What’s New at the 2017 Taste of the Wasatch event?

The 2017 iteration of Taste of the Wasatch, one of Salt Lake’s premiere charitable events to fight hunger, returns to Solitude Mountain Resort on Sunday, August 6 with a host of fresh and fun offerings in store. “What sets Taste of the Wasatch apart from other food events in the state is the level of food, … Read more

14th annual Utah Film Center’s Damn These Heels LGBTQ Film Festival highlights artistic progress, mainstream acceptance

There is no doubt, especially in the last half dozen years, that the artistic ideals of LGBTQ cinema not only successfully promulgate new perspectives in the mainstream but also highlight incisive takes that push the film traditions of character, director, auteur and audience well beyond conventional binary-based boundaries. Today’s stories emphasize themes of inclusion, openness … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: ‘Have No Fear,’ ‘Oxygen To Fly,’ ‘Roohangiz’ take top Fear No Film jury honors

Fifteen awards were announced today in the Fear No Film portion of the Utah Arts Festival, including a Grand Jury Prize, Utah Short Film of The Year, Fear No Filmmaker Award, three honorable mentions and the best short film in each of the seven ‘memory’ categories around which the film festival was organized as well … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Closing day headliners include Bachauer Medalists, Insatiable, Natural Roots, John Flanders, Sound Mass, Pedrito Martinez

Closing day headliners at the 41st annual Utah Arts Festival run the gamut from long-time local favorites to dynamic young piano virtuosi and one of the world’s best known master percussionist of Afro-Cuban music. Highlights include the annual performance of the Repertory Dance Theatre (6:45 p.m., Festival Stage) and the Pedrito Martinez Group (9:45 p.m., … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Saturday headliners include Mitch Barrett, Fruition, RJD2, The Sauce Boss, IAMA Millsaps finals

Saturday’s weather will be perfect and the Utah Arts Festival’s headliner slate is ideal for a summer evening. Among the highlights are performers marking the fourth annual IAMA Day for musicians and members of the Intermountain Acoustic Musician Association (IAMA). There will be the finals of the Susanne Millsaps Performing Songwriter Showcase competition (noon, Big … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Friday’s blockbuster headlining slate includes new jazz and dance commissions, Brazilian culture, and plenty of blues, soul, funk, R&B

Friday’s headliners for the Utah Arts Festival comprise a blockbuster lineup on the main stages with world premieres in two programs (click on previews for each program): the jazz commission concert with the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra featuring Alex Heitlinger, Andrea Miller and Chuck Findley (7:45 p.m., Festival Stage) and the dance commission concert … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Opening day headliners highlight national, local musicians with enduring legacies

Opening day headliners for June 22 on the main stages of the 41st annual Utah Arts Festival feature musicians with enduring legacies, both national and international. Shooter Jennings and Waymore’s Outlaws – 9:45 p.m., Amphitheater Stage The son of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, two of country’s music biggest legends, Shooter Jennings has carved out … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Literary Arts venue highlights exhilarating changes in the landscape of letters

The ways we read, hear, absorb and consume literature continue to morph through a messy yet exhilarating chaos. The prior autocratic tendencies of the literary world are giving way to a formidable enlightenment in which new voices and forms have reinvigorated the essence and urgency of memorable story telling. This year’s Literary Arts program, the … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Kids Art Yard a model of creative upcycling art, community partnerships

Just Google the terms “upcycling and kid’s art,” and pages upon pages of ideas for do-it-yourself art projects will pop up that mostly ask for inexpensive items that most household family members often throw into the trash without a second thought. The term is more popular than ever. It was coined by Reiner Pilz who … Read more