Art Showing @ That Thing You Hate (Sept 20 6pm)

"That Thing You Hate" Showing in Alice Gallery

 

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Arts & Museums announces the exhibition "That Thing You Hate" in the Alice Gallery at the Glendinning Mansion, 617 E. South Temple in Salt Lake City. A public reception will be held September 20, 2013, from 6-9 p.m. in conjunction with the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll. The exhibition runs until October 4.

Three of the artists in the show dedicated themselves to doing something they hate. Not just anything they hate, but something they recognize as having value, even though they dislike it. These artists each found a mentor, someone accomplished in the "hated" area, and then worked with that person to develop skills in that area. The exhibition features the work of these artists, as well as that of their mentors. The artists include Namon Bills, Linnie Brown, Casey Childs, Jeff Pugh, Chris Terry and Justin Wheatley.

"It's amazing to see the work that came from these artists pushing the boundaries of their comfort zones," said Utah Arts& Museums Director Lynnette Hiskey. "Their talent is evident even when exploring the unfamiliar."
The show´s theme stems from an experience curator and artist Namon Bills had as an undergraduate at BYU. States Bills, "We spent the entire term painting outside - landscapes. I´ve never liked doing landscapes, and I felt strongly enough that I made my feelings known. My professor told me that if I´d gone to school where he did and had voiced that same complaint, I´d be forced to do nothing but landscapes for an entire semester. As I reflected on what my professor said, I realized that, even though I have no desire to do landscape, if I dedicated myself to it, I would probably learn something and in the end it would be a positive experience.  Looking back on that summer painting experience, I began to consider the value of proactively approaching something I hated" - hence the title of the show.
While it´s human nature to avoid discomfort, this show explores and celebrates the growth and opportunities that can emerge when we experience things we had been afraid of, thought too difficult, or even held in contempt.