creativity in Games 

The creative building game Minecraft has forced the hundred-billion dollar video game industry to again ask the question, "what is a game?" Explore the new trend of open-world games that emphasize the players' creativity. 

OCT 08 | 7 PM


 
Enter the Uncanny Valley 

In this contemporary society we saturate ourselves with digital information. As life-simulating technology continues to improve, how will we react when the digital world becomes more real than life.

OCT 29 | 7 PM 


Visiting Artist Talk: Carla Bengtson

Visiting Artist Carla Bengton will be gracing UMOCA October 30 for an artist talk. Bengtson's site-responsive projects are described as, "playful mediations between human nature and non-human culture." She has received numerous awards such as the Ucross Foundation Residency Fellowship and an NEA Individual Grant for Artists. Some of her exhibitions include: San Francisco Fine Art Fair; RKL Gallery, New York; POP Gallery, Queensland, Australia and more. 

OCT 30 | 7-9 PM
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Call For Artists: 2015 Annual Gala

Year after year, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art's Annual Gala emerges as the most exceptional summer kick-off party in Salt Lake City. The gala not only brings 300 art enthusiasts together, it also serves as UMOCA's biggest fundraiser of the year.

UMOCA is currently seeking submissions for the annual 12x12 Art Auction. The Art Auction is an effective place to get exposure among Utah's art collectors. For the second year the works will receive additional exposure as an official UMOCA exhibition with a reception and an opening date of May 22, 2015.

Submissions and Guidelines>

Salt Lake Design Week

Design surrounds us and impacts our lives daily. For an entire week, those influences will come together to celebrate Salt Lake's fourth annual Design Week October 13-18. The goal is to help foster and build interactions and collaboration between local designers and the creative community.

 

UMOCA is happy to be a part of this program engaged in helping creative minds honor unique and diverse talents in our community. 


The Narrative Experience
 
Join UMOCA Executive Director, Kristian Anderson in discussing video games as a type of cinematic narrative. 

OCT 13 l 2 PM

Wayfinding Walk 
UMOCA will partner with University of Utah graphic designers and architects along a wayfinding journey beginning at the Rio Grande.
OCT 15 
Get Ripped with Art Fitness
 

And it's back! Art Fitness is once again here to get you in serious shape and ready to pump some contemporary art iron. Whether you are set to work those muscles back into shape or are prepared to begin a new training regimen, you are welcome to attend our work out session on October 25 at UMOCA. This workshop will highlight works from Bikuben and William Lamson: Hydrologies.

 

For more information contact Jared Steffensen
 

Suggested $15 donation. 

 

OCT 25 | 11 AM - 1:30 PM

Evening For Educators: Push and Pull
Ideas of Migration in the Beehive State
 
UMOCA's exhibition Bikuben examines Utah heritage and ideas of migration through the lens of Danish contemporary art. This Evening for Educators will include hands-on workshops and lesson plans that explore how to use art to teach relationships between Utah's history, geography, and diverse cultural influences.

 

OCT 28 l 6:30 PM 

FAMILY AND YOUTH EVENTS
Stroller Tours

In preparation for bringing you and your kids fun and exciting new exhibitions for the upcoming months, UMOCA will be busy installing in October. However, we invite you to come enjoy the museum regardless in the absence of a tour this month. Stroller Tours will resume its place on November 12th.

Explore the many symbols of the apple in our culture through the work of local artist Amy Jorgensen. 

 

NOV 12 | 9:30 AM   

Family Art Saturday: Art Crate Candy Containers

 

Ever wonder how art travels to the museum? The art crate exists behind the scenes, we're bringing it into the spotlight. Artwork arrives in crates of all shapes and sizes, bringing artistic treats. Create a custom candy bag to collect your own Halloween treats inspired by the simplicity and structure of a wooden crate. 

 

Family Art Saturday is a part of Creative Critter Day, a full day of hands-on activities for your little ones. 
 

OCT 11 | 2 - 4 PM 

Art Truck: Upcoming Public Events
 

For the 2014-2015 school year, artist Meridith Pingree investigates patterns of human behavior through reactive sculptures and geometric compositions. Her work re-examines our awareness of our physical selves through the visual language of geometry and the scientific languages of observation and questioning.

 

The Art Truck is available to book for the school year free-of-charge, ages k-12For more information or to request a visit, contact Elly Baldwin.

OCT 11 | 12-6 PM
Salt Lake City Mini Maker Faire
Library Square at 200 South 400 East
 
ART SHOP FEATURE
Isaac Hastings: Natural Rhythms

 

This month UMOCA is excited to feature Isaac Hastings. Hastings has consigned with UMOCA since the Art Shop was first established as a local artisan specialty shop. Over the years he has continued to make fine handcrafted accessories using natural materials. Each bangle and buckle has been crafted to enhance the innate rhythm of wood grain as well as the abundance of pigments nature has to offer. Visit UMOCA to find your perfect fall accessory.  
 
 

See Art Shop Artists>
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS  
 .gif Shop

Perhaps without being aware, the short digital animation file known as the ".gif" is one of the most shared and looked at forms of visual communication. For .gif Shop, UMOCA has curated examples of .gif animations that exemplify the medium as something greater than brief comedy loops. With the combination of traditional color theory, the aesthetics of painting, and the use fractal mathematics, these .gifs not only echo classical art making, they are truly mesmerizing.

 

Don't forget it's your last chance to see Admiral Potato's work on our lobby walls before we welcome in the second of UMOCA's six animation artists, Adam Heath. View Exhibition>

 

SEP 19 - MAR 14
Bikuben

Bikuben explores Danish contemporary art as a framework for understanding how the present may inform the past. Focusing on themes revolving around the intertwined nature of truth and fiction, history and memory, and the personal versus the communal, this exhibition investigates how relationships across cultural and generational divides have the potential to reveal the complexity of identity, displacement, appropriation, and collective consciousness. View Exhibition>

 

JUN 27 - DEC 20

BECOME A MEMBER
UMOCA Memberships

Become a member today and enjoy unlimited entry to view ground-breaking exhibitions and have access to a continuous calendar of talks and workshops hosted by renowned artists and art world professionals. You also gain preferred access to RSVP film screenings, special events and private opening receptions.

As a UMOCA member, you are connected with other like-minded individuals who share your commitment to the cultural vitality of our state and an engaged and accomplished local arts community. 
Other benefits and membership levels>



THANK YOU SPONSORS








The Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation

Roy Jespersen and Anne Morgan-Jespersen

Nordstrom, Inc.

Center for the Arts

UMOCA Ambassadors Circle
Val Antczak & Barbara Polich

Diana Peterson

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Utah Museum Of Contemporary Art
20 South West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84101

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