The Hideout closing reception and GARFO Perforum tonight

The Oh Nancy Collaborative‘s The Hideout exhibition at the GARFO Art Center (1838 South 1500 East, SLC) closes this evening with another public reception, 6-9pm. The Hideout continues the Oh Nancy narrative with pieces created by artists from Salt Lake City and Boston, including Hankie Frankie’s Mary Toscano and Andrew Shaw, Sri Whipple, Fionn McCabe, Arthur Henderson, Nate Wellman, Allison Baar, Tj Nelson, Jared Steffensen, and others.

The closing reception will also feature the debut of GARFO Art Center’s Perforum, a series of panel discussions about performance art. Cara Despain will moderate the discussion with Oh Nancy co-creator Fionn McCabe and artists Micheal Handley, Clyde Ashby, Allsion Barr, Sam Hanson, Kate Meehan, TJ Nelson, Andrew Shaw,  and Morganne Wichfield will discuss how their performative and artistic practice intersect with the Oh Nancy narrative. The performances will take place from 6-9pm with a break at 7pm for the discussion.

Corrupt Susceptible Hearts

"Wherever He May Go" by Mary Toscano

Mary has a few prints hanging at the Nave Gallery in Somerville, MA (Boston area) for the month of October. So if you’re in the area, go check ‘em out!

Nave Gallery has been around for 5 years, operating out of the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, 155 Powderhouse Boulevard. The show, called “Corrupt Susceptible Hearts,” was curated by Beth Driscoll and features prints from Dagan Barrett, David Curcio, Mike Dacey, Yassy Goldie, Fionn McCabe, Asuka Ohsawa, and Rhonda Ratray. You can view a slideshow of the images on exhibit by going to the Nave Gallery’s website.

Cinderbox Opening Reception Tonight

Tonight’s the night! The big opening reception for Cara and Mary’s Cinderbox installation at the Central Utah Art Center. If you’d like to travel in from places afar, bring a sleeping bag and some jammies — we have a place where everyone can celebrate and stay overnight just outside Ephraim. Contact one of us for more information.

And if you’d like to watch the final moments of installation (or view some recorded videos from this week’s events), take a gander at Hankie Frankie’s UStream channel.

“Cinderbox” Installation Underway

"Cinderbox," during installation

Despite our lack of updating, this summer has been quite the busy one for the Hankie Frankie team! Too busy to keep updated, I guess. But we have a lot to talk about. The most important and immediate thing right now: Cinderbox!

Cinderbox is a collaborative, site-specic art installation by Mary Toscano and Cara Despain. The installation is taking place right now at the Central Utah Art Center’s CCA cabin space. You can read all about the exhibition with this lovely press release.

Cinderbox press release

One super neat aspect: Mary and Cara are streaming the installation process live via Hankie Frankie’s UStream channel! Go check it out. We encourage you to get a free UStream account, as well, so you can chat with them and they can feel the love of your presence.

One more super neat aspect: the CUAC is in Ephraim, UT, home of Snow College, two hours south of Salt Lake City. It’s a beautiful drive (I-15 South to US-6 to US-89, and you’re there). The opening reception for the show is this Friday, September 10, from 6-9 p.m. The lovely folks of the CUAC have made available a great out-of-town camping spot for anyone who wants to stay the night, so please bring a tent, sleeping bag, and pillow! (There’s also a spot to sleep if you don’t have a tent.) Facebook Mary or Cara for full info.

Last day for “Into the White”

Today’s the final day to see Into the White! Kayo Gallery is open from noon to 6pm, with a special closing reception from 7 to 9pm, just for our closest friends (which, if you regularly read this blog, we consider you a close friend). It’s going to be sad to watch it all come down — this month has been filled with such kind words and validation that art is so important to all of us. Thank you for your support — if you have a chance to drop by tonight, we’d be delighted to see you.

Art Collecting Article in SL Tribune

This past Sunday, the Salt Lake Tribune posted a lovely article by Ben Fulton all about collecting art. (Of course, Into the White makes an unmentioned cameo appearance, as Fulton interviewed collector Calvin Tolman at the exhibition’s opening reception.) The article includes many great tips and thoughts about art collection, including:

• spend time with your art collection, considering it in different light at different times of the day to fully experience it and determine your full appreciation of the piece (advice from Tolman)
• “Buy it because you love it, not because you like it” — Donna Poulton, curator at the Utah Museum of Fine Art
• Explore art, learn about it, and find out what your taste is. As you refine your taste, you’ll only love your collection more.
• Art buyers are essential to fostering an artistic community — if you’re not supporting the local artists you appreciate, they won’t exist. Adam Price, director of the Salt Lake Art Center, said, “There’s a civic dimension to collecting, as well. It makes the creative life of our city possible.”
• One big point that comes across throughout the article is that art collecting is very rarely a profitable investment — don’t purchase art assuming the value will increase, but purchase it because you want it in your life. (And if you happen to love artists who end up being hugely famous, enjoy your retirement!)

These are just a few lessons in the Tribune’s great article — click here to read the entire article.

But also follow this link to read Erik Brunvand’s letter to the editor that appeared in today’s Tribune. Erik (from Saltgrass Printmakers) is a friend of Hankie Frankie and makes a good clarification about the original article’s  statement to “avoid the print market” (a quote from Poulton). As Erik clarifies, Poulton was most likely referring to “old master prints,” but that art collectors should pay close attention to current printmakers who create beautiful and unique letterpress prints, screenprints, lithographs, etchings, reliefs, and other works on paper. Of course, we at Hankie Frankie wholeheartedly agree! Not only are contemporary prints of this nature beautiful, dynamic, and original works of art, but prints are also a very affordable way to own art.

Thanks again to Ben Fulton, Erik Brunvand, and the Salt Lake Tribune for sharing these ideas and beginning a great conversation around the Salt Lake art community.

“Into the White” review in City Weekly

The Salt Lake City Weekly included a very nice feature of Into the White in this week’s magazine!

“There is a tension we intended in these works, to challenge the viewer,” admits Toscano. It’s as bifurcated and ambiguous as the threads of a historical narrative, yet as personal and intimate as a psychological casebook. Something about the limited color palette, and their subtle shifts of shading within that range, move past the easy associations with the color: beauty, purity, even white as the lack of color, to a much more complex dialogue with the viewer, and it’s a remarkable artistic achievement.

Big thanks to Brian Staker and the City Weekly for the lovely article highlighting local artists. Pick up this week’s City Weekly to read the article, or click here to see it online.

A full Kayo Gallery at the opening reception for Into the White

Installing the Shreds

The shreds made their debut at last Friday’s opening reception for Into the White. It’s been fun to talk to people about the process of creating them and to hear their interpretations of what they look like to each individual. What do you think?

paper shred installation at the "Into the White" exhibition, by Cara Despain and Mary Toscano

“Into the White” Opening Reception

Friday’s opening reception was so wonderful, all because of the great friends and art lovers who came out to see Into the White. Thanks so much to everybody who made and effort to come through the gallery and share their evening with us! We felt so loved and supported and were reminded once more about the strong support Salt Lake City has for art and artists. We hope you have an opportunity to return to Kayo when it’s not as busy and take more time with the exhibition. The show runs through June 15.

The Random Tandem

The Random Tandem in their natural environment.