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Kimball Art Center shows what ‘Park City Collects’

What: “Park City Collects III” and “Dreamscapes”

When: Through Jan. 6

Where: Kimball Art Center, 1401 Kearns Blvd.

Cost: Free

Web: kimballartcenter.org

The original visual art of Takashi Murakami, Pedro Diego Alvarado and Alex Kanevsky can be found in art museums throughout the world.

Some of them can also be found in homes around Park City. These works and more have been loaned to the Kimball Art Center for its Park City Collects III exhibit, which will be on display until Jan. 6, said curator Nancy Stoaks.

The exhibit will feature 34 pieces that range from original Hudson River School landscapes to the contemporary Spiral Jetty paintings by Justin Wheatley, Stoaks said.



“The art includes abstract and figurative works from seven local collectors,” she explained. “These are only a small part of each collection that are in the owners’ homes.”

The Kimball Art Center’s first “Park City Collects” opened in 2011, followed by a second exhibit in 2013.



“Since it’s been five years since we’ve done this kind of show, we felt we needed to contact a whole new group of collectors,” Stoaks said. “I wanted to present some new stories for the public to get excited about.”

Stoaks worked with the Kimball Art Center’s board of directors, which suggested a few local collectors to contact.

“I visited each home and listened to the collectors share the stories of how their collections began and how the collections have evolved over time,” she said. “They showed me various pieces, and it was fun to see how they got excited about some of the works they talked about.”

On her way home, Stoaks would think about the highlights of each visit.

“I would followed up with the collectors and share with them some of the themes that came through those discussions that appealed to me,” she said. “I would ask them about which items they were willing to share with us, and then I asked them to narrow the selection down for the exhibition.”

In addition, Stoaks asked the collectors, some of whom asked to remain anonymous, to write something about each piece.

“I wanted them to tell us what they liked about the works in their own words so people could get a feel of the collectors’ personalities and ideas,” she said. “There is a story behind every piece of art. This story includes the artist and the creation of the work, but it also includes its life after it leaves the hands of the artist. It’s so interesting to hear the personal stories behind why each collector was drawn to acquire certain pieces.”

Some of the collections started randomly, and others were more calculated. And some of these collectors made trips to other countries – such as Mexico and Russia – to acquire the works, according to Stoaks.

“Some collectors who grew up in families who collected art, and it was just something they did,” she said. “Some collectors I talked with don’t consider themselves collectors. They just liked what they saw. But if you look at each work that we will show, you will see how much they all value art.”

Stoaks enjoyed creating mini-exhibits within the main show.

“Each mini-collection on view offers a portrait of sorts of the collector,” she said. “Some collections on view focus on a particular region or time period or style, while others are much more diverse.”

In addition to “Park City Collects III,” the Kimball Art Center has opened “Dreamscapes” at Ellie’s Cafe, located in the building.

“This exhibit features works by 11 local artists who are looking at the natural world through a variety of different media,” Stoaks said.

“Dreamscapes” fits into the core of the Kimball Art Center’s mission to build community through art, according to Stoaks.

“While I love bringing in works by national and international artists, we’re also here for our local artists,” she said.

The art in “Dreamscapes” is available for purchase.


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