The Utah Photographic arts Council and Gray Wall Gallery are presenting a show of the Council’s members. This is a group show of artists that focus on photographic concepts as a medium for presenting ideas.
“The UPAC show is going to be an exciting show for Gray Wall Gallery as we will be able to introduce a large group of artists to the public in one show. For many of the artists participating this will be their first professional show, and each artist is really pushing to do something that is new and unique.” —Matthew Hall, Curator–Gray Wall Gallery.
The Utah Photographic Arts Council (UPAC) is a group of artists focused on bridging the gap between the educational and established art communities. It was created by University of Utah students Maria Davis, Abbey Wuthrich and Mallory Qualls in 2007 with the intent to supplement their education with workshops, lectures, and exhibitions that would give artists experience outside of an academic curriculum. UPAC members are primarily photographers who work with digital, film, and alternative processes, but members also work with mediums such as sculpture and painting. The group receives funding from the University of Utah College of Fine Arts, but is not limited to students, photographers, or locals. It is open to artists of all levels and all mediums and strives to eliminate boundaries from the art community.
Gray Wall Gallery is excited to promote both this group of artists and the Council as a whole, as the goals of promoting new artists and initiating careers in artwork are shared goals for Gray Wall Gallery and Utah Photographic Arts Council.
UPAC Show Dates:
Opening June 11, 6-8pm
Gallery Stroll June 17, 6-9pm
Closing Date July 1
The month of May at the Gray Wall Gallery brings not only a welcome relief from the showers and cold of a Utah spring, but also some new artists pumping some new life onto the creative soul of the city. The work of ten artists grace the walls of the gallery to form a cohesive body of work not to be missed.
Dorene Miya returns for her second month at the gallery with her detailed work in stain glass. She has said about her work, “I love change and diversity, and so am naturally drawn to glass with its amazing visual and textural properties and how those properties constantly change with light.” The display is by the front window, capturing the sunlight and casting color on the walls.
There is space in the gallery this month to celebrate the contests of the Urban Arts Festival held on Saturday, May 21st. The gallery will be open from 10 am to 9pm that day as city members gather to compete in creating a unique skatedeck. Patrons are welcome to come in and place their votes. Visit UrbanArtsFest.org for more details.
Matthew Hall is featured in two different mediums this month. The gallery features his ceramics, as well as his found art which he has described, “I am choosing to deal with the objects that we ignore—or rather that we have such familiarity with that we know them without consideration—and treat them in ways that tease expectation.
D’Arcy Benincosa’s cohesive exhibit “Our One Body” is featured on the large wall of the gallery. Uniform in it’s black and white nature, the photography depicts the belief that the essential identity of being human is written in the lines and curves of the body. The body, often, places each of us within a collective. She has sought to capture that collective spirit.
qi peng is back this month with his collection of rejection letters that he said “documents the process of how an emerging artist was able to navigate through the contemporary art world and grow within the system.” Part of that growth came through his rejection, which has made his victories that much more poignant. New to the gallery this month is Giuliana Serena. Through her Moontime Rising project, Serena brings forward a resource for change with the Moon Cycle Timepiece, a timekeeping tool for everyone which supports the reintegration of natural time and the human experience.
Richard James Enbody has a pristine reputation among artists in Salt Lake City. His work is a culmination of all his experiences through childhood transisitioning to adulthood. Much of his art is inspired by his past life experiences, which have been full and numerous. His work is next to Hannah Montgomery’s jewelry exhibition. She has handcrafted various pieces that will appeal to many men and women. Her delicate handywork is just the perfect way to express yourself.
Finally, Nic Rodriguez and Daren Young are gallery regulars with ever changing ideas and passions. Rodriguez’s work this month cast shadows on the art of Chinese calligraphy, accented by bold blues and greens where one would have expected to find reds. His work is at once calming and exciting. Young’s work is both refined and delicate in it’s depictions of scenery, both local and of Venice.
Gray Wall Gallery is excited to host a special Christmas Show that focuses on giving the gift of local art this holiday season and encourage everyone to support local businesses during this holiday season. Shopping local keeps three times as much money in the local economy as buying from a big box store. Gray Wall will be promoting the art work of 13 local artists who have focused on pieces that are ideal for gifts. Featured during the show are works ranging from the traditional to the unique, both large and small, and in all price ranges. Many of the artists have tried to focus on the green element like Julie Penman’s urban recycled jewelry or Giuliana Serena’s hats and scarves made from completely local sources.
The first annual Gray Wall Christmas Show will be held on Saturday December 11th, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 9p.m. at Gray Wall Gallery located at 351 W. Pierpont Ave Ste. 2B. The event is free and open to the public.
Affordably-priced items like prints, messenger bags and jewelry will be available as well as pottery and larger works on canvas. Live music will be provided throughout the event and light refreshments will be served all in the intimate setting of a gallery.
“What better way to revitalize the economy at large than to support our local economy?” asks Tamara Fox, one of the gallery founders. “You can support local artists and you will have unique, one of a kind gifts that will be treasured forever.”
“We’ve had great artist and customer response for this show.” says Sarah Cuvelier, artist liaison for the gallery. “People are excited to see art come back to Pierpont.”
This event is sponsored by the Utah Arts Alliance and Gray Wall Gallery.
The Gray Wall Gallery’s November display is our largest collection yet. We have work from ten different artists, all of which are amazing talents in their own fashion. Joining us for the first time this month we have David Powell and Teri Ockey. Teri is presenting a wonderful collection of figurative work that ranges from very direct to nearly abstract, and will be sure to draw attention of any viewer. David is presenting a series of large drawings that will allow a viewer to lose themselves in a world that he has created.
We are also pleased to continue representing several artists this month. Erica Harney’s Portmanteu series continues with us this month and we are pleased to see it draw the attention of every patron in our gallery. Jacob Shirley’s work is notable for the emotion he pushes through the expression of his subject and we are excited to continue showing new pieces directly out of his studio. Daren Young’s display is all new this month and his collection continues to display how talented he is in his composition, etchings and brushwork. Guadalupe Rodriguez’ photography shows us the amazing beauty that can be caught in a single moment. Jason Well’s collection of messenger bags and purses are some of our most popular pieces. Sarah Cuvelier’s vessels and purses are as impressive as ever. Tamara Fox continues to present new work for our walls, pedestals and shelves, showing her range and talent as an artist. And Matthew Hall’s porcelain works and altered books continue to represent his talents in multiple mediums.
The Gallery is open Wednesday through Friday 6pm–8:30, Saturday 11am–5pm, and Sunday noon–3pm. We are available for private events, and for private showings of our gallery. Contact us at www.graywallgallery.com.
Gallery stroll is Friday the 19th of November, and we will be open on Black Friday the 26th. (check the website for hours as the day approaches.)
The Gray Wall Gallery is a project of the Utah Arts Alliance, utaharts.org.
The Gray Wall Gallery is proud to announce our October Group Show. In the gallery this month we are welcoming the Utah debut of Erica Harney’s artwork. A recent MFA from Penn State, Erica has been showing both nationally and internationally. We have a selection of her Portmanteaus series. Many of these pieces have shown across the country and some are making their first appearance outside of her studio. We are excited to be able to welcome this artist to our gallery and to Utah.
Returning to the gallery we have artists Daren Young, Jason Wells, Guadalupe Rodriguez, Jacob Shirley, Tamara Fox, Sarah Cuvelier and Matthew Hall. Each artist has been able to place new work into the gallery and we are happy to have a new collection from each artist. Jacob Shirley has been able to add more large paintings to our display. Adding to his popular Bill [Murray] painting is Steve [Buscemi] and a selection of paintings that are constantly moving directly from his studio to our gallery. Daren Young has updated his selection, that already includes a portfolio diverse in medium and exquisite in talent, to include a few pieces that add humor to his brilliance as an artist. Guadalupe Rodriguez has a range of photographs that have an ability to create a brilliant still out of micro and macro focus of every day things. Jason Wells has continued to create with recycled materials, and we have a display that shows his full range as an artist. Tamara Fox has created a selection of pieces that are a perfect fit for the October flavor of life, including a slightly morbid take on her altered animals. Sarah Cuvelier has continued to keep us stocked with new work as we have not been able to keep any of her ceramic pieces in the gallery. Matthew Hall has been busy, and is showing a small series of his altered book pieces that are all brand new.
Gray Wall Gallery is a project of the Utah Arts Alliance. As a non-profit gallery we make our focus on finding new artists and artist unseen in Utah into our gallery, while giving those artists the best chance to succeed. We welcome any submissions to the gallery and any support and ideas from our community.
Gray Wall Gallery
351 W. Pierpont Ave. STE 2B
Salt Lake City, UT 84101