Utah's art galleries and museums consistently showcase some of the best visual artists from the state, the West, the country and around the world. Here's just a sampling of what's currently on display to experience distinctive creative visions.
Alexandra Fuller: A Participatory Universe @ Finch Lane Gallery: The way we frame things always exerts an influence on how we perceive them, and Utah-based photographer Alexandra Fuller takes that notion to a literal extreme in her current solo show. Fuller employs a physical black aluminum frame to draw attention to specific locations ("Lake Landscape" is pictured) in an attempt to convey that meaning is often derived from focus. A Participatory Universe runs now through Nov. 15 at Finch Lane Gallery (54 Finch Lane)—including a closing reception on Friday, Nov. 15—concurrent with the exhibition Losing Ground featuring works by Nancy Steele-Makasci and Marcus Vincent. saltlakearts.org
Ian Burnley: A Bee his burnished Carriage @ Utah Museum of Contemporary Art: Gifted artists have the ability to draw connections between seemingly disparate notions, and UMOCA Artist-in-Residence Ian Burnley offers a unique experience in his new show. Part of the exhibition is made up of cyanotype prints, a 19th-century photographic technique that historically was associated with floral life; Burnley's prints evoke the way flowers were often used in the Victorian era as a coded indicator of passion. Juxtaposed with these images is a two-channel video installation inspired by daytime serial dramas, conveying a very different, often exaggerated representation of human passion. Burnley's connection of both creative forms to the idea of drawing attention is on display at the lower-level AIR Space of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (20 S. West Temple) now through Jan. 11, 2025. utahmoca.org
Monster of the Mind @ Urban Arts Gallery: As the Halloween season draws to a close, so to does Urban Arts Gallery's latest group show, this one inspired by the things that terrify us—whether in popular culture, from real-life horrors, or the things in our brains that we just can't escape. It's an exhibition that blurs the line between what fears are based on reality and what fears are created by our own psyches, in works by Cara Jean Hall ("Sabotage" is pictured), Maylee Alba, Vinny, Darlene Spaid, Mors Smith, Benedict Halsy, Nick Lokeni and more. The exhibition runs through Nov. 3, free and open to the public at Urban Arts Gallery (116 S. Rio Grande St.). urbanartsgallery.org
Rebecca Livermore @ Phillips Gallery: A former graphic designer, Utah-based Rebecca Livermore now applies her eye to the landscapes of the American West, employing watercolor to bring those places to life. "I respond to local color but also use vivid color to more boldly evoke the feeling of my subject," Livermore says in an artist statement. "I work with the transparency of watercolor and the tendency of its pigments to blend together in lively ways to add richness and appeal to the eye." Recent work (including "Train to Elko," pictured) is currently on display at Phillips Gallery (444 E. 200 South) through Nov. 8 during regular gallery hours. phillips-gallery.com
Seeing the West: Utah and Western Art 1900 – 1980 @ David Dee Fine Arts: The wide range of perspectives artists employed for representing the landscapes and life of Utah and the desert southwest during the earlier part of the 20th century is on display in this group exhibition. From the stark historical perspective of immigrants to Utah represented by Alfred Lambourne ("Gathering of Wagons, Chimney Rock" is pictured), to the wildflowers of Timpanogos Valley captured by John Hafen, to the Depression-era images of Maynard Dixon, these works mark a transition from the American frontier of myth to our modern society. The show runs now through Jan. 10, 2025 at David Dee Fine Arts (1709 E. 1300 South, Suite 201). daviddeefinearts.com