Artists of Utah News
The Office Party Is Coming to Town . . . Again.
It's time to call it annual. On Wednesday, December 15th the Artists of Utah Holiday Office Party returns to the Salt Lake Art Center in what has now become an annual event for Utah's art community.
The Holiday Office Party is a chance for artists to leave their studios, art professionals to get out from behind their desks and art lovers to get away from their workaday lives in order to celebrate the sense of community that is so vital to Utah's art world. No one has to worry about putting up red dots or pulling out checkbooks for yet another fundraiser. No sales or solicitations are involved.
Last year's event was organized by Artists of Utah Board Member Stefanie Dykes, and was made possible with the help of a number of volunteers from the community and the generous help of the staff at the Salt Lake Art Center. Close to two hundred people brought savory and sweet potluck dishes and liquid refreshment to keep the festive spirit going for three hours.
The kids were entertained by an art activity where they created lovely luminaries put on by Bad Dog Rediscovers America, and a visit from Santa. Laura Durham and her band of merry carolers filled the halls with hush-inducing renditions of seasonal favorites. The White Elephant gift exchange was the greatest surprise of the evening. Guests were invited to participate by bringing in a wrapped handmade or altered gift. Dropping off their gift they received an elephant-shaped card which they traded in at the end of the evening for another present. Many were delighted to find that the artists participating had wrapped works of original art -- some of them even framed.
The party is by invitation only and all 15 Bytes subscribers will be receiving an official invitation with full details next week. If you would like to be invited and are not already subscribed you can do so by clicking here.
In Office Party style, we need the community to come together to make this happen. Food and drink will be potluck. We'll need volunteers to help with planning, setup, cleanup, and staffing the doors and galleries. And we could use a Santa! (last year Santa's cover was blown when his oldest recognized his hands) If you'd like to be on one of our party planning committees, contact Stefanie Dykes at sjdykes@aol.com.
We'd like to thank the Salt Lake Art Center for generously hosting this event.
|
|
15 Bytes: About Us
Our editorial contributors this edition
 Davey Davis uses words and videos in an attempt to carve an understanding of the curious things around him. He is co-captain of The Dada Factory and rides bicycles often.
 John Hughes is an award-winning artist and teacher who has been painting the landscape both in and out of the studio since 1983. He maintains a studio in Taylorsville and teaches students in private workshops and in a course at Salt Lake Community College.
Ann Poore is a freelance writer, editor and curator who worked for The Salt Lake Tribune for most of her career and, most recently, for City Weekly. She attended colleges in California and the University of Hawaii before graduating from the University of Utah. Ann curated "The Reality of Abstraction: Painting in Utah 1946-1996" for the Nora Eccles Harrrison Museum of Art, a show which toured Utah and included the work of Carolyn Coalson who is featured in this issue.
 Shawn Rossiter, a native of Boston, grew up on the East Coast. He has degrees in English, French and Italian Literature. He dropped out of a Masters program in Contemporary Literature to pursue a career as an artist. He founded Artists of Utah in 2001 and is editor of its magazine, 15 Bytes.
 Tyler Spurgeon is a visual artist and a master of fine art candidate at the University of Utah. He received his bachelor's degree in fine art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been shown nationally in cities including Seattle, Chicago and New York.
 Dale Thompson has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College. Her writing career includes work for a local theatre, journalism in Park City, and freelance contributions for various nonprofit organizations.
 Geoff Wichert has degrees in critical writing and creative nonfiction. He writes about art to settle the arguments going on in his head.
|
