THURSDAY DEC. 26
Rio Gallery: Borderline
The boundary between public and private realms has become one of the most engrossing and perturbing questions of the technological age. Three artists currently being shown at Rio Gallery examine the relationship of those two spatial regions, between which most of us divide our waking hours. Chuck Landvatter’s paintings aim to convey private expressions in the traditionally “formal” public medium of portraiture. Megan Mitchell’s ceramics utilize forms from furniture and architecture, with imagery that evokes domesticity as well as the natural world, illuminating the conceptual border between the two. Photographs by Joe Strickland take a look at private spaces, like a restroom facility, in an attempt to reveal their hidden beauty. Showing such an exhibit in a building that is home to the State Historical Society—the repository of knowledge about our common local past—heightens the tension between the two polarities, both in the way the context affects the viewers’ impression of the works and in the historical atmosphere of the building itself. The three artists made the decision to work together, which was a crossing of boundaries as well, since gallery shows—especially at a state-operated exhibition space—are usually either curated or by invitation. Landvatter, Mitchell and Strickland engage in a conversation through their works about subject matter that’s largely metaphorical, speaking to how we envision and experience the world. Especially lately, that borderline has become fuzzier and more complicated. These works scratch the surface, but in doing so make the viewer want to dig deeper. (Brian Staker)
Borderline @ Rio Gallery, 300 S. Rio Grande St., 801-236-7555, through Jan. 10, free. ArtsAndMuseums.utah.gov
Alderwood Fine Art: Alexander Hraefn Morris
Williams Fine Art has long served to represent the Utah art establishment and tradition with a conservative focus on types of painting indigenous to Utah art history. Recently, owner and director Tom Alder—a leading art historian—chose to break from the smaller Williams and invest in the now-burgeoning Alderwood Fine Art. His new direction is exemplified by the inclusion of work from an artist such as Alexander Hraefn Morris, whose work is diametrically opposed to the conventionality that characterizes Williams. In 1890-1892, five LDS missionary artist emissaries were sent to Paris to study the most current of the avant-garde; the legacy of LeConte Stewart, Minerva Teichert, Maynard Dixon and so many more helped to establish Utah as a great capital for abstract painting of every kind. Living this vibrant tradition allows us to become a world leader in painting, alive to every nuance of abstraction from the more literal Mark Knudson to the purely abstract Morris. Morris’ work “Rust Raven #3” is total abstraction consisting of amorphous shapes of vermillion red and cream. Infused are turquoise, green, yellow, gray and bluish tones, all working with the structure to evoke an emotional response. True to Morris’ work is the narrative, the journey, the cryptic language of the raven, making this an emotively powerful, expressive journey of personal spiritual experience. Its inclusion at Alderwood deconstructs Williams’ limited definition of “Utah art,” and demonstrates a more authentic inclusiveness for this very important new gallery presence. (Ehren Clark)
Alexander Hraefn Morris @ Alderwood Fine Art, 641 E. South Temple, 801-534-0331, ongoing. Alderwoodfineart.com
FRIDAY DEC. 27
End of Year Collectors’ Book Salon
Weller Book Works’ monthly Book Salon, held in its Rare Book Room, is a gathering of antiquarians and like-minded collectors interested in all things book—especially the rare and valuable. For the End of Year salon, Tony Weller wants to encourage people to bring a book or two that was instrumental in their falling in love with words bound in tomes—whether it’s a first edition Twain with all its social bite and contrarian snark, or just a vintage classic edition of one of your all-time favorites, like Salinger’s gem The Catcher in the Rye. It can be super-rare, or completely commonplace; the point of this salon is to share the personal story behind the book, and to read a passage pulled from its pages. So, dust off that Gutenberg Bible or the original scroll version of Kerouac’s On the Road and wax poetic about the inherent spirituality and driving energy of the written word. (Jacob Stringer)
End of Year Collectors’ Book Salon @ Weller Book Works, 665 E. 600 South, Trolley Square, 801-328-2586, Dec. 27, 6:30, free. WellerBookWorks.com
SATURDAY DEC. 28
Scofield Ice Fishing Tournament
The absolute bare essentials for ice fishing: an auger (you’ve got to cut through that ice somehow), tackle (reel, rod, flies), bait (nightcrawlers, mealworms), something to keep you elevated off the ice (a bucket, a chair), patience and a willingness to happily tolerate frigid environs. Whiskey doesn’t hurt, either. Although some kind of makeshift shelter is also recommended, for the one-day Scofield Ice Fishing Tournament, a good pair of boots and layers of warm clothes should suffice. What makes Scofield Reservoir such a good place to ice-fish is its location, high in Utah’s central Manti-La Sal mountain range. At more than 7,500 feet, the chilly waters are perfect for cooling off during the hot high-desert summers, but also quick to freeze over once the season turns and winter weather blows in. And although you very well may pull out something else from the chilly depths during this annual affair—like, say, cutthroat—this particular tournament will be awarding prizes to the five largest rainbow trout. (Jacob Stringer)
Scofield Ice Fishing Tournament @ Scofield State Park, Madsen Bay boat parking area, Dec. 28, 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m., $15. StateParks.Utah.gov/Park/Scofield-State-Park
SUNDAY DEC. 29
EVE SLC
When EVE first began, in 2009, it was designed to take the place of Salt Lake City’s previous New Year’s Celebration, First Night—essentially turning a one night affair into an all-out, three-day smorgasbord of art, culture and entertainment fashioned somewhat after the annual winter Carnival de Québec—plus fireworks. The point was to celebrate what makes this city unique, while providing an opportunity for people to leave their warm but solitary houses and get out onto the streets of downtown Salt Lake City. Bringing together local arts & entertainment venues including the Broadway Centre Cinemas, The Leonardo, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Temple Square and Clark Planetarium, EVE SLC has a little something for everyone—from DJs to bouncy houses. One of the best parts of EVE is its celebration of downtown itself. This year, there’s even a Secret EVE art stroll with 13 local artists creating unique installations right in the concrete landscape of downtown. Secret EVE markers on the sidewalks between Discovery Gateway, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and the Salt Palace “Unconventional” Center tip you off to one of the installations nearby. It’s then your responsibility to seek it out and soak it up. With EVE, there are plenty of opportunities to get out of the cold and warm up inside, but it’s still fun to be a part of the crowd walking between venues and reveling in the city. There’s nothing quite like ringing in the new year by watching colorful explosions in the sky reflecting off the many mirrored surfaces of downtown skyscrapers. (Jacob Stringer)
EVE SLC @ various downtown locations, Dec. 29-31, $15 for a 3-day pass, $5 for children 2-9, EVESLC.com. Limited no-fee tickets available at CityWeeklyStore.com
TUESDAY DEC. 31
New Year’s Eve Ski Resort Events
While many Utahns ring in 2014 with house parties, club festivities or EVE SLC entertainment, others take a somewhat daring approach. Every year, hardy souls spend December’s last, chilly night at area ski resorts, taking in some of the traditional celebrations that turn ski runs into cascades of light. Snowbird is among those that annually invite guests to participate in a torchlight parade down the slopes, plus bonfires and fireworks (begins at 6 p.m., Snowbird.com/events/new-years-eve-fireworks). Alta similarly offers a torchlight procession, which follows the main cat track to the Wildcat Base. The Collins lift begins loading at 5:15 p.m., and the event is scheduled to be a bit more free-flowing than in previous years, to ensure that the growing crowd of participants can get to the bottom in time for the fireworks display. All participants must be intermediate level or better, and children must be accompanied by an adult; be sure to bring your own flashlight or headlamp (Alta.com/pages/torchlight.php). Whether you’re with the whole family or just looking for an evening of adult fun, Canyons Resort hosts a variety of New Year’s Eve activities (CanyonsResort.com/content/new-years-eve-celebration). If you’ve got the kids in tow, bring them to meet Murdock the Moose in the resort village, enjoy a family buffet dinner at the Grand Summit Hotel’s Cabin Restaurant (5 p.m.-7:30 p.m.), then head out to Ski Beach for the fireworks show. Grown-ups can check out the Grand Summit Hotel’s party with dinner buffet, entertainment and DJ dancing until 1 a.m.
(Scott Renshaw)
New Year’s Eve Ski Resort Events @ Snowbird, 9600 Little Cottonwood Canyon Road; Alta. 210 Little Cottonwood Canyon Road; and Canyons Resort, 4000 Canyon Resort Drive, Park City
Bernadette Peters
Some performers are born to the stage; some take only a tiny bit longer to discover it’s the only place they want to be. At the age of 3, little Bernadette Peters had already been taken by her mother to appear on the television program Juvenile Jury. By the age of 5, she was appearing on Name That Tune. And by the time she was 9, she had her Actors Equity card, appearing on New York stages and in live television drama. The annual tradition of blockbuster New Year’s Eve entertainment at Park City’s Eccles Center continues this year with Peters headlining the evening. The two-time Tony Award winner has brought her remarkable voice to multiple original Broadway-cast recordings, like Sunday in the Park With George and Into the Woods, and her long career as an actress makes her a perfect artist for a stage-commanding one-woman evening of music, comedy and charismatic entertainment. (Scott Renshaw)
Bernadette Peters @ Eccles Center, 1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City, 435-655-3114, 8 p.m., $40-$165. EcclesCenter.org
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