While visiting my TBM mother in Murray we wanted to go and check out some art museums...and I quickly found out there are none...and no I don't think the U of U's art museum counts because all state universities have an art collection. How is it that in the whole SLC valley with its 1 million residents there is not ONE art museum?

Is art simply not valued in mormon culture unless it is a painting of jesus or some other religious subject? Are mormon children steered away from learning about art?

To me the whole SLC area is a cultural vacuum unless one count's the church's temple square. To me temple square is a creepy monolith designed to show off mormon power.

I do have hope for the area because I can see evidence of an active counter-culture growing in that area. Still, it would be nice to have an art museum within the state.

In SLC (besides the one on the U of U campus):

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, 20 S. West Temple

Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts, 1150 South Constitution Drive


Outside of SLC:

Woodbury Art Museum, 575 University Mall, Orem

Springville Museum of Art, 126 E 400 S, Springville

Southern Utah Museum of Art, 13 S 300 W, Cedar City

St George City Art Museum, 47 N 200 E, St George


And then there are galleries all over the state.

There is also The Utah Arts Festival:

https://uaf.org/

I would not say that the lack of art museums is because the church is threatened by art.

People have a limited amount of money to donate to things. A huge chunk of the population donates 10% of their money to TSCC and likely do not have much more to donate to other things. If this means that 1/3 of the Salt Lake area residents have are out of the contribution pool, it would mean we are looking at a contributing population pool of 660,000 rather than a million. This is a matter of demographics, not a feeling of threat.

The last big effort when it comes to fundraising is the new Eccles theater down town.

Previous to that, we opened the new Natural History Museum, a work of art in and of itself. Part of the U? yes, heavily financed by the public? Also, YES.

I also would not count out a museum because it is part of the U. It is also funded, in part, by contributions from the public (taking up some of the available funds from contributors) and also, at least in part, fills the need for a fine arts museum in the area.

Thanks for the links! I am very surprised to find these because I searched for art museums during my visit and came up empty. Perhaps my search powers suck.

On my next visit I now have something to look forward too.

Playing with one's little factory makes it difficult to hear the promptings of the internet.

The Orem city library has a collection as well. I know because they own one of mine. I believe it's hanging in the young adult section on the second floor.

My DW has an Aunt who lives in Springville, just a block or two from the Springville Art Museum.

When we were still married, we went to visit Aunt xxxxx (changing the subject, a really racist person) and would always stop at the Springville Art Museum. I especially enjoy the Quilt displays and the yearly quilt contest.

I haven't been since I moved back to Utah, but now that I think about it's a good idea!

I was born with a talent and passion for art.
You would have thought i'd said I want to grow up and be a hooker.

My mother destroyed any art work that I brought home. She was constantly telling me that I should only be doing art work that was related to my religion. That wasn't a subject I was remotely interested in. She also wanted to limit my art to drawing. Another thing I wasn't particularly interested in.

I had an Art scholarship to a very good school, but I still would have needed some help financially. They refused to help me get school loans. I was blocked at every turn.

Now I pursue my creativity to my hearts content. I don't care what anyones opinion of it is. When I was still TBM I would occasionally go to week long art workshops. If I told anyone where I was I'd get look of severe disapproval. I seldom mentioned that I was involved in any artistic pursuits.

I did an art show that a mormon showed up at (they seldom go to events like that) they were very surprised to see me there. They had no idea about that side of my life. The other reason I didn't let mormons know what I was up to is because of their expectation that they shouldn't have to pay people for their work. Especially an artist.

Being an artist and a mormon don't mix well. Like oil and vinegar.

Very sad story, Janis. I'm glad you are able to express yourself to your satisfaction now. I wanted to study art in college, but I had no idea where I should go and got no advice from anyone. Well, I ended up going to BYU and by the time I finished my first semester, I knew for sure that nobody should go to study art at BYU. Ended up changing my major to another love of mine -- natural history and got a degree in geology. I probably wouldn't have made it as an artist, but it would have been fun finding out.

If you want art, head up to Park City and stroll through the galleries!

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 393:

"For years I have been waiting for someone to do justice in recording in song and story and painting and sculpture the story of the Restoration, the reestablishment of the kingdom of God on earth, the struggles and frustrations; the apostasies and inner revolutions and counterrevolutions of those first decades; of the exodus; of the counterreactions; of the transitions; of the persecution days; of the plural marriage and the underground; of the miracle man, Joseph Smith, of whom we sing, 'Oh, what rapture filled his bosom, for he saw the living God!'; and of the giant colonizer and builder, Brigham Young, by whom this university was organized and for whom it was named.

"The story of Mormonism has never yet been written nor painted nor sculptured nor spoken. It remains for inspired hearts and talented fingers yet to reveal themselves. They must be faithful, inspired, active Church members to give life and feeling and true perspective to a subject so worthy…

"Our writers, our moving picture specialists, with the inspiration of heaven, should tomorrow be able to produce a masterpiece which would live forever. Our own talent, obsessed with dynamism from a cause, could put into such a story life and heartbeats and emotions and love and pathos, drama, suffering, love, fear, courage, and the great leader, the mighty modern Moses who led a people farther than from Egypt to Jericho, who knew miracles as great as the stream from the rock at Horeb…"

The Gallery Stroll once a month through all of Salt Lakes Galleries. The art is there just have to look a little harder.

I hadn't noticed a dearth of art there during my brief visits.

Glad to know there are resources there, from the few links provided.

From what I recall of a visit to the St George Art Museum it keeps its collections for the most part on pioneer art and history.

When I visited for example, its gallery showing was wedding dresses, actual dresses from its fledgling pioneer days to present.

While I found it enjoyable to stroll through time, it wasn't art for art's sake.

what is art ?

Dave the Atheist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> what is art ?
Ouch!!!

I would have to stare a very long time at "Column 24" to think much more than "...wtf?"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Museum_of_Contemporary_Art

The only other question it inspires is "What happened to columns 1-23?"

Is it me? Many times I see the same "beauty" in the paintings of four year olds as I see in "masterpieces" hanging in galleries. I even framed and hung one (a five-year old boy's "abstract art") to test the theory, after making an illegible scrawl on its corner, meant to pass for a signature. It was "stared upon" and complimented.

Sorry, but a plainly-painted, vertical, rectangular box, or paint thrown at a canvas, does not evoke much thought for me (other than "who's gonna clean up that mess?") I wish someone would explain the draw.

The wall street bull, and later, the standing girl, simple representations of life, but both - alone, then together, totally awesome. Again, how does - how can - "Column 24" compare to that?

The Wall Street Bull?

Male Japanese tourist love having their photos snapped rubbing its balls. So it must be art.

I have no love of Wall Street or the stuff it generates, but when I see that bull, I don't see it on concrete, in a city. I see it in a field blowing green, facing another bull. I can almost hear it, smell it.

To me, art not only transcends the reality of itself, what it is or where it's placed, but it can take me with it.

That bull has a majestic attitude, and for me, completely unrelated to its surroundings or intent. It's not even a very realistic bull, but for me that doesn't matter.

People make fun of the object, or me for liking it, but they do tend to interact with it. They will *never* do that with a real bull, and many of those who interact with it will never get closer to a live bull than their local supermarket, and would know real terror if they did. Maybe that's why they like to play with its balls. There's almost an obsession with showing people petting its balls.

Google images of the bull, and look what people do with it. They can't resist it.

It was just an example, not a representation of "all" art.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the SF Academy of Art University. I agree that much of what is passed on as "fine art" is not art but nothing more than some clever ideas that only have meaning if one is privy to the references. To me art (specifically painting, sculpture, and drawing) is a language of visual communication that all of humanity already knows but most have difficulty communicating effectively with it.

It has been said that a picture is worth a 1000 words...this is only true if the artist (or photographer) spent the time encoding all of that information into the artwork. A blank canvas hanging on the gallery wall is only a clever idea and once it is expressed it is expended. A dozen more blank canvases displayed as "art" don't make it more interesting or better. There have been thousands of master-level artists who have spent the time and paid the price to have a strong command of the medium of visual communication - and to me, it is a slap-in-the-face for modern artists to come into the scene, throw some paint-filled water balloons at a canvas and call it art.

Modern art is failing humanity because we are all sick of it. It is pretentious blather that will mean nothing in the long run. J.C. Leyendecker will be vindicated in the end. Jackson Pollack will not.

So, back to my point that there are no art museums in SLC...I'm not sure a modern art museum counts. Of course, I am being ignorant by making a judgement about the place having never stepped foot in there. Perhaps I'm also the very type of pretentious artist-asshole that I complain about.

The brethren believe that their McTemples are more than enough to satisfy one's appreciation of good art and decor.

http://jwsurvey.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/destruction2.jpg

http://hediedformygrins.blogspot.in/2011/04/jehovahs-witness-paradise.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2017 10:06PM by anybody.

"Art is threatened by those who ignore, don't see, or discount it"(M@t) - not the other way around.

Take another look around! Salt Lake Valley (including Park City, etc.) is a hotbed of crafty people, artists / art galleries, festivals, museums, nature sites and attractions, and other thriving music, food, party and art scenes.

M@t

"How is it that in the whole SLC valley with its 1 million residents there is not ONE art museum?"

Well, technically there isn't "ONE". There are a few.

From one website [from an easy search]: "Salt Lake City has quite a story to tell. Fortunately for its residents and visitors, it also has a diverse selection of top-notch museums to illustrate the various facets of its past and present."

The third Friday of the month is Gallery Stroll in Salk Lake City.
There is UMFA (Utah Museum of Fine Art), the NHMU (Natural History Museum of Utah), UMOCA (Utah Museum of Contemporary Art), Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Art, The Leonardo, Discovery Gateway Children's Museum...

Other sites worth note/ visiting / learning about: Gilgal Sculpture Garden, Brewvies Cinema Pub, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, Liberty Park and the aviary there...