The UMFA Acquires Iconic Work by Southwestern Printmaker Gustave Baumann

May 17, 2017 by umfablog

Old Santa Fe, a color woodblock print by German-American artist Gustave Baumann (1881–1971), now enhances the UMFA’s collection and will soon be on view in the reinstalled galleries of American and regional art. Baumann studied in Chicago and Germany and then took up residence in the artists’ colonies of Brown County, Indiana, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. He found his greatest source of inspiration, however, in the people and places of the American Southwest—first in Taos and then Santa Fe. He brought […]

Categories: News

Object Preservation: A Collaborative Approach

March 9, 2017 by umfablog

Guest blogger: Danielle Montanari, U of U chemistry Ph.D. candidate/UMFA conservation volunteer If you’ve been following this blog, you might remember the previous post detailing the major grant the UMFA received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to evaluate and rehabilitate some of the metal objects in our collections. The nearly $100,000 grant funded the evaluation of the nearly 800 metal objects in the UMFA’s Asian and African collection and the remediation of some 200 objects that showed evidence of a common corrosive […]

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January ARTLandish Presents “a novel you can walk through”

January 19, 2017 by umfablog

Guest blogger: Christian Schultz January’s installment of the UMFA’s ARTLandish: Land Art, Landscape, and the Environment series features a curious collaborative installation of in- and intervention, there’s no place like time: a novel you can walk through by Salt Lake City-based artists Andi and Lance Olsen. They’ll present and screen videos from there’s no place like time Tuesday, January 31, at 7 p.m. in the UMFA’s Katherine W. and Ezekiel R. Dumke Jr. Auditorium. Consisting of text, video, and objects, […]

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What Do the UMFA, the Met, and the Detroit Institute of Arts Have in Common? Jean-Honoré Fragonard

October 26, 2016 by umfablog

Guest blogger: Leslie Anderson, UMFA curator of European, American, and regional art Last November I noticed a connection between the UMFA’s Mademoiselle Marie-Madeleine Guimard by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) and works by the same artist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts. At the time, I was researching an unrelated project, a proposal for the conservation treatment of two oil paintings by French eighteenth-century artist Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (1724–1780). The story of this discovery demonstrates a […]

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October means Masks!

October 12, 2016 by umfablog

Masks might be worn to conceal your identity, amuse your friends, or terrify your enemies. Cultures around the world still create diverse and dynamic masks to express ideas, beliefs, identity, and feelings. October is a perfect month to investigate the history of mask-making and make your own. Join us to create your own disguise—whatever your purpose! We’re collaborating with some of our favorite community partners this month to share the intrigue and mystery of masks. Masks! A UMFA Exhibition at Discovery […]

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Making Connections

October 4, 2016 by umfablog

This is an exciting period of change and growth at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. While the UMFA is temporarily closed for remodeling, our talented staff are re-envisioning not just galleries and operations but also their individual approaches to the work they do. For the past year, curator of modern and contemporary art Whitney Tassie has been part of the Association of Art Museum Curators’ Mentorship Program, working with an experienced and dedicated mentor, Beth Finch, Lunder Curator of American […]

Categories: Working in a museum • Tags: art, curatorial work, mentoring, museum professional development, museums, visual art

What’s Hip-Hop Got to Do with Education?

August 29, 2016 by umfablog

Guest blogger: Courtney-Rae Reinecke, UMFA ACME Intern Outside the Glendale Branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library, break dancing erupted when DJ Dynamic started busting out the beats. Onlookers ate pizza and enjoyed the dancing and music, while artist Zach Franzoni from Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts prepped canvases for a collaborative graffiti session. As the crowd swelled (ultimately to some 200 people), so did the excitement for what this May 11 ACME Session hosted by the Utah Museum of […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: art, benefits of museums, community, education, family, hip-hop, museum events, museums, umfa, uofu

UMFA Re-Envisioning Elevates Respected Arts Administrator

August 10, 2016 by umfablog

Sonja Lunde, respected state arts leader and administrator at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA), has been promoted to a top leadership position within the Museum. Lunde’s promotion is part of a strategic reorganization that comes as staff re-envision the UMFA for next year’s reopening. In her new position as deputy director of planning and program, Lunde will have greater responsibility for managing cross-departmental work and collaboration among the curatorial, collections, design, and education and engagement staff, who will […]

Categories: News • Tags: museums, umfa, Utah arts

Stephen Goldsmith on Living Creatively Across Disciplines

July 19, 2016 by umfablog

Guest Blogger: Kylee Ehmann When you think of people who are going to help solve the world’s “wicked problems”—issues like poverty, injustice, pollution—you might not consider artists. But Stephen Goldsmith, local artist, urban planner, and professor at the University of Utah, says that artists and creators—those actively engaging with their imaginations—are in fact the best people to tackle today’s most difficult problems. And in his July 28 UMFA lecture, “Studio Without Walls: Living Creatively Across Disciplines,” Goldsmith will discuss how […]

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