Arts & Culture

" Art attempts to find in the universe, in matter as well as in the facts of life, what is fundamental, enduring, essential. ”

– Saul Bellow

Salt Lake City is one of the West’s most varied communities when it comes to the arts and culture. Even from its earliest days, Salt Lake has placed a high priority on the arts. The Utah Arts Council, the country’s oldest state arts agency, was organized in Utah in 1899. Once established, theatres were built as quickly as churches. Today, Salt Lake is home to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and boasts its own symphony, ballet, theatre, opera, and modern dance companies. Salt Lake’s galleries showcase compelling visual art collections, while museums preserve treasures of the past, including pioneer artifacts, military aircraft, prehistoric fossils, and fine art.

Visual Arts

Ever since the Anasazi and Fremont Indians inscribed their history on rock walls in southern Utah, the state has offered a place where the work of visual artists can flourish. The Utah Arts Council’s Visual Arts Program preserves and promotes Utah’s artistic heritage through the collection, preservation, documentation and exhibition of the State Fine Art Collection. It also provides traveling art exhibitions, which are cosponsored by museums, libraries, schools, and community centers throughout the state.

Salt Lake City is home to the Intermountain West’s largest collection of world art, which is found at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on the University of Utah campus. One of the best places to experience what Utah’s visual arts community has to offer is Salt Lake City’s Gallery Stroll – with an average of 15 galleries participating each month, the stroll represents a large spectrum of artistic media and expression. There are more than 25 art galleries and museums throughout the valley, such as the Salt Lake Art Center and the Springville Museum of Art that showcase an eclectic array of early and contemporary work by local, regional, and international artists. The Museum of Church History and Art highlights LDS Church history and art from pioneer times to the present day. The Museum of Utah Art & History, the newest museum in the heart of Salt Lake City, fosters an awareness of, and excitement about, Utah art and history.

Performing Arts

Within one year of arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, the Utah pioneers constructed a social hall where dances, concerts, and plays provided entertainment for the community. Today the tradition continues with the 2,800-seat Abravanel Hall/Art Center Complex and the elegant 1,943-seat Capitol Theatre, which are spectacular venues for showcasing Utah’s performing arts.

The world-class Utah Symphony orchestra has earned international renown among classical music cognoscenti and performs a 52-week season in Abravanel Hall and other concert venues within the region. Utah Opera enhances the area’s cultural mix. Since 1978, Utah Opera has stirred the emotions of a growing audience, performing annually for more than 130,000 people in Utah and its neighboring states. In 2002 the symphony and opera combined their management operations in a historical merger to form the Utah Symphony & Opera.

The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, headquartered in Salt Lake, hosts one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the country. The world-famous Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs in the Conference Center on Temple Square each week. (The public is invited to attend rehearsal performances on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m., during their global network broadcast. The Choir is performing in the Conference Center while the famous dome-shaped Tabernacle undergoes renovation.)

The art of dance is alive and well in many forms in Salt Lake. Ballet West is one of the six largest ballet companies in the country and attracts professional dancers from around the world.

The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and The Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) are premiere modern dance companies based in Salt Lake City. The two companies present works of distinguished modern dance choreographers, as well as original works by their artistic directors and dancers. Both companies take their work on the road to perform and conduct workshops and classes in schools and local communities. Located in South Valley, Odyssey Dance Theatre offers professional jazz ballet that produces four homes seasons a year.

The Children’s Dance Theatre, the second oldest performing arts organization in Utah, is designed for young dancers. It is housed at the Virginia Tanner Creative Dance Studio on the University of Utah campus.

Of note is the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center that includes a 500-seat theater, orchestra pit, and rehearsal studio. In addition, the Theater League of Utah brings Broadway shows to the Salt Lake area.

Theater productions at the Pioneer Theatre Company at the University of Utah, Salt Lake Acting Company, Hale Centre Theatre at Harman Hall, The Grand Theater at Salt Lake Community College, and numerous other local acting groups are found around the Salt Lake area.

Just north of St. George, the Tuacahn outdoor amphitheatre is the permanent home to the original outdoor musical “Utah.” In Logan you can enjoy the Utah Festival Opera.

Utah writers, whose stories celebrate the landscape and lore of the American West, are receiving national acclaim for their work. Readers often gather at Salt Lake bookstores and coffeehouses to hear the works of local and regional authors.

There are also noteworthy writers’ conferences scheduled in the cool mountains of the north and the desert landscape of the south. One conference that has gained a national reputation among writers is the Writers at Work Conference at Westminster College. There is also one of the country’s most prestigious Creative Writing Programs for MFA and PhD degrees at the University of Utah.

Festivals

Unique festivals and celebrations take place in Utah throughout the year.

Utah has become a popular destination for the motion picture industry. Feature films, television and commercial productions, industrial films, and documentaries, have all utilized Utah’s breathtaking scenic beauty as a backdrop for their productions. In addition to unique locations, Utah boasts a complete production package, with professional crews, support services, equipment rental, and talent, all available to the local, regional, national, and international producer.

In fiscal year 2004, Utah’s film industry contributed $43 million to the state’s economy, with an additional $41.4 million added to the state’s coffers from the Sundance Film Festival, which the Utah Film Commission has been a major sponsor of since its inception. Recent film incentives appropriated by the Utah Legislature have generated renewed interest in the state for filmmaking.

Film productions in Utah during the past fiscal year included eight feature and cable productions, including National Treasure, Going to the Mat (Disney Channel), Paradise (Showtime), and WB’s Everwood, that recently began its third season of shooting. Trading Spaces, a popular reality-based television program also shot in the state. As well as countless national spots for products such as: Lexus, Mercedes, Honda, Harley Davidson and Nikon. In addition, the in-state film producer continues to add production dollars to the economy with programs such as Home Teachers, Saints & Soldiers, Sons of Provo, and Pride and Prejudice.
For more about films in Utah, go to http://film.utah.gov, www.slcfilmcenter.org, and www.saltlakefilmsociety.org.

Attractions

Salt Lake sites located close-by include historic Temple Square, the Utah State Capitol, the Great Salt Lake, Kennecott Bingham Copper Mine, Hogle Zoo, Clark Planetarium, the Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts, the Children’s Museum of Utah, Lagoon Amusement Park, Thanksgiving Point, Daughters of Utah Pioneers Memorial Museum, and This is the Place Heritage Park. In addition, Trolley Square and Gardner Village offer unique shopping experiences. The Gail Benjamin Aquarium Experience (part of the Living Planet Aquarium projects), is open at The Gateway Mall.

For many years, Salt Lake and Utah have interchangeably been called the “best of the west.” This is a description that continues to ring true for the area’s arts and culture community. Relax, learn, and enjoy!