Artists selected for ‘First Peek’ at new Southern Utah Museum of Art

"Sunrise View, Angels Landing" by Arlene Braithwaite | Photo courtesy of SUMA, St. George News, Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — With construction nearing completion on the new Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, anticipation for many new exciting events is building. One of these events is the inaugural “First Peek” event at the newly constructed Southern Utah Museum of Art in the center on June 25. The Friends of SUMA are proud to announce the selection of 37 pieces of art which will be a cornerstone of the First Peek event.

Rocks in Streambed by Carrie Trenholm | Photo courtesy of SUMA, St. George News, Cedar City News
“Rocks in Streambed” by Carrie Trenholm | Photo courtesy of SUMA, St. George News, Cedar City News

First Peek will feature not only the exhibit and sale of these pieces but also artistic tapas, an opportunity to win a painting by esteemed local artist Kate Starling and tours of the museum. The Friends are honoring and thanking the artists, donors and friends who made the new Southern Utah Museum of Art possible.

A three-person jury selected these works from the over 250 pieces that were submitted by artists from around the region. Included are local favorites such as Arlene Braithwaite and Carrie Trenholm.

No stranger to Southern Utah University, Arlene Braithwaite spent 32 years as a professor and art educator. She is a master of pastel painting and has had solo exhibitions shown at the Springville Art Museum, the St. George Art Museum, the Utah Museum of Natural Historyand Zion National Park’s Museum of Human History.

Fused glass is the platform for Carrie Trenholm’s works of art. Her inspiration comes from her time spent outdoors in Southern Utah and the West. Trenholm has dedicated her life to the arts and art education. Her work has been displayed at the Springville Museum of Art, St. George Art Museum, Artisans in Cedar City and the LaFave Gallery in Springdale.

Coma by Christopher Owen Nelson | Photo courtesy of SUMA, St. George News, Cedar City News
“Coma” by Christopher Owen Nelson | Photo courtesy of SUMA, St. George News, Cedar City News

Also included in the First Peek events are artists new to the area: Christopher Owen Nelson from Santa Fe and Nichole Taylor from Moab.

Christopher Owen Nelson thrives in the vast arid landscape of the American West. Nelson’s creations reveal the dynamic nature of intrinsic existence, as thought and feeling align within a medium that is uniquely his own. Combining elements of his skills in painting, construction and songwriting, Nelson illustrates deliberate yet subconscious narratives guided by lucid dreamscape. Nelson is bound by no medium. Striking his own path, he cuts a wide road for future pioneers.

As to Nichole Taylor, with a background originating in farming and with a love for agriculture and small town America, she began creating art in her childhood as a means of expressing the world around her. Realism plays a dominant role in Taylor’s work. From the grass rising through the course sagebrush to the morning light gleaming around gaps in the rough-hewn logs of a saddle shed, Taylor strives to capture the fine details that abound in the ranching and agriculture heritage.

Detailed information about the First Peek event and exhibit can be found at SUMA onlineTickets are $50 and are on sale on the website store.

Event Details

  • What: First Peek at Southern Utah Museum of Art
  • When: Saturday, June 25 | 5:30-8 p.m.
  • Where: Corner of University Boulevard and 300 West, Cedar City, Utah
  • Cost: Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $50. Space is limited.
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.