By Abigail Bowé, Arts Writer
January 14, 2020
Look, I love Marvel. I draw superheroes, read the comics and sell themed jewelry at craft fairs. I go to see the movies when they come out at the theater, while I'll admit that I quite like Disney Plus — in some small part because I can't resist the frightening allure of Baby Yoda — but it also allows me to dig into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the drop of a hat. The franchise is exciting. It's funny. It's massively likable. In short, I certainly know that I'm opening a real can of worms here as I state outright that renown director and producer Martin Scorsese knows what he's talking about when it comes to his bashing on superhero flicks. “I don’t see them," he said recently. "I tried, you know?" He has controversially deemed many of them "not cinema." Moreover, the film industry's future is under threat due to this, for makers and viewers alike. It isn't that the superhero genre has less artistic potential from any other film genre, which seems, unfortunately,...
By Hannah Keating, Arts Writer
January 14, 2020
When I first saw “No Story, Thanks” by Alexis Rausch — a painting of an outstretched arm against a baby blue wall, bisected by two thin, yellow, crossed lines — I was struck by its specificity. Every detail, which I later learned where all measured strokes by the artist, fit together like puzzle pieces to display something that felt like it had a history beyond its creation. I hate to immediately use a cliché, but even though I didn’t have the language to properly articulate what I saw, the “No Story, Thanks” painting immediately offered me a thousand words. Rausch herself, however, defies the typical “artist” cliche — she is far from a tortured genius throwing colors at a canvas to see what sticks, but she is much closer to a scientist who proposes and calculates and measures everything with complete accuracy. “I love researching and planning things out before I embark on a big project,” Rausch said. “I usually don’t have a lot of serendipitous...
By Weston Wood, Arts Writer
January 14, 2020
Gilgal Sculpture Garden is nestled in a quiet, downtown neighborhood. A local treasure, this garden is unique to Salt Lake City. Unlike a traditional garden, this one is home to many eccentric sculptures. Most, if not all, of the sculptures have been inspired by stories and scriptures from the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Located on 749 East and 500 South, this garden is an escape from the heart of bustling downtown. Since it is hidden behind the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses, most Salt Lake residents aren’t aware of it. It doesn’t draw any particular attention to itself. Its only noteworthy feature is the small sign that reads "Gilgal." Gilgal is a biblical word, referring to a "sacred, stone circle." It was unquestionably a reference to various sites mentioned throughout the Old Testament in the Bible. Gilgal seems considerably fitting as the park is, in essence, one giant circle of stone sculptures. The expressive statues are often abstract, some of them even...
January 11, 2020
The funny thing about superheroes is that many of them rarely ever intend to become high flying vigilantes — at least, not at first. Peter Parker started out as a regular kid bitten by a unique spider, Captain America began as one of the countless soldiers marching into war and Bruce Wayne wasn't Batman until both of his parents were killed off in one tragic night. Nonetheless, each of these heroes eventually came to fit what we expect of the standard hero form. They always don the tight-fitting spandex, create a masked persona for themselves and stay awake each night hunting for the criminals. That's what superheroes do, right? Well, now imagine a guy who gains superpowers only to quickly realize that he doesn't want to be a superhero. At all. He's no good at fighting and gets nauseous at the sight of blood. He hangs up on the government agents who call on him to save the day. He's less interested in running around in a fancy outfit than playing some video games, fixing...
By Abigail Bowé, Arts Writer
January 7, 2020
Ugly polos, fanny packs, bucket hats. The fashions of 2019 saw the rise of VSCO girls and e-boys, balanced popularity between cheap thrifting and designer sneakers and waves of retro nostalgia brought on in part by TV in the veins of "Stranger Things" or "Friends" — all for the better or worse. Styles sprouted in every odd corner between the cesspools of Instagram's backwash and the newest generations of self-proclaimed hippies. Looks varied from sleek athletic styles to soft punk aesthetics to dad-closet-raids. Overall, 2019's varied clothing trends were a deliberate mix and match of curation and carelessness, merging comfort, brashness and utility all alike. Whether I'll look back years from now at current photos of myself with confidence or laughing in regret, here are the pieces I've liked best from this year. Overalls and Jumpers I don't care if these will remain in style over the next few years or not, I'll never stop wearing them. Despite this, I was initially...