Roberta Rosenberg and Terry Lee will present a lecture, "Honoring the Spiritual in Art: the Paintings of Susan Swartz," Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the UMFA's auditorium. The lecture will be followed by a signing by Swartz of her first book, Natural Revelations: The Art of Susan Swartz. For more information, call 801-581-7332 or visit www.umfa.utah.edu.
Duo at Art Barn: Infrared photographs by Laurel Casjens and abstract paintings and sketches by Joe Jacoby are on display through Feb. 22 at the Art Barn, 54 Finch Lane, Salt Lake City. Casjens' photographs are taken with a digital infrared camera which, she says, "sees a spectrum of light not visible to our eyes in addition to the light we see."
Watercolor demo: The Sandy Watercolor Club meeting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. will feature a lecture by award-winning landscape artist Dale Minson, who will demonstrate a wet-on-wet painting technique he uses. Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 9310 S. 1300 East in the Sandy Senior Center building. Call 801-259-3435.
New gallery: The new (a)perture Gallery will hold a reception Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. to launch its grand-opening exhibit by Utah photographers Anne Cummings Anderson and Heidi Gress. The gallery describes the show as "an existential photographic exhibit exploring the many manifestations of hunger." The show will continue through Feb. 15 at the gallery, 1617 S. 900 East, Salt Lake City. For more info, call 801-486-0902 or visit www.apertureslc.com.
Still-life show: An exhibit of still-life paintings by Joe Carter and Lindsay Frei opens with a reception Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Phillips Gallery, 444 E. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Carter brings his engineering background to his precisely rendered objects, while Frei approaches her mannequins, teacups and other subjects as if painting portraits. The exhibit runs through Feb. 8. Call 801-364-8284 or visit www.phillips-gallery.com.
Our land: The illustrative work of Utah artist Jean Arnold is featured in the national traveling exhibition "This Is Our Land," featuring 80 original illustrations for children's literature by artists from around the world and opening with a reception Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Rio Gallery, 300 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City. "This Is Our Land" is sponsored by the Library of Congress Center for the Book. The show continues through Feb. 27.
"Gifts" of life: "Gifts," a thought-provoking exhibit of autobiographical paintings by Utah artist Alice Perreault, opens with a reception Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Art Access Gallery, 230 S. 500 West #125, Salt Lake City. Perreault's canvases explore the effects of having a son with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and a daughter with Down syndrome. Her large canvases are filled with angst but also with hope. Also opening Friday in Art Access II Gallery is "Bagging Birds," an installation of 130 "plastic bagged birds" by graphic artist Carol Sogard. The installation attempts to shed light on the environmental impacts of our trash, i.e., the plastic pieces that lodge in birds' stomachs or choke their necks. The shows run through Feb. 8. Call 801-328-0703.
The art of Patti Smith: "Objects of Life," a multimedia installation of objects, photographs and video inspired by Steven Sebring's filming of artist and rock icon Patti Smith, opens Friday at the Julie Nester Gallery, 1755 B Bonanza Drive, Park City. The installation will run through Jan. 28 in conjunction with the world premiere of "Patti Smith: Dream of Life" at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. "Objects of Life" consists of 14 photographs taken by Sebring, a video installation of Smith creating an art piece, a rare oil painting by Smith and a private collection of personal belongings from both artists. Call 435-649-7855 or visit www.julienester gallery.com.
Seeing Sproul: An exhibit of contemporary figurative works by John Sproul opens with a reception Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Michael Berry Gallery, 163 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City. The show will run through Feb. 9. For more information, call 801-521-0243. For examples of Sproul's work, visit www.umber gallery.com.
Hello kitty: The Salt Lake Art Design Board has installed "Dairy Cats," a new public art project at Steenblik Park, 1100 W. 800 North in the Rose Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City. Created by artist Day Christensen, "Dairy Cats" is a series of bronze sculptures of colorful, 4-foot-tall cats on the edges of the park near the playground. Christensen is a Utah artist whose other commissions include "Sugar Beets" in the Sugar House Business District and pieces at the Temple Square and City Center TRAX stations, the Salt Lake City Main Library and the Salt Palace Convention Center. The project is managed by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.
