April Events & Exhibits @ UMFA


Media contact:
Shelbey Peterson, 801-585-1306
Shelbey.Peterson@umfa.utah.edu

Utah Museum of Fine Arts
April 2011


SPECIAL EVENTS:

Highlights of the Collection Tour
First Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm and all Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 pm • Free with paid admission
Explore the UMFA galleries through a thirty-minute tour with a trained docent. No pre-registration necessary.

“Artists on Smithson” Panel Discussion with Featured Artists
Saturday, April 2 • 2-4 pm • Free
Join us for short talks by artists featured in The Smithson Effect, including Matthew Coolidge of the Center for Land Use Interpretation, Sam Durant, and Melanie Smith, followed by panel discussion mediated by Jill Dawsey, UMFA Acting Chief Curator.

Chamber Music Series
Wednesday, April 6 • 7-8 pm • Free with paid admission
The UMFA will resonate with the sound of chamber music as students from the University of Utah School of Music perform music masterpieces in the museum galleries.

“Viral Jetty: The Smithson Effect in Literature”
Wednesday, April, 13 • 6 pm • Free
Professor Craig Dworkin of the Department of English at the University of Utah will discuss Smithson's influence on writers.

Palette to Palate: Art and Wine
Thursday, April 14 • 6-8 pm • Registration required
Experience Europe from palette to palate through an evening of art, wine, and culture. This class is offered through U of U Lifelong Learning. Space is limited. The cost is $39 + $25 special fee. Call 801.587.5433 to register.

Slow Art Day
Saturday April 16 • 11 am-1 pm • Registration required
Get "inspired not tired" with Slow Art Day at the UMFA. Celebrated around the world, Slow Art Day helps people slow down and see art in a new way. Celebrate with your own self-guided tour and then gather for lunch to talk about the experience. RSVP at 801.581.3580. Admission is free; lunch is $10.

Third Saturday for Families: Journal Making
Saturday, April 16 • 1-4 pm • Free
Use the UMFA’s new exhibition, Collecting Knowledge: Renaissance Cabinets of Curiosity, to inspire the creation of your own collections journal. Third Saturdays are funded in part by the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks fund.

Christo Lecture at Kingsbury Hall
Tuesday, April 19 • 7 pm • Ticket Required
Legendary artist Christo collaborated with his wife Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) for over forty years to create monumental works of art to be experienced outside of the institution of the museum. Please attend a free public lecture by Christo, presented by the University of Utah Department of Art and Art History, the UMFA, Kingsbury Hall, and the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. Ticket, driving, and parking information available at http://www.kingsburyhall.org.

Gallery Talk: “Renaissance Cabinets of Curiosity”
Saturday, April 23 at 2 pm
Gain insight into the Collecting Knowledge: Renaissance Cabinets of Curiosity exhibition as a student curator highlights specific objects and their stories. No registration necessary; free with paid admission.

Double Feature Films
Wednesday, April 27 • 7 pm • Free
It’s movie night at the UMFA. Enjoy a double feature screening of Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970) and James Benning’s Casting a Glance (2007) in the UMFA Katherine W. and Ezekiel R. Dumke, Jr. Auditorium.

Low Lives 3
Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 • Check umfa.utah.edu for times • Free with paid admission
Experience live performance-based works at the UMFA. Now entering its third year—and hosted by the UMFA for the first time—Low Lives is an exhibition of works transmitted via the internet and projected in real time at multiple venues around the world. This project is curated by University of Utah alum Jorge Rojas and features a live performance organized by UMFA curator Jill Dawsey.


ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

Collecting Knowledge: Renaissance Cabinets of Curiosity
On view through May 15, 2011
Collecting Knowledge: Renaissance Cabinets of Curiosity explores items that were typically found in cabinets of curiosity in sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe, including prints, books, scientific instruments, and objects obtained through travel. Organized by four graduate students from the University of Utah Department of Art and Art History, this exhibition examines the people who created cabinets of curiosity, their strategies for classifying and grouping items, and how they used this knowledge to make sense of their world.

Helen Levitt Photographs
On view through June 12, 2011
One of the great photographers of the twentieth century, Helen Levitt took the activity of city streets as her primary subject, paying special attention to the children for whom the street served as a playground. This presentation of photographs drawn from the UMFA's collection includes representative works from the late 1930s and early 1940s–when Levitt emerged as a key member of the New York School photographers–as well as later photographs from her long and accomplished career. Together these works highlight Levitt's astonishing capacity for capturing lyrical and mysterious moments in the everyday life of the city. This exhibition is presented with support from Albion Financial Group.

The Smithson Effect
On view through July 3, 2011
Experience The Smithson Effect, the most ambitious contemporary art exhibition ever organized by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Through sculpture, video, photography, installation, and sound art, this exhibition will introduce visitors to twenty-three of the world’s leading contemporary artists whose work is influenced by the legacy of artist Robert Smithson (1938-1973). Best known for his pioneering earthworks–the most famous is Spiral Jetty in Utah’s Great Salt Lake–Smithson’s significance extends beyond his remarkable interventions into the landscape. The Smithson Effect brings together work by an array of international artists whose practices have been critically shaped by Smithson’s art and ideas. This exhibition is generously presented by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.

Don Olsen: Abstracts from Nature
On view through August 15, 2011
This special exhibition commemorates the 100th birthday of abstract Utah artist Don Olsen (1910-1983). A student of Hans Hoffmann, Olsen created abstract expressionist works using volumes, colors, and shapes derived from nature. Through large-scale paintings spanning more than forty years, Don Olsen: Abstracts from Nature will highlight prominent works from the artist’s oeuvre.


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Utah Museum of Fine Arts
University of Utah
Marcia & John Price Museum Building
410 Campus Center Dr
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
(801) 581-7332

Museum Hours
Tuesday–Friday: 10 am–5 pm
Wednesday: 10 am–8 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 11 am–5 pm
Closed Mondays and holidays
Visit our website: umfa.utah.edu

General Admission
UMFA Members FREE
Adults $7
Youth (ages 6-18) $5
Seniors & Students $5
Children under 6 FREE
U students, staff & faculty FREE
Higher education students in Utah FREE