Gallery Stroll – September 2010

Time to go back to school. If the calendar hasn’t told you, the temperature change or fall foliage could be your sign. My experience is that once September hits, as much as I love summer, I’m so fried with all the BBQs and festivals that I need time to refocus and apply myself.

In the spirit of trying new things and bettering one’s self, I personally recommend a course on fine art taught by the Continuing Education Department at the School of Life. This course can be taken at one’s own pace and offers a self-guided field trip to local galleries on the third Friday of every month.

There’s no cost and no drop date if you get too busy, you can just jump back in the next month. The September edition of the class aka Gallery Stroll will be taught September 17. Your syllabus can be found below along with a list of course readings and supplies.

First Class: The Art of Interpretation

Location: Salt Lake Art Center, 20 S. West Temple

Credits: 2 (1 for Art, 1 for Foreign Language)

Course Description:  Melissa Ann Pinney: Girl Ascending, Photographing the Dreams and Expectations of Girlhood. Chicago-based photographer, Melissa Ann Pinney reveals how dreams and expectations of girlhood are constructed and communicated between mothers and daughters, society and friends.

I thought the only communicating these two groups did was through screaming, but I guess there are other options.  A bonus credit offered if you attend the lecture series with Melissa Ann Pinney on September 24 at 7p.m.

Second Class: Art of the Revolution

Location: Ken Sanders, 200 E. 268 S.

Credits: 1

Course Description: In celebration of Mexican Independence Day (September 16) Ken Sanders Rare Books presents artist Carmen Paredes and author Susan Vogel. Vogel’s new book, Becoming Pablo O’Higgins, is about a blue-eyed Presbyterian from Salt Lake City, Utah who became a celebrated Mexican muralist.

An East High School graduate who studied under LeConte Stewart, O’Higgins had a lengthy and celebrated career in the US and Mexico. O’Higgins co-founded with Leopoldo Mendez the anti-fascist Taller de Grafica Popular, a group of politically motivated artists dedicated to using graphic arts as a form of social commentary.

An excerpt from the book reads, “O’Higgins is admired not only for his art, but also for his love of Mexico and his determination to bridge the two countries and their cultures through art.” The opening reception will be held in conjunction with Gallery Stroll on September 17.

For more information visit kensandersbooks.com. Paredes’ and O’Higgins’ work can also be found on display in conjunction with the Las Artes de México at the UMFA. Bonus credit for attending Las Artes de México at the UMFA which runs through September 26. For more information on that exhibit visit umfa.utah.edu.

Third Class: Studio Study

Location: Poor Yorrick Studios, 126 W. Crystal Avenue (2590 S.)

Credits: 1

Course Description: 39 studios and over 50 artists call Poor Yorrick home. The semi-annual open studio stroll takes place on or around the spring and fall equinoxes. The next opportunity to peek inside the artists’ creative spaces will be September 24 and 25. For more information visit pooryorickstudios.com.

Extra Credit! If you travel to exotic locales and explore the local art, you qualify for the Bonus Traveling Credit! Heather James Fine Art, located at 172 Center Street, Suite 101, Jackson, WY is pleased to present Masters of Impressionism and Modern Art featuring works by René Magritte, Claude Monet and Jackson Pollock among many others.

Highlights of the exhibition include Claude Monet’s Water Lily and Pablo Picasso’s Buste de Femme Souriante. Not a far drive and a beautiful time of year for a weekend road trip. For more information contact Heather James Fine Art at heatherjames.com.

All course credits applied to the Well-Rounded Human Being Degree. Support art, the chicks will dig it.