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West Valley City Journal

Art exhibition brings locals home

Jan 31, 2017 02:40PM ● By Travis Barton

Nestings” by Tara Carpenter (Huy Tran/ City Journal)

By Huy Tran | [email protected]

  

An art show coming to the Utah Cultural Celebration Center may change how many view the family household. The “Be It Ever So Humble” exhibition is running from Jan. 12 to Mar. 1 and features pieces from a variety of artists giving their take on what the concept of the household means to people.

 

 

“[The show] is about the home and the paradoxes that come together to create the ideal home. We have this idea that homes are this ideal world, but often it does not actually manifest that way,” said curator Melanie Allred. “[These artists] show these opposites that exist in our homes that work together and sometimes fight each other as we try to find this ideal and unreachable reality.”

 

The gallery itself showcases a variety of mediums, including installation work and paintings to smaller-scale sculptures, each offering a narrative on an aspect of domestic life. Allred herself found it hard to choose a single artist she enjoyed most.

 

 

Pam Bowman, an artist featured in the show, created “Webwork,” a loom-like sculpture commenting on relationships and how the “fibers” of life’s experiences intermingle and become unruly.

 

 

“I chose these artists because I love them each for different reasons; [they] work together with our strengths and weaknesses, and I arranged (“Webwork”) so that it is kind of reaching the door, playing on the idea that we often want to leave our homes,” Allred said.

 

 

The exhibit itself is relatively smaller scale, almost reminiscent of the overarching domestic theme and how people may associate comfort and safety with the household.

 

 

Bowman is proud to display her work and is glad to take part in this particular exhibition.

 

 

“I actually created both of these pieces for other venues originally, and Melanie was aware of them and wanted them to be included in the gallery,” Bowman said. “My work addresses the repetition and routines of life, particularly in the home, and how they strengthen us and others. Small things often are done over and over that seem insignificant, but over time become significant.”

 

 

Each piece introduces a new narrative, allowing the audience to dissect every element of the domestic environment. The works range from relatively quaint to immensely abstracted ideas of the everyday home. to de e, both good and bad. The and sacred spaces out of fragile e LDS faith. The sculpture is relatively small and can be over

 

 

Among the many themes explored in this exhibit, artist Tara Carpenter explores an idea in her piece “Nesting” that some may hold close to home, particularly if they are of the LDS faith. The sculpture itself is relatively small and can easily be overlooked. The nest-like arrangement of both clay and glass is Carpenter’s take on how Mormons and people in general create homes and sacred spaces out of “fragile” relationships, expecting them to provide a kind of support for the household.

 

 

Indeed, the artwork of this gallery has the potential to evoke a variety of emotions from people. A wide array of artists and mediums are used to reflect the various attitudes people have with their domestic life, and may inspire the community to view their own homes in a new light. For more information about this exhibit, visit www.culturalcelebration.org.