Group 8 at the museum!

In the dark recesses of lower campus lies a mythical place, a site brimming with danger and desperate action where only the valiant venture...

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 20^th 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.