utah museum of fine arts

Layer by Layer: An extraordinary look into the creation and conservation of Chiura Obata masterpiece at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

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Nearly three years ago, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ (UMFA) already widely respected Japanese art collection expanded with the acquisition of 35 works by Chiura Obata (1885-1975), one of the most significant Japanese American artists of the twentieth century, thanks to a generous gift from the Obata estate. Undoubtedly, the announcement acquisition thrilled the … Read more

Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ Pictures of Belonging exhibition impressively commands viewers to think anew about American modernism

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In a 2007 essay, art historian ShiPu Wang wrote that the works of Asian-American artists “are more than painterly creations that exude ‘transcendental beauty’ beyond cultural boundaries.” He added, “Their meaning and significance constantly shift and expand under different sociopolitical circumstances, and they do not remain incontrovertible objects or artifacts.” In her 1990 book, Mixed … Read more

Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ Tatau: Marks of Polynesia meticulously documents everlasting cultural resilience of Samoan tattoo masters

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To illustrate the everlasting cultural resilience of tatau, among the greatest art forms to emerge in Oceania, the story of Chris Lemuelu is potent in its lucidity. He is a Samoan who lives in Australia and is, as writer Fareed Kaviani has explained, “a soga’imiti, a man who has completed the full pe’a.” As Tatau: … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: With Tree Utah as thematic anchor, Kids’ Art Yard will be a beehive of creative projects celebrating forests and trees

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ART YARD (June 23-25, noon-9 p.m.) ‘Let me tell you about this tree. It was a rock-solid hardwood, three feet in diameter with a trunk magnificently embossed in rich gray tones, set in deep relief with an exquisitely interconnected skin of bark that was somehow both coarse and forgiving to the hand. The ash is … Read more

Many Wests exhibition now at Utah Museum of Fine Arts: extraordinary unprecedented collaboration of Smithsonian American Art Museum, four museums in American West

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When Frederick Jackson Turner introduced American historians to his Frontier Thesis in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, very few paid attention to the significance of his proposition. It was the frontier which emboldened the “composite nationality” of Americans, Turner contended. “In the crucible of the frontier, the immigrants were Americanized, liberated and fused … Read more

A new twist to annual list of crowning achievements: The Utah Review’s Top 10 Moments of the Utah Enlightenment in 2022

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This year’s selection in The Utah Review of the top ten moments of the Utah Enlightenment in 2022 was easily the quickest to lock in, considering the possibilities. There were no close calls. The ten selections were a slam dunk. This year, however, presented the opportunity for a twist. While nine of the ten selections … Read more

From Missouri to Utah: Alisa McCusker joins the Utah Museum of Fine Arts as senior curator

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Among the museum curator’s most valuable skills is to demystify and make accessible to exhibition visitors the opportunity to interpret the stories behind the creation of great works of art, whether they were made 500 years ago or even within the past several months. For her doctoral dissertation at the University of Texas at Austin, … Read more

Air is fascinating, informative multidisciplinary exhibition at Utah Museum of Fine Arts, featuring internationally known and Utah-based artists

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This feature is presented in Spanish and English versions, both primarily made possible by Mark Alvarez. The Utah Review deeply appreciates his willingness and linguistic fluency to prepare proper versions in  both languages. For the Spanish version of this feature, see here. Stepping into the AIRLab, Santa Fe artist Will Wilson’s creation, one is … Read more

Aire es una exposición multidisciplinaria en el Museo de Bellas Artes de la Universidad de Utah; Es fascinante e informativa; Cuenta con artistas locales y los de renombre internacional

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Entrado el AIRLab, una obra del artista Will Wilson de Santa Fe, se aprecia de manera inmediata el rico volumen de información evidente en esta choza única, un invernadero de hierro con muebles y libros que se podrían encontrar en la sala o la biblioteca de una casa. También se notan las plantas comestibles y … Read more

Remarkable ACME Lab exhibition, David Rios Ferreira: Transcending Time and Space, featuring work and writing by artist Denae Shanidiin, a multidisciplinary spiritual exploration of love, memory, healing at Utah Museum of Fine Arts

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Denae Shanidiin recalls the epiphany of spiritual healing she experienced during an Indigenous ceremony when she prayed and looked into the sacred fire. In her first glance, the Diné and Korean artist remembered what she had been told, that the initial look emphasized the darkness, sickness and individual vulnerability. But then after another round, the … Read more