ST. GEORGE – The Sears Art Museum Gallery at the Dixie State College of Utah, Dolores Dore’ Eccles Fine Arts Center, in conjunction with the second annual DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival, combine to present a new fall exhibit featuring the works of renowned contemporary artist Tom Judd.
The exhibit, which is free to the public, will officially open on August 22 and will run monday through friday through October 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
A free public meet-and-greet artist reception, featuring Judd discussing his exhibit and playing his ukulele, will be held on friday, August 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. Judd, who currently resides in Philadelphia, PA, will display his works in a show entitled “Lost Highway.”
This exhibit is an extension of Judd’s fascination with using cardboard as a surface to make artwork, including his huge map of the world “The World is Flat,” as well as a series of portraits of his family’s cars while growing up in Salt Lake City during the 1960’s. The car portraits, although comical at times, will take viewers down the roads and byways of their own memories and America’s love affair with speed, travel, and the automobile.
“Reading [Judd’s] impressive résumé and incredible life history is almost as much fun as enjoying his art,” says Kathy Cieslewicz, curator of the Gallery. “He has identified parts of his life by beloved vehicles and road trips – just as we mark our lives in much the same way.”
In addition to the exhibit, DOCUTAH will present screenings of the documentary film, “Welcome, Welcome,” produced and directed by John Thornton, featuring a short overview about Judd’s life and work. The film, which will run daily from September 8 through 17, begins with Judd’s career at one of his first shows at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1979, and follows him as his career took off with show and exhibits around the country over a successful 30-plus year span.
Judd’s résumé includes an extensive history of exhibiting in galleries and museums, inclusion in important collections, and special projects. These include murals, short films, billboard art, chalk drawings, collaborations and installations.
DSC’s Eccles Fine Arts Center has been designated as a festival “hub” for DOCUTAH 2011. Films will be screened in the facility’s Main Stage Theater, Concert Hall and Sears Art Museum Gallery venues. In addition, seminars will be held in the Gallery.
At the same time, the Eccles lobby will serve as a gathering place for film attendees and volunteers. Additional features will include a VIP guest/media lounge and a festival store.
DOCUTAH presents an enlightening and inspiring lineup of nonfiction works in southern Utah’s “color country,” which includes some of the nation’s most popular national parks and scenic destinations; these include Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park, among others.
DOCUTAH invites filmmakers and film fans to come to St. George for the films and stay long enough to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
DOCUTAH aims to present a festival of international scope, with a diverse collection of documentaries with various subject matters and perspectives. Being one of the few college-based festivals, DSC provides a wide array of master class seminars with internationally renowned guest lecturers who are industry professionals, providing a hands-on approach to filmmaking.
This is a once in a lifetime educational opportunity for students, community members, and visitors.
The Eccles Fine Arts Center will also feature recent works of art created by local artist Jeff Ham in its grand foyer throughout the run of the Judd exhibit.
For more information on the pair of exhibits, contact Sears Art Museum Gallery curator Kathy Cieslewicz at 435-652-7909 or at [email protected]. For additional information visit this link for the 2011 DOCUTAH Festival.