The three best words to describe the 39th annual Utah Arts Festival: big, blazing and passionate. And when the gates open on June 25th to Utah’s largest arts and cultural gathering in its central downtown location, festival visitors will see many artists, performers, authors, filmmakers, creative producers, and others – familiar and new – who … Read more
The Italian novelist Elena Ferrante thinks of literary tradition “as a single, large depository, where anyone who wants to write goes to choose what is useful” to her, and that every ambitious writer has the duty to immerse herself in “a vast literary culture.” For this year’s Utah Arts Festival, organizers of the Literary Arts … Read more
For DIY weekend warriors in the area, Make Salt Lake is fast becoming the go-to clearinghouse for adventurous makers who believe they can learn quickly how to make anything and everything. One maker, for example, who built a cigar box guitar also designed a flux capacitor using Arduino and some welding, scrapping and soldering. Turning … Read more
Focused on tackling the consequences of what remains a large cultural problem that has, as he explains in an interview with The Utah Review, “really dislodged artists and set all of them out in the streets,” Kurt Wenner lived in austere conditions as a young artist – even camping out in a sleeping bag in one of … Read more
As one of those Park City residents who has traditionally ventured to the Salt Lake Valley only for the airport, and on occasion, Costco, lately, I can hardly recognize myself. During the past few months, I have begun to discover the maturing Salt Lake restaurant scene and have even driven down the canyon for the … Read more
It’s summertime! Time for outdoor music concerts, food trucks and fun. Grab your lawn chairs and your dancing partner and head down to the 1st annual Utah Blues Festival on June 13, from 1-10 p.m. at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. This musical festival is designed to both support local musicians and a local cause: … Read more
I grew up in New York City, listening to punk rock and hip hop, spending most of my time at record stores and tattoo shops. It was as urban of an upbringing as you might imagine. With the exception of one or two trips a year “up to the country,” I rarely laid eyes on … Read more
Whatever their differences in family, religion, school interests, or even musical tastes, three Utah teens have come together in an extraordinarily rewarding and productive way in Spy Hop Productions’ musicology program. The only students who have completed one of Spy Hop’s rigorous year-long programs in music and media arts, the three teens who comprise the … Read more
For the closing program of the 2015 season, Ballet West has chosen to highlight the developing works of young choreographers—mostly from their own core dance troupe. Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute explains, “For Innovations 2015, I am excited to present the work of a talented Utah native, three Ballet West artists including two women, … Read more
NOTE: This is Part Two of a series about Plan-B Theatre, which offers a glimpse of the five premieres for the silver anniversary season. For Part One, see here. True to its mission of keeping programming as fresh and innovative as possible, Plan-B Theatre will mark its silver anniversary season with two world premieres that … Read more