Artists give their opinion on Utah Lake issues | News, Sports, Jobs

While the future of Utah Lake remains volatile in the face of climate change and various restoration project proposals, local artists have provided new insights into the issues facing this form.

“View From the Shore: Utah Lake Preservation” is an ongoing art show at Writ and Vision, a fine art gallery and rare bookstore located in the heart of downtown Provo. The show features paintings, photographs and other art mediums, all dedicated to the center of the Utah Valley.

“In this exhibition, artists were asked to address the aesthetics and environmental impact of the recent proposal to build commercialized islands in the middle of Utah Lake,” according to a statement on the Writ and Vision website. “What quality of life do we leave for future generations? How can the excessive real estate and commercialization of our valley threaten the beauty of a landscape that has inspired artists and travelers for a century and a half? ”

For Brad Kramer, gallerist at Writ and Vision, seeing the pieces contributed by the artists to the show evoked a wide range of emotions.

“There are pieces here that are meant to entice you to the super beautiful lake,” he said. “There’s joy associated with those photos, melancholy associated with some of the other photos, there’s realistic landscape photos, there’s kind of abstract work, there’s conceptual work.… It’s a very good variety . ”

Although “View From the Shore” consists of works from different artists, the pieces are grouped together in different shades of blue and pops of pink and red, giving the exhibit of a somewhat coherent feeling.

“It’s one of those really fun ones where all the colors work so well,” said Esther Candari, director of programming at Writ and Vision. “It’s a shot in the dark of how they look together on the wall, but I can go in here and be told it’s a single show, and I’ll probably believe you.”

In conjunction with “View From the Shore,” Writ and Vision also hosts “Muddy Reflections,” a discussion on issues surrounding the lake. Benjamin Abbott, a professor of plant and wildlife science at Brigham Young University and advocate of Utah Lake, spoke to attendees about what he believes are wrong efforts in restoring the lake.

For Kramer and Candari, this is part of the beauty of Writ and Vision. Because the store is a liminal space, they are able to host conversations that may be considered too controversial for universities or museums.

“This particular kind of show … shows the best of what we’re trying to do here,” Kramer said, “to have people who care about art, and make art, and buy art , and consume art, people involved in the community, people involved in important community conversations… get together and make art and share art and have really important discussions. ”

“View From the Shore” is curated by David Chapman Lindsay and Kamilla Earlywine and features art by Adah Bennion, Bryn Burningham, Kamilla Earlywine, Megan Knobloch Geilman, David Lindsay, Ron Linn, Travis Lovell, Ryan Simmons, Camilla Stark , Jared Tamez, Clinton Whiting and Christopher Woodward.

This exhibition will be on display until Wednesday.

Newsletter