This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the scoop on this month's Gallery Stroll, we asked gallery owners what they recommend.
Kayo Gallery • Opening "Sideshow," featuring new works by Gentry Blackburn, Ben Thomas and Pushy Galore.
Gallery owner Shilo Jackson says • "I've always loved the mystique and curiosities around sideshows. It brings an element of kitsch and the strange about. Last year when I was booking shows for 2010, it was around the time the State Fair was going on. At the time, the sideshow was in jeopardy of going away. I thought it would be fun to do a show to immortalize it."
Each artist has selected a subject to focus on. The work of Blackburn, who is also the owner of the adjacent Frosty Darling, depicts fair food, including alligator on a stick, a footlong and a deep-fried Oreo. Thomas has created the freakish aspect of the sideshow, from the two-headed cock to the Fiji mermaid, and Pushy Galore's vintage sideshow portraits will have you wishing you could see Cannonball Zelda firsthand.
Pushy Galore is Jackson's roller derby name, and I asked Jackson if the work Pushy is producing is different from the work Shilo would produce. "The paintings are definitely different from my normal genre of trompe l'oeil paintings," she says. "I also feel strange showing my own work in my gallery, so the pseudonym makes it easier for me to do so." I asked Jackson if she has any recommendations for other galleries strollers should visit. "Some of my favorites, when I could do stroll, are Phillips and Art Access," she says. The Sideshow exhibit runs through Tuesday, Oct. 12.
Blonde Grizzly • Opening Nick and Erin Potter's "Things, Stuff and Horns: Broken Skateboards, Broken Brains." The Potters are a popular fixture in the Salt Lake art scene, creating one of the most buzzed-about rooms in the 337 Project and recently a miniature-golf hole in the Contemporary Masters exhibit at Salt Lake Art Center.
Artist Erin Potter says • "We didn't start much of the work for this show until we had already named it. We needed to create fliers and ads for promotion so we came up with the title because we knew no matter where the show went, these elements would be included. Nick had saved a box full of all the old skate decks he has snapped over the years and we have been wanting a show where we could make some larger work to incorporate these boards. He also has written some short stories and wanted to include illustrations and text from these. For some reason, Nick likes writing about people with horns. The entire show is made up of art that reflects our creative process. Nick and I have started referring to it as the show of 'Infinite Knowledge,' because of the textual elements we have chosen to employ and because it is a huge conglomeration of all the styles and types of art that we are interested in and influenced by."
They have recycled and expanded a few of their older pieces, made large mixed-media and collage pieces that are semi-autobiographical, as well as screen-printed four new art prints, plus created an installation element for the show, which hangs through Friday, Oct. 8.
Erin Potter recommends • 337 Project's Urban Gallery All-Star Face Off at Neighborhood House.
For the weekend event, nine teams of artists have each been given a garage door and 18 hours to create a masterpiece. The audience will help select which artists will share $2,000 in prize money. The artists include Spencer Barton, Alison Buck, Laura Boardman, Kier Defstar, Rachael Domingo, Veronica Perez, Zach Procter, Tony Poulson and Riktor. The event is Friday, Sept. 17, noon to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 18, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The event offers the opportunity for art lovers to watch nine teams of Utah's best artists at work at the same time and same place, said Adam Price, executive director of the Salt Lake Art Center and founder of 337 Project.
Gallery owner Emily Brooks Edmunds recommends • 24 Hour Show at Hive Gallery.
The event kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 16, when more than 100 artists received a 12-by-12-inch wooden canvas from the Trolley Square gallery, which will return within 24 hours. Submissions will be displayed for sale in the gallery Saturday, Sept. 18, from 3 to 8 p.m.
Edmunds says • "The exciting part of the 24 Hour Show is the mystery of what an artist can and will create in such a short time frame. I believe this show is going to force each artist to think out of the box. I'm excited to see pieces by new artists, students, children and the many artists the show is allowing me to meet for the first time."
Local artists whose work she's excited about include Jonathon Baker, Mary Ann Hess, Jeffrey Hale, Ryan Muirhead and Cat Palmer. Edmunds says all the artists she has talked to are making time for both Gallery Stroll and the Hive event, and she is excited by the prospect of a "huge arts weekend."
Edmunds also recommends • "Now, if I was venturing out of the gallery, I would be headed to Williams Fine Art to see their first annual Student Invitational Exhibition. Student art shows offer an exciting preview into the future of our local art scene."
Salt Lake Gallery Stroll
When • Today, 6-9 p.m.
Info • http://www.gallerystroll.org
Kayo Gallery • 177 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City
Info • http://www.kayogallery.com
Blonde Grizzly • 15 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City
Info • blondegrizzly.com
337 Project's Urban Gallery All-Star Face Off
When • Today, noon-7 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 18, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Where • 1050 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City
Info • http://www.337project.org
24 Hour Art Show
When • Saturday, Sept. 18, 3-8 p.m.
Where • 600 S. 700 East, Salt Lake City
Williams Fine Art • 200 E. South Temple, Suite 100, Salt Lake City
What • The first annual Student Invitational Exhibition. Students were selected from the art and art-history departments at the University of Utah.