Dance is the empress jewel in the crown of Utah’s performing arts history. Accordingly, dance is represented in numerous ways at this year’s Utah Arts Festival. There are two world premiere dance commissions by Ballet West artists Katlyn Addison and Joshua Whitehead being performed by the RUUDDANCES company (June 21, 5:45 p.m., Festival Stage) and … Read more
Upcycling continues to deepen its impact in the visual arts. In late 2018, artist and educator Kyle Browne recalled how living and working in a remote New Zealand town changed his perspective: “Art supplies could not easily be purchased and I quickly realized that working within the limitations of what I had was the only … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: To read more about some highlights of this year’s Wordfest literary arts program, see the feature about Darius Atefat-Peckham here, Thatcher Elmer here and poetry slams here. For the 25th year of the Utah Arts Festival’s literary arts program, there is a new coordinator – poet Trish Hopkinson – and a new name … Read more
The state of poetry as an oral art form in Utah is thriving. Last year, at national competition, the Salt Lake City Unified team, which took first prize at the Utah Arts Festival’s slam contest, finished in fourth place among 72 teams, the best performance ever for a Utah-based team. And, the prospects for the … Read more
When he was 12, Darius Atefat-Peckham started writing poetry. “I grew up in poetry and it felt like it had to happen, whether I liked it or not,” he says in an interview with The Utah Review. Through a crack in the bathroom door, he read his first poem to his dad who was taking … Read more
Cowboy poets, a unique tradition in the American West literary scene, have a sizable presence at this year’s Wordfest literary arts program for the Utah Arts Festival. They include well-known veterans including C. R. Wood, from Delta, Utah whose business card reads simply, “auctioneer,” and Sam DeLeeuw, who is a rancher with her husband. However, … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: To read more about this year’s Fear No Film slate, see here, and the Utah Short Film of the Year competition, see here. There are many new enhancements in programming for the 17th annual Fear No Film program at the Utah Arts Festival. Following the outstanding curatorial leadership of Topher Horman, Derek Mellus, … Read more
This year’s Utah Short Film of the Year Competition is the largest in Fear No Film history for the Utah Arts Festival, as it has been split into two divisions: student, with six films; and professional, with seven. Awards will be based on jury selections and audience voting. The Best of the Best will be … Read more
This year’s record-setting slate of 88 short films for the Utah Arts Festival’s Fear No Film venue will be presented in 12 programs during the event’s four days. All screenings will be in the City Library auditorium and are free and open to the public. Each of the programs is summarized below. For the Women … Read more
This year’s Utah Arts Festival brings to the various stages a spectrum of musicians, many of whom are new to the event, and who do not identify necessarily with just one genre or style. THURSDAY, JUNE 20 Jail City Rockers, Amphitheater Stage, 8:15 p.m. From Ogden, Jail City Rockers are four members crafting their … Read more