March 2015: The BINDING Issue

E X H I B I T I O N S | E V E N T S | W O R K S H O P S | D O N A T E

F E A T U R E D C O V E R A R T

HANGING FAMILY HISTORY (MATERNAL LINE)

Valerie Atkisson, exhibited in Church vs. State: Contemporary Collecting Praxis
FEB 13 - APR 11

In Hanging Family History, Valerie Atkisson crafts a delicate, hanging assemblage of rice paper and copper wire to visually and spatially manifest her known genealogy. Atkisson traces her ancestors-her parents, their parents, and so on-for 72 generations, ending all the way in 9 A.D. On each small triangle is the name and birth year of one of Atkisson's family members. If the information is available, she includes the date of death as well. The resulting portrait of Atkisson's DNA is both striking and delicate, reminding of the countless individuals and generations to whom we are tied.

> View the exhibition

N O T E F R O M T H E E D I T O R

THE BINDING ISSUE

This March, we're thinking about the many ties that bind our community together, as visualized by the literal threads in our Family Art Saturday collaboration inspired by Pam Bowman. Looking to more abstract ties, the Main Gallery exhibition Panopticon examines how we are "wired" together in modern society, while our artist-in-residence Tatiana Larsen extends individual stories to transform art into inspiration.

So far this month, we've discussed contemporary art and LGBTQ social issues in our first year of Out Loud, and we'll be hosting the Crisol Film Initiative as part of a celebration of culture and diversity.

As Love UT Give UT--Utah's annual day of giving--approaches, we'd like to thank our community for your continual support of our programs.

Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts: communications@utahmoca.org.

TYING REAL LIVES TO CONTEMPORARY ART

Tatiana Svrckova Larsen's art4ONE4all

A-I-R SPACE: FEB 13 - MAR 7

Our latest artist-in-residence featured in the A-I-R Space is Tatiana Svrckova Larsen and her art4ONE4all project. For Larsen, this series meant a step away from personal art toward works that would make a change -- not for a general audience, but for one specific individual at a time.

The inspiration for each work in the series comes from interviews that Larsen conducts with strangers. As her interviewees reveal their unique stories, personalities, and aspirations, Larsen sets out to create visual representations of their experiences and lifestyles. Not only are the works visibly eye-catching, but they are also poignant. As Larsen manifests these real struggles and triumphs into visual narratives to which viewers can connect, the resulting artwork -- and the subjects behind them -- become more widely accessible and understood.

"I decided to pick pieces that are more involved with the community and public," said Larsen. "Along the way I quickly realized that I may be the most transformed by their stories."

> Read more
Opening Night: March 13 | 7-9 PM

LOVE UMOCA, GIVE TO UMOCA

Community Empowerment for the Cost of a Lunch

Love UT Give UT | MAR 26

Since 1931, we've been dedicated to bringing nationally and internationally significant contemporary art to Utah. We bring ideas and expressions that stimulate, transform, and inspire, by focusing on how art and our community work together to empower and influence each other. We encourage you to support our exhibition and educational programming, which includes a flourishing artist-in-residence program, community partnership workshops, and youth education, through Love UT Give UT. For 24 hours, this online donation platform connects you, our wonderful donors and fellow community members, to local charitable causes.

Take a look at where your donation goes:

$10 (the cost of a lunch!) provides supplies for five children to learn about and create art through Family Art Saturday
$25 provides supplies for one community workshop, whether that be for seasoned photographers or LGBTQ youths
$50 brings our Art Truck, Utah's only traveling art exhibition, to a Utah school
$100 helps one of our many talented and accomplished artists-in-residence stage an exhibition

As always, we are grateful for your help in continuing to enrich Utah's cultural ties. You are the ones who make our indispensable programs possible. Join us at Junior's Tavern from 6-9 PM, when a portion of the evening's proceeds will go to UMOCA.

> Schedule your donation for March 26th now

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY THROUGH FILM

Crisol Latin American Film Initiative

Film is one of the most contemporary of art mediums, especially by measure of its potential for social impact and uncovering common threads among diverse communities. That's why we are thrilled to host the Crisol Latin American Film Initiative for two film screenings.

This series, a collaborative effort founded by students at the University of Utah, is meant to address the lack of contemporary Spanish and Latin American cinema in Utah. "Crisol" is Spanish for "melting pot," and here, it signifies an essential and enriching celebration of diversity in both culture and art.

> Visit Crisol's website


*With My Heart in Yambo* Film Screening + Panel Discussion This Ecuadorian documentary, written and directed by María Fernanda Restrepo, follows the filmmaker on her painful journey to find the remains of her two abducted brothers, decades after they were illegally detained by Ecuadorian police. MAR 27 \| 7 PM	*Cows Wearing Glasses* Film Screening This film offers a complex representation of the human condition as it tells the story of a painter and university professor in Puerto Rico. As Marso loses his eyesight and approaches the last days of his life, he realizes that he must repair the broken relationship with his only daughter. MAR 28 \| 2 PM

WEAVING COMMUNITY TOGETHER

Aggregation

Pam Bowman, exhibited in the Projects Gallery

FEB 13 - MAR 28

Provo-based Pam Bowman's intricate installation threads an assemblage of portraits--sewn together onto squares of fabric--with long, taut threads and spool dispensers. The portraits are taken from the context of Bowman's neighborhood, and the quilt-like installation reflects themes of domesticity.

The many, disparate threads hint to what a community truly is: individuals and experiences, tied together.

> View the exhibition

Speculatorum Oculi

Erik Brunvand, exhibited in Panopticon

FEB 13 - JUL 25

University of Utah professor Erik Brunvand uses video cameras and an architectural model to engage questions of control and security. Over a dozen screens display ominous images of the otherwise innocent, tiny city. A furtive layer is added, however, when it becomes clear that gallery cameras are also recording and displaying museum visitors onscreen.

Visitors are threaded into this cycle of surveillance with wires, becoming both the watchers and the watched.

> View the exhibition

BEYOND A SUMMER CAMP

A week of creativity and imagination for our youth-artists-in-residence

This summer, your young artists can join the Salt Lake art community through UMOCA and CUAC Contemporary's week-long summer program for children in grades 4-6.

With guidance and inspiration gleaned from working artist professionals, field trips, and visiting artist talks, the Artists-In-Training summer camp will help budding creatives determine the direction of their personal art-making style. At the end of the week, youth artists they will present their completed artworks in an exhibition for family and friends.

> More information

SPOTLIGHT

Sam Sampinos & Debra Anderson

New to UMOCA's Ambassadors Circle this year are longtime UMOCA supporters Sam Sampinos and Debra Anderson. Not only do they generously support UMOCA's efforts financially, but they also give their time and talents. Sam and Debra have graciously helped to entertain visiting artists; offered professional knowledge for UMOCA's grant making efforts from Sam's business, Shelter Construction; and can be seen dressed to the nines supporting staff efforts at UMOCA's special events. This dynamic duo is the perfect example of action, advocacy, and appreciation for the arts and UMOCA's efforts within Utah's cultural community.

Selections from the Art Shop

For those singular moments in which one explores their inner voice and creative process while reflecting on their place in the world and the community: