"Claudia Sisemore & Friends: Teacher, Painter, Filmmaker" Exhibition @ Rio Gallery

Group Exhibition Opening at Rio Gallery

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Arts & Museums will open the exhibition “Claudia Sisemore & Friends: Teacher, Painter, Filmmaker” on Friday, May 11 at the Rio Gallery. A public reception will be held during the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll on Friday, May 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The exhibition will continue through June 8 during state office hours, which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The Rio Gallery is located at 300 S. Rio Grande Street (455 West) in Salt Lake City. Admission is free.

“This exhibition is a great showcase of the tremendous talent that emerged from Utahartists during a vital era,” said Margaret Hunt, Utah Arts & Museums Director. “These artists not only produced incredible work, they inspired a new generation of artists because of the dedication they showed to their students and peers. Some of the artists are no longer with us, but their influence lives on.”

With the help of her contemporaries, Trent Alvey has curated a show to acknowledge Sisemore’s colleagues, friends and protégés. Many of these artists have works in the State of Utah Fine Art Collection. Utah’s state-owned art collection began in 1899 under the leadership of legislator Alice Merrill Horne, who sponsored a bill to create a state arts organization and establish a state collection of artwork. The state is fortunate to own works by such notable Utah artists as Alvin Gittins, V. Douglas Snow, George Dibble and Lee Deffebach.

Sisemore was a producer of educational films for the Utah State Office of Education for 15 years and received numerous national awards for her work. Over the past 35 years, she has produced films on a variety of subjects, but her primary interest is in producing independent documentaries recording the histories of outstanding Utah artists. Sisemore has filmed more than 20 individual artists, including LeConte Stewart, Alvin Gittins, Virginia Tanner, Maurice Abravanel, Anton Rasmussen, V. Douglas Snow, Lee Deffebach, George Dibble, Larry Elsner, Connie Borup, Kathryn Stats, Ed Maryon, Bonnie Phillips, Denis Phillips, Kaziah Hancock, Francis Zimbeaux, Ted Wassmer, Randall Lake and Willam Christensen. She has also documented Utah's rich history of modern dance through productions focusing on Children's Dance Theater, Repertory Dance Theater and Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company.

Artists participating in the show include Trent Alvey, Karen Andrews, Steve Acerson, Ed Bateman, David Chaplin, Darryl Erdmann, John Erickson, Stan Elmer, Steven Fawson, Ann Garrett, Duncan Hilton, Earl Jones, Randal Lake, Layne Meacham, Denis Phillips, Bonnie Phillips, Tony Rasmussen, Bruce Smith, Tony Smith, Kathryn Stats and Ann Williams. With works by Lee Deffebach, George Dibble, Larry Elsner, Alvin Gittins, Ed Maryon, Don Olsen, Doug Snow and Francis Zimbeaux.

About Utah Arts & Museums

Utah Arts & Museums is a division of the Utah Department of Community and Culture with a goal to promote innovation in and the growth of Utah’s arts and culture community. The division provides funding, education, and technical services to individuals and organizations statewide so that all Utahns, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or economic status, can access, understand, and receive the benefits of arts and culture. Additional information on the programs and services can be found at www.artsandmuseums.utah.gov or by calling 801.236.7555.