Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Group 4 ~ Identity
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Capitol in Utah's Capital - Group 8
Michael May, Jackson Myrick, Hector Zumaeta
Looking out across Salt Lake City, there is one place that catches your eye from almost anywhere – the Capitol building. It is the epitome of what a landmark should be: easily located, used as a point of reference, and, above all, a central component of the city itself. The significance it carries cannot simply be stated as being the meetinghouse of our state’s representatives, but that it is a key part of Salt Lake City and Utah as a whole.
The Capitol stands atop a lush, green hill above the Avenues with the distinct background of the trademark Utah mountains. The building stands out among everything around it with its unique architecture and style. There are Roman columns spaced around the entire structure, and the unmistakable government rotunda at the top gives it a unique look compared to the monotonous rectangular architecture of downtown. Outside the Capitol, there are several monuments and statues dedicated to the history of Utah. On the east, there is a monument depicting the Mormon Battalion, and on the west there is another memorial honoring the Utah veterans who died in the Vietnam War. Around back there is a wide, oval fountain in the courtyard surrounded by flowerbeds, trees, and statues of famous and influential Utahns. As you walk up the Capitol steps, you can turn around and see the entire city of Salt Lake with the distant mountain ranges forming your view of the horizon.
Through the large entry doors the Capitol's interior is revealed, which is no less stunning than its exterior. The seemingly endless view of the city is transformed into a breathtaking sight of the ornate rooms within. On the first floor, a circular opening houses paintings of every governor of Utah around its perimeter. There were also several displays scattered throughout the floor that presented some history of Utah from its first settling to gaining statehood. These exhibits were not only informative, but they provided plenty of visuals to keep observers interested.
While the first floor had its own certain feel, the upper floors were the truly impressive and memorable part of our trip. As you step up to the second floor, the entire space opens to your view and you can see all the way up to the rotunda with its painting of a cloudy blue sky and a flock of seagulls. The elaborate chandelier illuminates the murals that cover the walls leading up to the dome above. Each mural was painted to capture a moment in the life of early Utah settlers. Located in the corners are niche sculptures representing the values important to Utah’s culture, including art and science. A reception room on the second floor was given the nickname, the “Gold Room” for its extravagant art style and complex, gothic architecture. All in all, the Capitol building is equally remarkable on the inside as it is on the outside.
Utah’s Capitol building is one of those places that leaves an impression on you and is something every Utahn must visit at least once. Whether you are there as a boy scout studying the state’s history, a young couple taking photos for their wedding, a family honoring Utah war veterans, or, in our case, university students merely interested in a Salt Lake landmark, the Capitol is a destination that won’t leave you disappointed.
"Fall In Love With My Cheese"
I’m not going to lie. I didn’t expect to find something to actually be excited enough about to dedicate an entire blog to, let alone for that something to be on the first walkabout. But the Sugarhouse Farmer’s Market really impressed me.
In fact, I began to realize that everyone that we walked up to was like Brent. They were passionate about what they were selling, and more interested in telling you about it than actually getting you to buy it. To them, making friends is more important than making money, and making a difference actually means something. They want you to share in what they are passionate about, and that is what I feel the Sugarhouse District is all about. I loved it.
Written By: Stephanie Pugmire
- Definite boundaries
- Obvious purpose
- Tailored to specific needs
For our walkabout we explored the Avenues district while experience and photographing the architecture and landscape. We tried to experience as much of the area as possible; we visited a local park and tried to take in a variety of what the district has to offer.
The Avenues district is one of Utah's largest local historic district, and one of the most beloved residential areas in the city. It's conveniently located and diverse in both its architecture and its people. The Avenues are one of the more densely packed residential areas in the city and the architecture is unique to the area. The Avenues are primarily composed of houses, but also contains other buildings such as Churches and Schools. In the past all of the Churches in the district were affiliated with the Latter Day Saints, but currently it also contains Churches of other denominations such as the Cathedral of the Madeleine, shown below.
Structure: The Notre Dame of Salt Lake City
Group 6- Nodes
For our second walkabout, our group visited Gallivan Plaza. Gallivan Plaza is a node, sitting between 200 and 300 South and State and Main Street. A center of transportation, the plaza serves as a focus of the city. In addition to being a large bus stop, the two major Trax lines cross there. It also sits atop a large parking structure that services the nearby businesses. Gallivan Plaza is in the center of downtown Salt Lake City, nestled between many major business buildings.
Gallivan Plaza is currently under construction. It previously had a large skating rink next to a stage and grassy sitting area. With the construction, it is just the scheduling center and the concrete plaza. Since the construction is not only noisy but it reduced the number of places to sit and interact, it may be the reason we saw so few people while were there. We saw two people who worked at the plaza setting up for some type of event. Besides them, the majority of the people were passing through or were homeless. However, when we crossed the street to the west, there were many more people sitting outside the businesses. Channel 2 News has its main office there as well. While we were taking pictures, we found a half a dozen of the staff outside playing catch with a football. Gallivan Plaza is scattered with multiple sculptures and integrated art. There is no general theme to the sculptures, however all are done by local artists.
In the center of the plaza, there is a large structure with a water bridge. (See picture)
Also, the glass on the skylights from the parking structure was etched with the digits of pi. On the west side of the plaza, close to the street, there is a torch structure from the Olympics.
Group One: Meaning around the University of Utah Campus
When Salt Lake City won the bid to host the 2002 Olympic games, it fell to University of Utah to host all of the world-class athletes that would attend. This meant that housing on campus had to basically be completely revamped. Thus, us students are lucky enough to have dorms that are less than ten years old. The dorms hold meaning to Salt Lake City in general because they stand as a reminder of the Olympics, and a time when the whole world was looking here. The dorms hold meaning as something less grand, perhaps, but very important for the students who live on campus at the University; they’re home.
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is a very prominent place of meaning. From the outside it may look like an unappealing dank box, but once inside it is full of color and life. People go to UMFA for multiple things. Starting with the lovely burnt orange café with its lingering sent of coffee. People go here for a calm place to study or drink a cup of joe. However, the actual museum itself is one of the calmest places on campus. The noise consists of light footsteps and brains in the process of analyzing. In the museum right now is a collection called Las Artes De Mexico, which not only has vibrant colors but rich history, another reason to come to UMFA. UMFA is great for a calm serine place, coffee, history, or to analyze art; also, it is popular for students and families to spend a day bonding through an educational journey through fine art.
You can ask any student on campus where the student union is and they will be able to tell you. Why? Because it is the center of college life at the University of Utah. The Union Building is named after A. Ray. Olpin who was the president of the university. In this building you will be able to find information regarding clubs, student services, lost and found, and every discount pass imaginable. Events are scheduled daily whether it’s in the ballroom area or in conference rooms. Nearly everything you need can be found here. The Union building holds a lot of meaning for the students on campus because the whole basement is devoted to the students. A large cafeteria feeds them daily, and the break room features billiard tables, televisions, and even a bowling alley! Furthermore there is a farmers market every Thursday. The Union is the center of all activity on campus and without it the students wouldn’t have a place to hang out between their 45 minute break from physics to calculus.
Rice Eccles Stadium is located at 451 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake. Residing on the South-East side of the University of Utah Campus, Rice Eccles serves as the home of the Ute football team. On game days or nights during football season you can see the stadium from far away, packed with over 40,000 screaming fans all dressed in red. Rice Eccles today is not the same stadium it was just over a decade ago, though. When Salt Lake City got its bid for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in 1995, the old stadium, originally built in 1927, then known as Rice Stadium, was not at all ready to host the massive events of the Olympics. It was old and cracking, and simply not up to par. So, a wealthy Utah alum named Spence Eccles decided to step up and donate $10 million to upgrade the stadium. The entire stadium was demolished with the exception of the recently built south end stands immediately following the 1997 season and was ready by the time the 1998 season began. Because Spence Eccles’ and the Eccles Foundation’s generous donation, the stadium became known as Rice Eccles Stadium. Rice Eccles houses thousands of fans dressed in red ready to cheer on their Utes several weekends out of the year making it a special place and a place holding many memories for many generations of Utah fans. Rice Eccles also played host to the world by holding opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter games within its walls thus making Rice Eccles Stadium a place meaning for the thousands of people who flocked to Salt Lake City to see and participate in the 2002 Olympic Games.
The Park Building is a building of great meaning on the University of Utah campus. This massive and almost intimidating building is where the President of the University, and the other head-honchos, have their offices. The Park Building is at the head of President’s Circle, arguably one of the centers of the University of Utah. The shuttle stop at the head of the circle is a main stop to get to lower campus, or to ride it in order to return to the dorms. This is the stop you’d likely use if you had physics, writing, chemistry, or math class. The circle also encompasses a large grassy field, where lots of students rendezvous, and, more notably, Kingsbury Hall. This is where a great deal of the ‘culture’ found on campus occurs: music performances, comedians, you name it. The Park Building and President’s Circle, are landmarks at which to convene with others and centers of the travel around campus.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Group 2 - Bonneville Shoreline Trail
Group Members: Mike Brown, Avery Reynolds, Brad Thomson, Chris Hom and Kajsa Vlasic
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Gallivan Plaza
The topic for the Group 6 walkabout was nodes. I suggested that we go to Gallivan Plaza, and the others agreed. From Gallivan plaza, you can transfer from Downtown trax, to the Sandy line, or the University line. It also is also in the center of the commerce zone of Salt Lake. There are several small stores, including a piano bar, a bookstore. The plaza itself is very pretty, with several statues. The statues were quite different from each other. My favorite statue was one with a red rock on top of a pillar, and the top half of the pillar was a mirror, which you could only see the blue sky in. I can’t be sure but I bet at night, the rock looks like it is floating.
In the plaza there are little buildings, which have pi, written in the windows. Along the south side of those building, is a wall that has been made into a sculpture, with a quote inscribed in it. The architecture of the Gallivan center is quite modern, and the plaza itself has a modern edge to it while still radiating a slightly English garden party feel. The Gallivan center had a lot of construction going on behind it, which disturbed the peaceful feel. After exploring the plaza, we decided to visit some of the local stores, and spent a lot of time in the bookstore right across the street. It had books from before 1900, and several rare editions of famous books.
I enjoyed the trip to the plaza, and hope to go back, especially to that bookstore, and if they finish construction in time, I will definitely go ice skating.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Group 1 - Sugarhouse Farmers Market
Written by: Teresa Pond
For our group’s walk about, we had the opportunity to attend the Sugarhouse Farmer’s Market on the block of 21st South and 9th East on Friday, September 10, 2010. It was a beautiful day: sunny, about 75˚, with a slight breeze. We could not have asked for more perfect weather.
Our group of five met in the back parking lot of Sage Point 810 where all of us live. From there we walked over the bridge, hopped on the Trax, transferred to a bus, and walked a couple of blocks to the farmers market. This time on the public transportation gave us a chance to get to know one another a bit better, as many of us didn’t know the others real well.
When we arrived at the farmer’s market we instantly felt a true sense of community and a spirit of diversity in the atmosphere. As a group this was the first time we had really interacted and had a full conversation so the light-hearted spirit and friendly atmosphere helped to break the ice between us. Along the sidewalk of the block spanning from 900 East to 850 East on 2100 South there were white canopies set up with all sorts of vendors set up underneath them. At the market there was everything from fruit and vegetable vendors, to meat vendors, to bread vendors, to jewelry, wool, and clothing vendors, to food vendors selling out of food carts, and everything in between. Each vendor had their own unique style but they all came together to complete the market.
One thing that became very apparent to us when we arrived was the sense of community we felt between the vendors and between us, as customers. The vendors all seemed to be very friendly and most of them knew one another. They were all more than willing to assist us and each other. Additionally, they were by no means pushy to sell their product. The vendors all seemed happy to be there making us, as customers or consumers, feel comfortable and relaxed. The market was also pet friendly as many of the vendors had their dogs with them.
While walking through the market, we noticed there was a very urban feel. The clothing style was diverse but certainly could be classified as more ‘organic’ and although there were not obvious political references, there was a more liberal attitude apparent in the gay magazines and City Weekly newspapers available for pick up. The farmer’s market was also very environmentally friendly. Recycling bins could be located in several places and water was free if you brought your own container. Otherwise, the cup was 10 cents.
Another thing that was also apparent to our group was the lack of social differentiation among the vendors and the customers. It wasn’t obvious that any particular person was rich or poor – everyone seemed equal. Spanish and English were spoken, American money was exchanged, various kinds of products were sold, people of all ages and races were there, and animals were welcomed. All types of people from all walks of life were at the famer’s market and the diverse spirit of Sugarhouse was in the air.
Although only one person in our group purchased something from one of the vendors, each one was more than willing to give us their card or pamphlet. There was also a friendly information man who directed us towards different vendors and informed us of the upcoming events in downtown Sugarhouse.
Our first walk about to the Sugarhouse Farmer’s Market was a lot of fun and provided our group with a good opportunity to bond in the fun, diverse, and spirited environment. Although the weather is about to turn and the market won’t take place for too much longer, it will certainly be back next year, and will be a place we all visit again.
Group 8 at the museum!
We are, of course, referring to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
This is the establishment our intrepid party of honors students decided to investigate. Situated a mere four stops away traveling by the red shuttle from the Heritage center, the museum can safely be categorized as a public place as anyone can enter, though like every other area there is an undercurrent of unspoken rules which we will delve into at a later point.
Once we had successfully gained entry our group paused for a moment in the small café just inside the door to monitor our surroundings. When going into any sort of establishment, public or otherwise, one of the giveaways for the target demographic is invariably pricing, so one of our first observations was the cost of eating meals. We found the actual food to be suitably overpriced, as per our expectation, though the beverages were rather reasonable by comparison. We then took note of the notable lack of traffic, no doubt due to the timing of our visit (an hour before closing on a Tuesday afternoon), but we did find signs of human life, however scarce. These signs consisted of college students meandering the halls, a vital observation nearly overlooked in the hustle for more applicable in formation. While this is an obvious target group, given the location of the museum, the nature of the intended audience influenced the goings on in subtle ways.
The most apparent of the atmospheric changes was the attitude of the staff, some of whom appeared to approach their duties in a relaxed manner and with amicability not seen in similar constructs. This mentality evidenced itself in the form of a staff member who happened by as our brave troop was poking about the modern art exhibit, admonishing us to “Be careful not to step on the banana peel, it’s art.”
Now while there was an amiable aura about the place, by no means was there any sense of pervading laxness from either the employees, many of who were fellow college attendees, nor from the visitors. In general the staff was smartly dressed and the sightseeing masses (though tending to be absent on Tuesday afternoons) were well represented by casual, but respectful, attire on the few that did make a brief foray. This air of mutual respect was prevalent throughout the museum, represented in both the art and humans alike. This is natural, as the museum is a place of refuge for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of a strenuous day for a couple hours or conversely a venue for research, neither of which benefits from disruption. Interaction between people is generally objective, though not in order to offend, as rarely does someone enter the double doors without an agenda in mind.
The exhibitions themselves were thrilling with temporary exhibits ranging from Mexican art styles to the pottery of ancient Africa, which even included a sarcophagus. (With the exception of the modern art area, which the group agreed to be more bemusing than anything.)
One of the more intriguing temporary showings was a room dedicated to Utah based painters depicting Mount Olympus from a variety of perspectives. This was an interesting way of connecting with the public, and further investigation into past exhibitions revealed numerous similar displays over the last two decades.
This idea of accruing more general interest was highlighted with the highlight of our visit: the Mexican section, a nice departure from the European paintings that so often are the focal point of such establishments. There were several gorgeous works on display that produced several “Ooo’s” and an “Ah” from our gallivanting group, particularly a tapestry woven strictly from yarn, as well as an ornate musket and this painting from the early 20th century.
Unfortunately our visitation concluded with a panicked rush to the second floor (Yes, there are two floors!) in a frantic effort to indulge in the more standard fare of the European art, though the brief glimpses revealed some marvelous paintings.
We were glad to see the attentions that the lesser displayed cultures were given at the museum, which we interpreted as a continuing attempt to bring in new admirers of beauty and toil. We cannot speak for all who enter the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, but we can safely say we had a marvelous time exploring this public place.
Sugarhouse Park Explosion!!
This last Sunday, Group 5 -- Lauren Walker, Britany Maher, Brittney Casad, Chelsea Marshall, & Jane Mathisen --ventured to Sugarhouse Park.