Ogden Contemporary Arts now hosting the 2024 Statewide Annual Exhibition
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- An attendee of the Statewide Annual Exhibition, hosted by Ogden Contemporary Arts, views Nick Pedersen’s “DoomScrolls” on Nov. 1, 2024.
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- Attendees are pictured during the opening reception of the Statewide Annual Exhibition on Nov. 1, 2024, at Ogden Contemporary Arts.
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- An attendee at the Statewide Annual Exhibition, hosted by Ogden Contemporary Arts, views multiple works Nov. 1, 2024.
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- Artist Joni Wolfe poses with her work “Pachanoi” at the Statewide Annual Exhibition, hosted by Ogden Contemporary Arts, on Nov. 1, 2024.
OGDEN — From now through Jan. 12, 2025, Ogden Contemporary Arts, or OCA, will host the Utah Division of Arts and Museums’ yearly Statewide Annual Exhibition.
Now celebrating its 125th anniversary, the state’s art agency — believed to be the first of its kind in the nation — has held statewide art competitions throughout its history, according to Visual Arts Coordinator Peter Hay.
“There has been some form of art competition in the state of Utah since 1899,” Hay said. “And that’s pretty incredible.”
This year’s juried exhibition is being hosted at OCA, located at 455 25th St., for the second time, Hay said, and it features 25 artworks that were selected from 309 submissions received from across Utah.
The Statewide Annual presents a survey of current, outstanding visual art by Utah-based artists through three rotating themes. This year, the theme is “Craft, Photography, Video & Digital.” However, Hay noted that the artists weren’t afraid to incorporate multiple disciplines within that theme in their submissions.
“I’m always blown away at the way that artists explore the mediums and the way that they sort of push the boundaries and sort of blur the boundaries, too, between mediums,” he said.
For this year’s exhibition, he also observed that there were a number of submissions referencing or drawing inspiration from the Great Salt Lake.
“I think it’s very apparent that’s on a lot of people’s minds,” Hay said. “Artists are people living in this society. So, those things then come out in their expression as concerns they have.”
Ashley Bautista’s “Que Sueñes Con Los Angelitos” won Best in Show, while OCA recognized Scout Invie’s “The Wild West (Real Estate)” with its own Choice Award. Hay says that both artists will be on hand for the First Friday Art Stroll event Dec. 6 to discuss their submissions.
Meanwhile, voting is ongoing for the People’s Choice award, to be given at the end of the exhibition. Patrons can vote for their favorite artworks using a QR code.
“Being such a leader in the arts is really an incredible thing that we should be proud of as Utahns,” Hay said. “Anybody that takes part in this show, whether you entered and didn’t get accepted, whether you’re in the show or whether you’re a visitor that’s going to see the work or vote on the people’s choice; all those people are taking part in a 125-year tradition of supporting contemporary art and contemporary artists here.
“I think that’s something that Utahns should be proud of and, hopefully, we’ll want to keep supporting for many years to come.”
The Utah Division of Arts and Museums’ 125th Anniversary Exhibition will run from Dec. 10 to March 15, 2025, at the Utah Valley University Museum of Art in Orem.
For more information on the Statewide Annual, go to https://ogdencontemporary11arts.org/ or https://artsandmuseums.utah.gov/.
