COURT BENNETT. Pot-Bellied Prickle, 2003, mixed media.
Try to imagine an evening filled with cutting-edge art, conversations with the city’s most successful artists and gallery owners, and delicious tastings. What if you could experience such an evening for free? As it is, you’d be imagining the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll. The Salt Lake Gallery Stroll occurs the third Friday of every month and offers visitors the chance to enjoy Salt Lake’s art galleries after hours from 6-9 PM. As always, this event is free and self-guided, so you can bring dates, friends, or family members along and experience the art at your own pace. Participating sponsors and galleries vary from month to month, so there is always something new to discover. This event offers a great opportunity to enjoy artwork and artists that we have in our own community. To see which galleries are currently participating and to discover some of the evenings’ special events, refer to the gallery stroll website at: http://www.gallerystroll.org/.
TRENT ALVEY. Blue Lotus 3, part of Blue Lotus Lake: Losing the Illusion of Separateness, an installation at Art Access, Salt Lake City, 2001, acrylic on canvas, 4′x4′
Don’t let the thoughts of parking uptown dissuade you; free public parking exists at the Rio Grand Depot where the Rio Gallery resides. Parking meters also appear at various locations downtown, or you may decide to take the Trax to the Gateway and to walk from there.
Attending the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll offers a great opportunity for students in the arts, art history, or humanities. What better way to find inspiration for art projects, to talk with artists and gallery owners about what it takes to succeed, and to relate the local art scene to current studies in your classes?
Classroom Project:
As an individual or as a class, attend the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll. In response to this experience, answer the following questions. Remember to be familiar with the questions and word counts before you go, so you’ll know what to look for, and be sure to bring a pencil and paper with you, so you can take notes. Each question is designed to help you critically think about the artwork and to appreciate its context. Enjoy!
JOHN BELL. JMB, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 34″x64″
1. List the galleries that you visited (you must have experienced at least three galleries), and, in a few sentences for each, describe the galleries’ specialties or focus.
2. In at least 150 words, comment on the galleries’ presentations. Describe each gallery’s overall layout and on the handling of artistic display. How does the layout and handling of display affect the viewer’s experience? Is it designed to appeal to specific viewers?
3. In at least 150 words, describe one of the broad collections that appealed to you. A broad collection may include works done by a specific artist or works that represent a specific theme, geographic region, or subject within one of the galleries.
4. What kind of information is provided about the works on display? Indicate specific sources that were available. Where would you look if you wanted to discover more information about an artist or artwork?
5. Choose several of your favorite works from this experience. Describe why these works appealed to you. Be sure to mention the name of the artists, date of the works’ creation, style, medium, etc. Your response should be at least 300 words.
6. In what way did the artwork relate to what you’ve learned in class?
7. Describe your personal reaction to experiencing the gallery stroll. Would you like to participate in this kind of event again, and would you recommend this experience to others? Why or why not? Must be at least 100 words.
8. In your opinion, why is this experience so important to art, art history, or humanities students?
