USU Artists Featured in New Exhibition

The Utah Arts Council will feature the work of the 2007 individual artists grant awardees in a brand new exhibition opening at the Rio Gallery in Salt Lake City Friday, Dec. 7, called the 2007 Individual Artist Showcase.

The exhibition will highlight the work of nineteen artists including USU English professor Kathe Lison and art professor Eileen Doktorski. The exhibited artwork draws from the fields of literature, dance, music, media and/or visual arts.

The artists were awarded a grant through the Utah Arts Council Artist Endowment Fund for their individual participation in the arts and professional development. Grants ranged in size from $500 to $2000. Award decisions were made from a pool of over 80 applicants on the basis of project, experience, and artistic merit by panels composed of specialists in each genre. 

“Interest in the program continues to increase,” said Margaret Hunt, executive director of the Utah Arts Council. “We receive applications of high caliber from artists throughout Utah. I would say one of the hardest parts of this program is often deciding who will receive a grant. There are so many talented and passionate artists in Utah that are worthy of recognition.” 

Other artists featured at the exhibit are Paisley Rekdal, Heidi Hart, Lily Havey, Nathaniel Olson, Philip Bimstein, Joel Rosenberg, Paul OCampo, Marc Inman, Hank Liese, Chris Simon, Chadwick Tolley, Amy Jorgensen, Corey Strange, Trevor Bazil, Jake Gilson, K. Stevenson and Suzanne Kanatsiz. 

The exhibition at the Rio Gallery opens Dec. 7, with a special public opening reception featuring performances by grant awardees from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Rio Gallery is located at 300 S Rio Grande St in Salt Lake City, 801-533-3582.The exhibition runs through Jan. 5, and is free and open to the public.

Contact: Lydia Durand, communications manager, Utah Arts Council
Phone: 801-236-7548 (office) or 801-808-5708 (mobile)