Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival: Frank Falk’s iHorns, Joshua Rodine’s glass art exemplify unique statements about artistic vision

Two of the artists in this year’s Artist Marketplace, the largest ever in Utah Arts Festival’s history bring unique approaches to their work. Frank Falk, iHorns, 3-D Mixed Media, Booth 135 For some, Frank Falk’s art on the surface is a cool nostalgically rendered novelty which enhances the sound quality of that ubiquitous object of … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Art Festival 2017: James Randle’s paintings of urban realism as personal meditation

In his paintings James Randle achieves a sense of urban realism that reflects how the artist has absorbed the best lessons of some of America’s most meaningful masters of realism, including Edward Hopper, Richard Estes and Stephen Shore. Hopper’s paintings of diners, drug stores, drab rooms in hotels, gas stations and movie houses communicated the … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Vogue Robinson’s poetry, advocacy for the literary arts are ebullient, generous

There is a wonderful buoyancy in the work of poet Vogue Robinson that translates to her generous commitment to promoting the literary arts, especially in her new role as poet laureate for Clark County in Las Vegas. Indeed, the role has become an enviable case study in artistic entrepreneurship. Robinson’s appointment, a two-year term, follows … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Jeremy Lee Sanchez finds deaf culture’s artistic power in signed poetry

In a video of just under a minute and 15 seconds, Jeremy Lee Sanchez performs a visual vernacular of his favorite film, The Matrix (1999). It is impressive in its compact richness of conveying the film’s story line as a signed literary work that combines many elements of body movements, iconic signs, gestures and facial … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Jazz commission concert with Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra to feature Utah composer Alex Heitlinger; standout sessions musicians Andrea Miller, Chuck Findley

Jazz’s prominence at the Utah Arts Festival has been rising in recent years. Last year’s show featuring the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra was a scorcher, with trumpeter Kris Johnson’s tremendously well received festival commission piece A Shift West and a special appearance with Clarice Assad performing new arrangements of iconic Brazilian songs. This year’s … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Jennifer Worsley’s woodblock prints capture exquisite harmonies of color in classic Japanese technique

Among the five graphics and printmaking artists in this year’s Utah Arts Festival’s Artist Marketplace, which will have 174 artists, is Jennifer Worsley of Salt Lake City (Booth 6) who makes woodblock prints with the Japanese technique called moku hanga. Worsley uses brushes to apply ink to a carved block of wood and then prints … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Oakland’s Michael Rohner brings his surreal animal totem drawings to Artist Marketplace

Michael Rohner of Oakland, California, will bring his work of surreal and real animal totem drawings rendered in pen and ink that also incorporates a diversified spectrum of color media. A self-taught artist, Rohner (Booth 29) is among the 174 artists in this year’s Artist Marketplace at the 41st annual Utah Arts Festival. Recently he … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: Stacy Garrop’s Postcards From Wyoming will premiere as winning chamber music commission

Growing up first in Walnut Creek and then in Danville, California, Stacy Garrop played piano but her real music strengths were as an alto singer in choir and saxophonist in her high school marching band. At one point, her love of poetry inspired her to try her hand at writing her own verses but that … Read more

Backstage at The Utah Arts Festival 2017: New stories, voices, creative tools unite artistic community for 41st annual festival

Every year’s Utah Arts Festival brings new stories. For the 41st annual festival, visitors will see Florida’s Bill Wharton The Sauce Boss prepare enough gumbo to feed the crowd while he sings in his distinct style of Florida-inspired funk and blues. The Pedrito Martinez Group consistently impresses crowds, including the recent Spoleto Festival, with its … Read more

Peter Bromberg is Salt Lake City Public Library’s newest steward, ambassador for learning, cultural engagement

Seven years ago, when Peter Bromberg was named the new associate director at the Princeton, New Jersey public libraries, he was finishing renovations on his home, a project lasting 18 months. In a Library Garden blog post, he wrote about the customer service turnaround at Home Depot, a store he visited frequently: The most noticeable … Read more