Shining a light on what it’s like to be a female artist in Utah, the exhibit “Rouge: Utah Women’s Voices” will be on display in Dixie State University’s Sears Art Museum after opening with an artist panel discussion.
The exhibit will open with the artist panel discussion at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 11, in the art museum, located in the Dolores Doré Eccles Fine Arts Center on the Dixie State University campus. Immediately following the discussion, an opening reception will be held until 8:30 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 17. The art museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and admission is free to the exhibit and opening events.
“‘Rouge: Utah Women’s Voices’ is a small representation of the large number of Utah women artists; however, it is a good representation of the diversity of Utah women artists,” Kathy Cieslewicz, DSU Sears Art Museum director and curator, said. “The exhibit reflects on the imbalance of art by women in museums and encourages patrons to contemplate what can be done to address this issue.”
Artists featured in “Rouge: Utah Women’s Voices” were asked to create artwork that expresses what it is like to be in their shoes as a female artist in Utah, where 60 percent of artists are female but 70 percent of the artists exhibited are male.
“The purpose of the ‘Rouge’ exhibit is to highlight the disparity in exhibition opportunities between men and women in the arts through discussing the many roles of women artists in Utah,” Nancy Audruk Olson, a Utah artist and curator of the exhibit, said. “This is a thought-provoking exhibit that brings attention to the many issues that women in the arts face today.”
A wide range of perspectives are represented in the exhibit, which points to the significance of Utah female artists’ work. With a nod to the contemporary women’s movement, each artist includes the common thread of something pink in her work.
“In pursuance of presenting interesting, educational and unique experiences, this exhibit keeps the tradition moving forward. Patrons will be impressed and intrigued by the artwork. For one piece of art, a Cessna 150 was brought into the museum,” Cieslewicz said. “Come and sit in the cockpit and check out the QR codes to reveal the inner meanings of gauges and even bullet holes.”
In addition to “Rouge: Utah Women’s Voices” in the Sears Art Museum, three women artists are featured in the Eccles Grand Foyer — “Landscapes on Yupo” by Mel Scott and Diane Asay and watercolors by Loretta Clayson.
To learn more about “Rouge: Utah Women’s Voices” and the Dixie State University Sears Art Museum, visit www.searsart.com.