Utah Arts & Museums “The Last Fifty” Exhibition on View at Gallery East

USU Eastern Press Release

1963, Edward Maryon – Cage Alcove pictured above

USU Eastern’s Gallery East presents The Last Fifty, an art exhibit featuring works of famous Utah artists from 1962 to the present. It will run from Feb. 10 through March 27 and is sponsored by Utah Arts & Museums.

Although a chronological sequence is present, the scope of practice is wide and varied within the context of Utah artists.

Works range from more traditional natural and urban landscapes by artists such as LeConte Stewart and Richard J. Van Wagoner, contrasting with works influenced by modernist movements such as abstract expressionism, geometric abstraction and minimalism, as made evident by artists like Lee Deffebach, Edward Maryon and Anna Campbell Bliss.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to bring works by Utah artists of this caliber to Gallery East,” said gallery director Noel Carmack. “This exhibit is a tribute to some of the most significant Utah artists of the 20th century. Both students and community visitors should enjoy seeing these works in our campus venue.”

The last quarter of the 20^th Century includes a range of Utah artists that address contemporary themes of place, spirituality, identity and environment.

Utah’s state-owned art collection began in 1899 under the leadership of Alice Merrill Horne, who ran for office on a platform of support for the arts. Once elected to the House of Representatives, she sponsored a bill to create a state arts organization and to establish a state collection of artwork.

Thanks to the efforts of the Collection Acquisition Committee and generous donations from patrons and artists, the Utah State Fine Art Collection purchases and acquires new artwork by Utah artists every year.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be hosted on Friday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. in USU Eastern’s Gallery East, located on the northwest corner of the SAC Building. The exhibit is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment through March 27. The gallery is closed on weekends and holidays. Attendance to the gallery is free and open to the public. The gallery will be closed on March 10 – 14 for Spring break.

Any questions about the exhibit should be directed to Noel Carmack at (435) 613-5241 or by email at noel.carmack@usu.edu.

About Utah Arts & Museums and the Traveling Exhibit Program

Utah Arts & Museums’ Traveling Exhibit Program is a statewide outreach program that provides schools, museums, libraries and community galleries with the opportunity to bring curated exhibitions to their community. This program is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Utah Arts & Museums is a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts (DHA). To enrich the quality of life for the people of Utah, DHA creates, preserves and promotes Heritage and Arts. The Division provides funding, education and technical services to individuals and organizations statewide so that all Utahns, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or economic status, can access, understand and receive the benefits of arts and culture.