Mixed Reviews: Utah Art at Mid-Century
August 24, 2022 - May 12, 2023
“Modern Art Deserves a Hearing" - Maud Hardman, 1948
In the years following WWII critics, artists, and aficionados in mid-century Utah debated the role and merits of Modern art. Some argued for the traditional and beautiful, while others championed the turn to abstract styles and subjects. Ultimately, they argued, the viewer should be the judge. Good art, they claimed, could be determined by the viewer. In Mixed Reviews we’ve recreated the world of mid-century Utah art, showing artworks by both traditional and modern artists working in Utah c1946-1960. In addition to almost 70 artworks, the exhibition includes two galleries of mid-century interior design and decorative arts curated and designed by cityhome COLLECTIVE's Cody Derrick and Kelly Carper.
70 years later we’re reopening the debate and inviting you to become the critic. Which pieces do you like best and why? Which pieces capture the world, experiences, and ideas of Utahns post WWII? Which ones are the most fun?
Celebrate mid-century modern art, culture, and design with us in this fun and playful exhibition. You get to be the judge!
Partners and Sponsors:
Image: Warren Bingham Wilson, The Bastioned Wall, oil on board, 1953
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Exhibitions
- Upcoming
- Current
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Past
- The Most Noble Subject: The Gail Miller & Kim Wilson Collection
- Plein Air Painters of Utah: Art on the Highway
- 100th Annual Spring Salon
- Grand Ambitions
- Inherit: A Visual Exploration of Land, Connection, and Legacy
- The Fairbanks Family: An American Art Dynasty
- Joe Adams and Brian Kershisnik: 30 Years of Friendship and Art
- 50th Annual Quilt Show
- 52nd Annual Utah High School Art Show
- 31st Annual Spiritual & Religious Art of Utah
- 32nd Annual Spiritual & Religious Art of Utah
- 33rd Annual Spiritual & Religious Art of Utah
- 34th Annual Spiritual & Religious Art of Utah
- 35th Annual Spiritual & Religious Art of Utah
- 36th Annual Spiritual & Religious Art of Utah
- 37th Annual Spiritual & Religious Art of Utah
- 43rd Annual Quilt Show
- 44th Annual Quilt Show
- 45th Annual Quilt Show
- 46th Annual Quilt Show
- 47th Annual Quilt Show
- 48th Annual Quilt Show
- 49th Annual Quilt Show
- 45th Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show
- 46th Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show
- 47th Annual Utah High School Art Show
- 48th Annual Utah High School Art Show
- 49th Annual Utah High School Art Show
- 50th Annual Utah High School Art Show
- 51st Annual Utah High School Art Show
- 93rd Annual Spring Salon
- 94th Annual Spring Salon
- 95th Annual Spring Salon
- 31st Annual Christmas Lamb Show
- Spiritual and Religious Youth Art Competition
- Spiritual and Religious Youth Art Competition 2019
- Spiritual and Religious Youth Art Competition
- Spiritual and Religious Youth Art Competition 2020
- Spiritual and Religious Youth Art Competition 2021
- Spiritual and Religious Youth Art Competition 2022
- Staff Favorites
- All Aboard!
- American Quilt Series: Explorations in Stained Glass
- Ars Moriendi: The Art of Death and Dying
- Beginnings: The Mormon Art and Belief Movement
- The Classical Tradition: Simplicity, Serenity, and Harmony
- Contemplations
- Contemporary Voices
- Curating Community: Art City Influencers
- DE|MARCATION
- Depictions of Divinity
- Don't Read This, Too
- From Student to Studio
- From the Studio of Arnold Friberg
- George Beard - Mormon Pioneer Artist with a Camera
- Glimpses of Springville
- In Sight, Out of Mind
- Journeys: Monomyth and Transformation
- Looking Back
- Lost and Found: In Search of Georgian Art
- Magic and Machine: Fantasy and Sci-Fi in Utah Art
- Mixed Reviews
- Off the Wall
- Rock the Vote: Presidential Portrayals Past and Present
- Roots and Branches
- Round Up: Icons of the West
- Russian Stories, Soviet Ideals
- Sacred Spaces: Archetypes and Symbols
- Sanctuaries
- Sanctuaries of Mind
- SELF: Explorations of Identity
- Sketchy: Drawings and Studies from the Permanent Collection
- Soviet Stories: Layers of Reality
- Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate
- Stitched Together
- Three-Mile Radius
- Up Close and Far Away
- Utah Quilt Guild's Ruby Jubilee Celebration
- Utah Valley's Iconic Locations
- Utah Women Making History
- Voices: People, Places and Ideas in Utah Art
- Wit & Whimsy: off the deep end
- Online Exhibitions
- Collection
- On Display
- Public Art