Utah Museum of Fine Arts will be closed for renovations "/> Utah Museum of Fine Arts will be closed for renovations "/> Utah Museum of Fine Arts throwing Long Live Art! party before yearlong renovation project - The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Museum of Fine Arts throwing Long Live Art! party before yearlong renovation project

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors and the cafeteria to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors, including the well known guava jam color to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Canadian artist Conrad Bakker, spends time in his latest exhibit he made entirely out of wood that features 320 books originally found in Robert Smithson's library. Smithson was the artist that created the Spiral Jetty earth works found on the northern shore of the Great Salt Lake. The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. The space of the Great Hall will remain but the signature light guava color could change.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. The signature color of guava jam in the European Gallery could change.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors and the cafeteria to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus.

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Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors and the cafeteria to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors, including the well known guava jam color to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Canadian artist Conrad Bakker, spends time in his latest exhibit he made entirely out of wood that features 320 books originally found in Robert Smithson's library. Smithson was the artist that created the Spiral Jetty earth works found on the northern shore of the Great Salt Lake. The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. The space of the Great Hall will remain but the signature light guava color could change. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus. The signature color of guava jam in the European Gallery could change. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will close during 2016 during a major construction project to install state-of-the-art technology and update some of the wall colors and the cafeteria to the award-winning Marcia and John Price Museum Building on campus.

By Sean P. Means The Salt Lake Tribune

· December 14, 2015 12:09 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts will be closed for renovations for most of 2016 — but not before throwing a big party.

The Long Live Art! Kickoff Party is set for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 16 and 17, at UMFA, at 410 Campus Center Drive on the University of Utah campus, the museum announced today.

The party will give the public a chance to explore the museum's galleries for free — a last hurrah before the yearlong renovation project, an upgrade to the Marcia and John Price Museum Building's vapor barrier system and a reinstallation of the permanent collection.

The vapor barrier helps the museum maintain its optimal humidity level for art objects, while also extending the building's life. During the closure, museum staff also will be remodeling gallery spaces, reinventing most permanent exhibitions and reimagining parts of other museum operations.

"We want to accomplish two goals during this time: protect the building that protects the art and create brand new experiences for our visitors," Gretchen Dietrich, UMFA executive director, said in a statement. The museum is expected to reopen in spring 2017.

The Long Live Art! party will feature gallery and behind-the-scenes tours, an art-making activity (in the museum's Third Saturday for Families series), screenings of "Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art" and "The Painting," performances by the U. of U.'s Department of Modern Dance, yoga, chamber music, food trucks and a dance party with DJ Lishus.

During the 2016 closure, UMFA will continue its Third Saturday for Families series and its educational outreach program. Museum staff also are launching a new series, "ARTLandish: Land Art, Landscape, and the Environment," with lectures, films, panel discussions, tours and other events. UMFA is partnering with the U.'s College of Fine Arts and J. Willard Marriott Library and the Salt Lake City Public Library for the series.