Year
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Best Art Gallery
Urban Arts Gallery
Year after year, Utah Arts Alliance's Urban Arts Gallery presents themed shows with unique, engaging work that might not fit within your typical gallery framework. Whether it's the fan art of the Star Wars Heroes & Villains show, the SLC Queer show celebrating Pride Month or the annual Skate Deck show, the gallery makes the act of viewing art both fun and fascinating as it showcases a wide range of local creators.
urbanartsgallery.org
2. Springville Museum of Art
3. Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Best Arts & Crafts Studio
Art Haus
"We believe that everybody has artistic talent" reads Art Haus's mission statement, and they certainly put that principle into action as a space with daily classes for every age and creative interest. Bring in children to learn about pottery, painting, drawing or cartooning, or as an adult, take those on yourself. Themed workshop classes also offer a chance to fine-tune those skills in unique ways. It's time to unlock your inner artist.
arthaus-slc.com
2. Salt Lake Pottery Studio
3. Workshop SLC
Best Arts Nonprofit
Salt Lake Film Society
Locals know the Salt Lake Film Society best from its film programming at the Broadway Centre Cinemas, from first-run theatrical releases to themed programming like the annual "Tower of Terror" and "Summer Showdown" series. But it's also a resource supporting filmmakers, as was demonstrated by the Oscar-nominated Ninety-Five Senses, an offshoot of the Media Accelerator Studio (MAST) program's "Voices Seen" animation contest. SLFS doesn't just show great filmmaking; it helps to create it.
slfs.org
2. Utah Arts Alliance
3. Salt Lake Acting Company
Best Classical Music/Opera Performance
Utah Symphony, Danny Elfman's Percussion Concerto
Composer Danny Elfman's career has been fascinatingly diverse, from his years as Oingo Boingo frontman to his film scores for Batman, Spider-man, Beetlejuice and more. He continued to expand his horizons with the 2022 premiere of his Percussion Concerto, incorporating what he described as his "lifelong obsession" with percussion. And local audiences responded enthusiastically to the premiere of the work with Utah Symphony in 2024 with percussionist Colin Currie, for whom the work was written.
utahsymphony.org
2. Utah Symphony, Appalachian Spring
3. Utah Symphony, How to Train Your Dragon
Best Concert Venue: All Ages
Red Butte Garden
It's no surprise that readers voted Red Butte Garden as this year's best all-ages venue. The stunning backdrop of Utah's gorgeous landscape never gets old, and it's even better when you have music from your favorite bands going at the same time. Even better, you can bring your whole family to enjoy the fresh air and fun times, so no one has to miss out because they're a young'un.
redbuttegarden.org
2. Kilby Court
3. Sandy Amphitheater
Best Concert Venue: Indoor Over 500 Capacity
Abravanel Hall
Going to Abravanel Hall is always a special treat. The building is fascinating to look at inside and out, and once you're seated, there's always the promise of top-notch performances. You'll be singing praises for everything from the acoustics to the cozy seats, right down to the lighting. There's a great variety of shows here as well; you can catch the symphony one night and then a comedy act another.
saltlakecountyarts.org
2. The Depot
3. Eccles Theater
Best Concert Venue: Indoor Under 500 Capacity
The State Room
The State Room bills itself as "Salt Lake's favorite live music venue," and that's obviously not far from the truth, because here it is in our very own list! Those who visit rave about the great staff, excellent seating, superb sound mixing and intimate setting. There's nothing quite like seeing a performer you love up close, and getting to have an experience you'll never forget.
thestateroompresents.com
2. Soundwell
3. Metro Music Hall
Best Concert Venue: Outdoor
Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
Red Butte is back again in another category, because it sure is hard to beat. There are few places where you can experience the good weather, great music and gorgeous plant life with friends and family, but that's why we're lucky to have the Red Butte Amphitheatre and its annual summer lineup of some of the best touring acts in the world.
redbuttegarden.org
2. Sandy Amphitheater
3. Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Best Concert of the Past Year
Noah Kahan @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Back in July, singer/songwriter Noah Kahan sold out the Utah First Credit Union amphitheater, bringing his vulnerable lyrics and unfiltered yet relatable honesty to the stage. His blend of folk, Americana and rock has continued to blow listeners away, especially at this show. Kahan's summer tour was unforgettable, and those who went to this show are still buzzing about it as we close out 2024.
2. Depeche Mode @ The Delta Center
3. ISOxo @ Boxpac
Best Friend of the Arts
Bruce Bastian
The Utah arts community—and the community at large—lost a giant in June 2024 with the passing of Bruce Bastian. The WordPerfect co-founder and philanthropist's B.W. Bastian Foundation supported dozens of local arts organizations including Ballet West, Utah Symphony, Plan-B Theatre Company and many more, contributing to the vitality and diversity of creative voices in Utah. His work continues through the foundation, but he'll be truly missed.
2. Jonathan King
3. Kate Ruefner
Best Cultural Event
SLC Pride
The community has spoken: This event had a wonderful community vibe, with volunteers, performers, artisans and patrons all showcasing their independence and queerness. It had that laid-back, farmers' market atmosphere—local and authentic—allowing grassroots entities to shine. The indoor, air-conditioned spaces for neuro-spicy youth were absolutely on fire! The overall vibe and affordability were fantastic. People loved getting to see all the local performers and the all-ages drag show. High five to SLC Pride.
SLC-Pride.org
2. Utah Arts Festival
3. Living Traditions
Best Dance Company
Ballet West
In every possible way, the 60th anniversary 2023-2024 season of Ballet West was a triumph. From the record-breaking, season-opening production of Dracula through the highest-grossing-ever run of The Nutcracker and the magical The Firebird, the company kept delivering productions that audiences loved. The result has been a growing subscriber base and operating budget, matching the creative highs that Adam Sklute and the company dancers keep delivering year after year.
balletwest.org
2. Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
3. University of Utah Tanner Dance
Best Drag Performer
Sequoia
Drag is an art—don't let anyone tell you any different. And thus, drag is most enjoyable when presented not just by a performer, but by an artist. Sequoia understands that, and then some. With enviable makeup, hair and costuming, it's easy to understand why Sequoia is a star. Yet, what truly sets her apart is her outstanding vocal range and inimitable charisma and stage presence. There's a reason her Instagram handle is theonlysequoia, after all.
2. Tara Lipsyncki
3. Hoe Shi Minh
Best Haunted House
Fear Factory
Standing like a beacon of all things horror as you drive downtown on I-15, Fear Factory has become the iconic hub for Halloween attractions in Utah. The former cement factory-turned-fright festival spans six buildings with a variety of jump-scares and costumed freaks ready to scare you for a night or, if you're so inclined, with a season pass. Thirteen years since opening, they thrive as a pillar of terror for those looking for a thrill.
fearfactoryslc.com
2. Nightmare on 13th
3. Asylum 49
Best Local Author
Brandon Sanderson
Over nearly 20 years, Brandon Sanderson has built the kind of career that most writers would kill for. His skills at creating fantasy universes have been evident through his Cosmere sagas in Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive, even as he has continued universes created by others, like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. It's no wonder he's built the kind of fan base that would support a Kickstarter campaign to the tune of $41 million.
brandonsanderson.com
2. Terry Tempest Williams
3. Shannon Hale
Best Local Band
The Backseat Lovers
The Backseat Lovers encapsulate everything there is to love about indie music: songs dripping with charm and local references; endearing performances; and an unwavering love for their fanbase. Songs like "Kilby Girl" and "Maple Syrup" put them on the map, and hopefully there's more on the horizon from the delightful Backseat Lovers.
thebackseatlovers.com
2. Pixie & The Partygrass Boys
3. Royal Bliss
Best Local Comedian
Craig Sorensen
It's back-to-back victories in this category for Craig Sorensen, the multi-talented comedian who plies his trade both as a stand-up performer and co-producer of the Crowdsourced Comedy improv troupe. His work finds a distinctively funny sweet spot in addressing topics like being a gay Mormon missionary ("We've been together for two transfers, so it's getting serious") or having a "slight disability" in one hand ("I have 52 right-handed gloves I don't know what to do with").
IG: @kcraigsorensen
2. Shayne Smith
3. Rodney Norman
Best Local Poet
Wynter Storm
The range of Wynter Storm's artistic interests is wide, most notably including serving as Executive Director of the Utah Black Artists Collective. But her skills as a poet and spoken-word performer—dating back, her bio attests, to having a poem published when she was in second grade—are constantly on local display, including time with the Salt Lake City Slam team and multiple competition award wins. IG: @wynter_storm1
2. RJ Walker
3. Angelika Brewer
Best Local Stage Actor
Ren Cottam, West Valley Performing Arts
It's been a tumultuous year for West Valley Performing Arts, after facing the prospect of the city closing their venue. But they've bounced back with successful productions like The Lightning Thief, with BYU alum Cottam lending great youthful energy and a terrific voice to the lead role of Percy Jackson, showing great range after his Riff in last summer's West Side Story.
wvcarts.org
2. Steven Pond, Grassroots Shakespeare
3. Bradley Barker, Draper Historic Theatre
Best Muralist
Lizzie Wenger
No one captures Utah's striking landscapes quite like Lizzie Wenger does. The Salt Lake City-based artist beautifully evokes Utah's colors, shapes and designs through a "psychedelic cubist" style, fusing the artist's love of the outdoors with her creative ingenuity. Wenger's work is featured on the side of Sugar House's Patagonia Outlet, and combines some of Utah's diverse geography and wildlife to celebrate the Utah land we all know and love. IG: @zielizg;
lizziewenger.com
2. Trent Call
3. Josh Scheuerman
Best Movie Theater
Broadway Centre Cinemas
Operated by the Salt Lake Film Society, this six-screen downtown cinema hotspot has carried on the work of Salt Lake specialty theaters of yesteryear with great panache. Whether you're after arthouse, indie or foreign flicks, chances are you'll find them here (and so much more) along with some appealingly unique screening events through the year.
slfs.org
2. Brewvies Cinema Pub
3. Redwood Drive-in Theatre And Swap Meet
Best Museum
Natural History Museum of Utah
Though its history spans more than 60 years, the Natural History Museum of Utah truly found its ideal home with the opening of the Rio Tinto Center in 2011. Since that time, the shining copper façade of the building has invited visitors to celebrate the land and peoples of Utah through fascinating permanent exhibits as well as experiencing great touring ones. No matter your age, it's an opportunity to be awed by the natural world.
nhmu.utah.edu
2. The Leonardo
3. Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Best Music Festival
Kilby Block Party
Since its first show in 2019, Kilby Block Party has grown exponentially and has become the place to be during the month of May. Folks who head out to KBP each year are hardcore fans—never being deterred by the weather and showing up in droves each day for the epic lineups. It's become SLC's largest indie music festival, and fans are waiting with bated breath to see 2025's lineup.
kilbyblockparty.com
2. Das Energi Festival
3. Ogden Music Festival
Best Musical Instrument Store
Summerhays Music Center
For musicians, it's important to have a place to take your instruments and know they're going to be treated with professionalism and care. Similarly, if you have questions about gear or want to get into music, you need a beginner-friendly zone with a knowledgeable staff. Luckily, Summerhays has that in spades. There are few you can trust more than Summerhays with your music needs.
summerhaysmusic.com
2. Acoustic Music
3. Guitar Czar
Best Neighborhood Concerts
Tiny Porch
Some ache for the large crowds and loud speakers, but many love a cozy, intimate setting where you can relax and enjoy a more personal show with your favorite local musicians. Coming to a Tiny Porch show means fun, food, great people and even better music. Helped along by the Utah Arts Alliance, Tiny Porch continues to thrive and be a favorite of locals and visitors alike.
utaharts.org
2. Heart & Soul Music Stroll (Sugar House)
3. Mondays In The Park
Best Neighborhood Gathering
Utah Film Center Summer Outdoor Film Series
Summer in Utah can be an amazing time to enjoy arts experiences in the great outdoors, including the Utah Film Center's free summer film programming. At Liberty Park in July and August, the organization shows a range of films, from animated features to documentaries. It was even more useful in 2024, as the program highlighted selections from many of UFC's year-round programming, like the Utah Queer Film Festival and Tumbleweeds Festival for Kids.
utahfilmcenter.org
2. 999 Ride
3. 15th and 15th Backyard Concerts
Best Pottery Classes
Art Haus
Suitable for all levels, this is a great place to try out a pottery class. Students learn at their own pace and classes are a mix of beginners, intermediates, and experts in a nonjudgmental space. There are many types of pottery classes to choose from for clay artists, from wheel throwing classes, decorating, hand building and figure sculpting. Art Haus can quickly become a safe haven for creativity.
arthaus-slc.com
2. Salt Lake Pottery Studio
3. Workshop SLC
Best Paint Night
Color Me Mine
If you want a fun and creative way to celebrate a birthday, have a girls' night, date night or just take your kids for a relatively cheap group activity, this is the perfect place. A skilled and patient teacher will guide you step-by-step and you will leave with a finished painting for your home. They are open daily with varying hours. Check out their website and book your next outing.
saltlakecity.colormemine.com
2. The Local Artisan Collective
3. Sip & Paint By Salt Lake Pottery Studio
Best Singer-Songwriter
Josaleigh Pollett
If one has to be chosen from such a large pool of incredible local talent, Josaleigh Pollett is an excellent selection. Pollett continuously blows listeners away with their soft and longing voice and intensely emotional lyrics. Their latest album In the Garden, By the Weeds is a must-listen, and a prime reason Pollett not only made it onto this year's ballot, but one of the main reasons they won.
josaleighpollett.bandcamp.com
2. Addison Grace
3. Post Malone
Best Theatre Company
Salt Lake Acting Company
Since its origins more than 50 years ago, Salt Lake Acting Company has been all about pushing the envelope of what theater-goers in Utah would be willing to watch. In the ensuing decades, it has become an institution built on daring creative work, helping in the development of new plays, offering local premieres of award-winning stories and goosing local sensibilities with its satirical annual summer show.
saltlakeactingcompany.org
2. Hale Center Theatre
3. Pioneer Theatre Company
Best Urban Public Art
The Whale
Shove this out your blowhole, haters! Our readers love the at-times-controversial sculpture in the roundabout at 900 South and 1100 East. Stephen Kesler's Out of the Blue—the actual name of the 23-foot-tall, steel-and-fiberglass humpback whale breaching through the street surface—is a bold and bright delight, bringing a Beatles-in-Yellow Submarine aesthetic to the 9th & 9th neighborhood. And it speaks perfectly to the quirky qualities of the area it calls home.
2. 25th Street, Ogden
3. Mural Fest South Salt Lake
Best Visual Artist
Squid Vishuss
It's bold, quirky and a little bit risqué, so it's no wonder the work of Squid Vishuss resonates with City Weekly readers. Her trademark voluptuous women—in the forms of witches, vampires, angels, sasquatches and more—find their homes on prints, enamel pins, stickers and other formats, representing a vibe that's a little bit vintage comic-book and a little bit dorm-room poster, yet 100 percent her own body-positive thing.
IG: @squidvishuss
2. Lizzie Wenger
3. Lilach Keren
Best Neighborhood Creative Space
Lost Acorn Gallery
Tucked up in the Avenues of Salt Lake City, this multi-functional spot includes terrarium classes, glass-making, and event rentals. Mitchell Harned and Parker Thompson have spent three years supporting community events with their local gallery and studio. Check out their Instagram account @lostacorngallery for info as well as their online gallery and monthly Moon Market vendor sign-ups.
Best Community Center
Mestizo Institute of Culture & Arts
While the Mestizo Institute of Culture & Arts has been around for almost 21 years, they opened their current gallery space just last year in Oct. 2023. Begun as a west side organization in Salt Lake City, this grassroots art space mentors new talent, hosts community events and showcases thought-provoking art exhibits. IG: @mestizoarts_slc
Best Resource for Preserving Cultural History
The Peoples of Utah Revisited Project
Modeled after a pioneering project led by historian Helen Papanikolas in the 1970s, the Utah Historical Society is looking to add to our state's collective knowledge of local and cultural memory with a truly ambitious undertaking. Working with Utahns of any and every background, they are recording oral histories, conducting new research and scanning keepsakes so that our shared past may indeed be preserved. Contact them today to take part!
history.utah.gov/peoples-of-utah-revisited
Most Promising New Festival
Cauldron International Film & Video Fest
You'd be forgiven if you missed the debut of this brand new event in late May. Held at the Salt Lake City Public Library's huge, well-appointed cinema room, Cauldron was curated by one Tyrone Davies Codecxs, who brought to life a diverse array of narrative and experimental works. Hundreds of shorts and features were screened, many by Utah artists. We shall see if this event catches on with future attendees. IG: codecxs_projects
Best Repertory Film Night
Hump Night
Hump Night at Brewvies Cinema Pub gets into the weeds to showcase programming that is entirely out of the mainstream. Every Wednesday night you'll be introduced to films one might never have heard of before, and would probably never have access to even if they had. Kung Fu Theatre, Hard Boiled, Salt Lake Movie Massacre and Beer GoGGles show a variety of films that are unmatched. Above all, it's unpretentious and FREE.
brewvies.com
