Olympic events cost an arm and a leg. But through the Olympics Arts Festival, students can experience the Olympics and still afford all of their textbooks.
The festival brings in premiere special exhibitions and also provides a showcase for the best Utah has to offer.
Here are a list of 10 top events of the Olympics Arts Festival.
Unless otherwise listed, each of these events is free to students, faculty and staff, though some do require tickets.
Complete listings and hours for all events can be found at “>www.saltlake2002.com.
1. Athletes in Antiquity: Works from the collection of the J. Paul Getty MuseumVenue: The Utah Museum of Fine ArtsDates: Feb. 1 – Apr. 15, 2002
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is the premiere art museum in the state of Utah, and this special exhibition only confirms that status.
“It’s the most important collection of antiquities to ever come to Utah,” says Frank Sanguinetti, the museum’s founding director.
Many of the works presented have never been lent to any other museum in the United States, making this a rare opportunity to see them.
The exhibition will feature more than 30 objects from the Getty’s collection that were created during the time period of the ancient Olympics.
Highlights include several terra cotta vases presented as prizes during the ancient Panathenaic festival and one of the most significant Greek bronze statues in the world, Statue of a Victorious Youth, featuring a young man crowning himself with a wreath.
2. Utah’s First Nations: Peoples of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau.Venue: Utah Museum of Natural HistoryDates: Jan. 18-Mar. 31, 2002
This landmark exhibit includes artifacts from eight tribes for the first time ever. The Northern Ute, Northwestern Shoshoni, Confederated Tribes of Goshute, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, Navajo, Southern Paiute and White Mesa Ute tribes all contributed artifacts to this exhibit.
Guest curator Nola Lodge, a member of the Oneida/Iriquois tribe, and museum exhibit developer Becky Menlove put the exhibit together by asking each tribe to identify a key moment in their history and then tell those stories.
“They are willing to loan us their family heirlooms,” says Lodge. “This will be the first time some of this has ever been on public display.”
3. Utah Arts/Utah ArtistsVenue: Springville Museum, SpringvilleDates: Jan. 15-Apr. 30, 2002
Utah’s first museum of fine arts, the Springville Museum, will host an exhibition of works by Utah artists, dealing with the history, people and culture of Utah.
This will be the most significant exhibit surveying Utah artists during the course of the Games and is definitely a must see for anyone interested in Utah art.
4. Declaration of IndependenceVenue: Utah State CapitolDates: Feb. 1- Mar. 15
One of the 25 surviving copies of the Declaration of Independence printed on July 4, 1776 will be on display at the Utah State Capitol during the Games.
This is a rare chance to see an original copy of the document that set the course of the United States?something not to be missed.
5. The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936Venue: Marriott LibraryDates: Sept. 12, 2001 – Mar. 22, 2002; Closed Feb. 8 and 18
This exhibit examines the social and political history surrounding the 1936 Olympics.
Held in Berlin, Germany, attending the Games was divisive because many prominent Americans and Europeans thought attendance would lend tacit approval to Hitler’s Nazi regime.
Jewish athletes in Germany were barred from sports facilities and associations, leading them to form their own.
Most prominent Jewish athletes were barred from participating on the German national team.
The exhibit tells the stories of those who were banned from participating, those who participated and those who boycotted the Games.
6. The Monumental Sculptures of Allan HouserVenue: Salt Lake City and County Building GroundsDates:Sept. 15, 2001-Mar. 17, 2002
The City and County Building will host 16 statues by Allan Houser (1914-1994), one of the most respected and significant American Indian artists.
Houser’s sculptures are about twice life-size and are part of the collection of prominent museums around the world.
The works on display are from the 1980s and ’90s.
Two additional sculptures are located at the Salt Lake International Airport, “Raindrops” and “Prayer.”
7. Why the Cowboy Sings: An Evening of Poetry and MusicVenue: Capitol TheatreTime: Feb. 12, 8 p.m.Price: $35-20
Anyone who has ever attended a cowboy poetry reading will understand why this made the list, even though it does cost money.
Cowboy poetry is a distinctive Western genre that resonates with people around the world because of the primal connection its creators have with the land they love and the genre’s quirky common-sense.
Internationally known cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell headlines the evening.
Mitchell helped found the Elko Cowboy Poetry gathering, the largest cowboy poetry festival in the world and has delighted audiences with his humorous but often poignant poems.
8. International Ice Carving CompetitionVenue: Utah Historic Courthouse, 50 South University Ave, ProvoDates: Feb. 15 – Feb. 16, 2002
The National Ice Carving Association presents the International Ice Carving Competition Feb. 15-16. Thirty two-person teams will each be given a block of ice 3,000 pounds big and will have 20 hours to make something spectacular out of it.
The 30 teams will come from around the world for this event, and the sculptures carved will last until they melt.
The competition will be a remarkable chance to see world-class ice sculptors at work.
9. United States Army Field Band And Soldiers’ ChorusVenue: Abravanel HallDate: Feb. 17, 8 pm
There is just something about service bands.
Their take on music is professional, but with a slight lacquer to it that separates them from civilian performers.
The premiere touring band of the Army, known as the “Musical Ambassadors of the Army,” together with their vocal counterparts the Soldier’s Chorus, will perform works by Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and more.
10. Brian and Joe ShowVenue: Art Access GalleryDates: Jan. 18-Mar. 17, 2002
Brian Kershisnik, a professional artist, worked together with Joe Adams, his neighbor and friend with Down syndrome, to create these unique works.
Their collaborative efforts are often described as haunting?no better word exists to describe them.
The works, done primarily with oil-stick on acrylic rag paper, show the dignity of the human spirit and hint at horizons that can be only be explored through trust and friendship.
Art Access will also be hosting Women Without Borders, an exhibit of 145 decorated small cedar boxes from around the world.