Campus vignette: Get your arts recharge at Gittens Gallery

Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) anchors the campus visual arts corridor that also comprises Sculpture Intermedia FacilitiesDepartment of Art & Art History, Department of Film & Media Arts, and College of Fine Arts.

As the largest art museum in the Intermountain West, UMFA is deservedly prestigious and popular, but just around the corner is a lovely little gallery you could miss if you didn’t know it was there. Gittins Gallery in the Film & Media Arts Building, located halfway between UMFA and Marriott Library, is a 2,360 square-foot space that showcases contemporary and experimental works, primarily by students.

The gallery is named after Alvin Gittins, who was appointed as a faculty member in 1947 and chaired the Department of Art & Art History from 1956-1962. As an artist in residence, Gittens painted 89 portraits that included U presidents, researchers, physicians, scientists, and artists.

“A life without the arts — music, philosophy, the humanities, seeing the beauty around us, and seeing the creations of other people — a life without art, in its broadest sense, is impoverished indeed,” said Dr. Anne Osborn, distinguished professor of radiology, arts advocate, and friend of Mary Lois Wheatley, a protégé of Gittens, at the opening of Gittins Gallery in March 2023.

Consider stopping by sometime to recharge with a gallery stroll, whether you have a few minutes or plenty of time to visit.

Current and future exhibitions:

• Illustration capstone show (extended through October 4)
• Sam Wilson and Tony Smith exhibition (October 15 - November 1)
• MFA interim show (November 12-25)

Gittens Gallery is open Monday through Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

 

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