You know it when you see it—art, that is. The world is full of books, movies, visual art, plays, dances and more, and much of that work will exist forever in a way that never touches you. But then, every once in a while, you have an experience that reminds you why art matters. The painting that takes your breath away. The theatrical performance that moves you to tears. The comedian who changes the way you think about something by making you laugh at it. The novel you can't put down.
City Weekly's 2015 Best of Utah Arts (formerly known as "The Artys") issue is our chance to thank the creative people in our state for bringing us those revelatory moments. Our readers weighed in with their choices of the best creative work from the past year, and our staff and freelance contributors added some of their personal favorites. And it's all part of understanding that our experience of living in this place is enhanced by beautiful, thought-provoking acts of creation.
We want to honor those responsible for those acts of creation, and perhaps inspire creators to even greater work going forward. We also want to remind readers of the many opportunities they can have throughout a year to attend these performances, read these books, visit these galleries—and have those special moments. Because maybe it's not so much that you know art when you see it. You know art when you feel it. —Scott Renshaw, Arts & Entertainment Editor
This article was updated Sept. 18, 2015.