Utah art lost its giant of realism, but flexed its creative muscle to bring more art to the masses.

Art at walking speed

Mixing equal parts aesthetic exercise, political gesture and statement on time and space in society, Ernesto Pujol's site-specific performance in April had onlookers gaping in awe over his audacity or scratching their heads in befuddlement. "Awaiting," a 12-hour "durational" stroll around Utah's Capitol by a band of 40 silent performers dressed in white, may have appeared to be an elaborate joke to some. For those who watched it from beginning straight through the night to its early-morning end, there was nothing quite like this mesmerizing piece of once-in-a-lifetime performance art.

Arnold Fribergbids adieu

He made The Book of Mormon world famous with his vivid, hypermasculine paintings of muscular prophets such as Lehi, Nephi, Abinadi and Ammon. He made himself famous with his celebrated 1975 painting "Prayer at Valley Forge," plus conceptual art for Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments." Had Arnold Friberg never made it to Utah after attending art schools in Chicago and New York City, he would have been every bit as great, but no state was more proud to call Friberg one of its own. "He said many times that, when painting, he felt he wasn't moving his wrist by himself," said daughter-in-law Jayna Friberg-Cleamons.

Art has a ball

Lawyer Adam Price, after taking the helm of the Salt Lake Art Center as executive director last year, made good on his promise to make art more user-, and public-, friendly with "Contemporary Masters," an exhibit pairing 18 holes of golf with serious artistic context. Few pieces of art this year were more pointed, passionate and humorous than Utah painter Jimmy Lucero's "Parring the American Dream" at hole No. 7. Price also introduced new senior curator Micol Hebron to Salt Lake City, a modern artist in her own right out to give local artists more exhibition space with a quarterly "Locals Only" series.

UMFA poursmodern "salt"

Not content with holding reign over the state's most impressive array of art and sculpture across historical eras and genres, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at the University kicked off "salt." Starting with Mexican artist Adriana Lara, who had the guts to turn a fresh banana peel into artistic statement, modern-art curator Jill Dawsey's series of exhibitions is aimed at brining emerging, international modern art talent to Utah's doorstep. Belgian artist Sophie Whettnall's installation of painterly videos was every bit as spellbinding as Lara's whimsical pieces. Here's to many more installments in a series that's off to an oustanding start.

Trevor Southey's "Reconciliation"

There could be no better name than "Reconciliation" for a retrospective exhibit by painter who left Zimbabwe for Utah and the Mormon Church for life as a gay man. Over the years, Trevor Southey's work was rejected by Utah censors and traditionalists, even as it was heartily embraced by the larger world. Southey lived to paint and tell, in one of the richest and most varied displays of work by a single artist with Utah roots. Perhaps the brightest crown jewel of Utah's year in art, it also marked a stunning year of offerings at the Utah Museum of Fine Art as Gretchen Dietrich was named the new executive director.

Ben Fulton