If you're still fretting over what to get discriminating family members for Christmas, try shopping at one of the more than 20 Salt Lake art galleries participating in this year's Annual Holiday Gallery Stroll on Friday, Dec. 1, 6-9 p.m.
During the holiday season art galleries are alive with browsers, collectors, entertainment and art for all budgets. You can find paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, mixed media, photography, computer-generated art, pottery and jewelry. Objects crafted in glass, stone and wood and Christmas decorations and ornaments are also available.
But remember, when purchasing art you should focus on what type of art interests you or seems appropriate for the person for whom you're buying.
"The most important thing to consider when buying art as a gift is to pick something you love," says Kelly Hendry, president of the Salt Lake Gallery Association, a nonprofit organization that sponsors the event. "Don't get caught up in pondering if a piece of art will be a good investment."
And while some people still think of art galleries as being full of caviar-eating, Chardonnay-sipping snobs, local galleries are far from this stereotype.
"We are constantly trying to overcome the public's fear that galleries are cold, uppity places to visit," says Hendry. In fact, the Salt Lake Gallery Association was formed primarily to make galleries more accessible and inviting - to encourage people to come in and browse.
For this reason, the association is providing transportation between galleries for the holiday stroll. Free shuttle buses, traveling in a circular route between the participating galleries, will pick up strollers and shoppers every 15 minutes. Each bus will have a gallery host on board to explain which gallery is next and what is being shown. The buses will start running at 6 p.m. and will continue until 10:15 p.m.
Here's what some of the galleries will be offering: The Salt Lake City Arts Council will feature two exhibitions at the Finch Lane and Park Galleries, located in the Art Barn in Reservoir Park at 1325 E. 100 South. "WinterWorks," an exhibition of works by 28 well-known Salt Lake artists, will be on exhibit on the main level. In addition, the ever-popular annual holiday craft exhibit and sale will be open on the lower level and will feature affordable, handcrafted gift items.
A group show at Dolores Chase Fine Art Gallery, 260 S. 200 West, is appropriately titled "The Gift of Art" and includes items such as Christmas ornaments, small landscape watercolors and jewelry, all at an affordable price.
The holiday exhibit at Phillips Gallery, 444 E. 200 South, is titled "Entertain Your Spirit." The group show is packed with large and small works of art. During the holidays, the gallery will feature an outdoor sculpture deck, black-and-white photography and paintings on all three floors.
If you like the unusual, you might want to stop by the Art Access Gallery, 339 W. Pierpont, to see a Christmas tree created by Carol Doubek, adorned with objects such as reptile-eye ornaments and snakes wrapped around candy canes. The gallery will also offer potted glass cacti, Peruvian nativity scenes and bright-colored oil paintings by Spanish-influenced artist Pilar Pobil Smith. The Annual Holiday Gallery Stroll, with 24 galleries in all to visit, is just one of the programs started by the association to encourage people to get together with friends or family and make visiting galleries during the holidays a tradition.
For more information about the stroll or about the Salt Lake Gallery Association in general, contact Kelly Hendry at 532-7043.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Galleries
1 Air Terminal Gifts/Utah Products Shop, Salt Lake International Airport
2 Alpine Gallery, 430 E. South Temple
3 Ancient Future Gallery and Gifts, 863 E. 900 South
4 Art Access Gallery, 339 W. Pierpont Ave.
5 Artspace Artists Association
6 Brushwork's Gallery, 175 E. 200 South
7 Dolores Chase Fine Art, 260 S. 200 West
8 Finch Lane Galelry/Art Barn, 54 S. Finch Lane (1325 E. 100 S.)
9 Gallery 56, 56 West 400 South
10 Hippodrome Gallery/FHP Health Care, 2500 S. State
11 Leftbank Gallery, 242 S. 200 West
12 Light Spot, 1043 E. 900 South
13 Marble House Gallery & Appraisal, 44 E. Exchange Pl. (355 S.)
14 Phillips Gallery, 444 E. 200 South
15 Repartee Gallery, ZCMI Center, 39 S. Main
16 Salt Lake Art Center, 20 S. West Temple
17 Sego Gallery, 637 E. 500 South
18 Southam Gallery, 50 E. Broadway (300 South)
19 Tivoli Gallery, 255 S. State Street
20 Utah Museum of Natural History
21 Williams Fine Art/Eagle Gate, 60 E. South Temple (Main Lobby)
Restaurants
Baci Trattoria, 134 W. Pierpont Ave.
Pierpont Cantina, 122 W. Pierpont Ave.
Lamb's Restaurant, 169 S. Main
Market Street Broiler, 260 S. 1300 East
Market Street Grill, 48 Market Street
Business and corporate sponsers
Cafe Dell Arte', 22 E. 100 South
The Framery, 1519 S. 1500 East
Reuel's Art and Frame, 370 S. West Temple
R.F.E. Impressions, 157 W. Pierpont Ave.
Valentiner Crane Architects, 524 S. 600 East
F. Weixler Gallery, 132 E Street