Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art encourages people to explore what it means to exist in today’s Your donation in any amount is greatly appreciated.
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The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art has been an award-winning aesthetic force and community leader since it was established in 1931. Located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, UMOCA encourages exploration into what it means to exist in today's world through art that inspires imagination, stimulates thought, and transforms society. The Museum connects people around the contemporary art practi

ce of Utah and beyond to shape an engaged and thoughtful global citizenry. UMOCA strives to be a place where all points of view, experiences, and ages feel welcome to explore the pressing issues of our time through socially relevant art exhibitions and programming. UMOCA is a five-time recipient of funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation and is a 2015 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works grant award. UMOCA is a 501c3 institution that is supported by public, foundation, and corporate gifts. Admission is a suggested $5 donation.

Join us Friday, September 11 from 6–9 PM for the opening reception of Madeline Rupard: 2002 Subaru Forester Presented by...
09/03/2026

Join us Friday, September 11 from 6–9 PM for the opening reception of Madeline Rupard: 2002 Subaru Forester Presented by Mark Miller Subaru.

Born out of repeated cross-country road trips, Rupard’s new series of paintings and stream-of-consciousness texts transforms a trusty, beloved hatchback into an unlikely sanctuary for roadside existentialism, memory, and loss.

We’re thrilled to partner with Mark Miller Subaru as our Presenting Sponsor for this exhibition, celebrating the intersections of art, community, and the open road.

🗓 Friday, September 11 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

📍 Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

🎟 Free admission with RSVP

Link in bio to RSVP | Cash bar

This is the final week to view Alfredo Jaar: The End—on view through Saturday, September 5.Alfredo Jaar’s exhibition add...
09/02/2026

This is the final week to view Alfredo Jaar: The End—on view through Saturday, September 5.

Alfredo Jaar’s exhibition addresses the drastic depletion of the Great Salt Lake, which has lost 73% of its water and 60% of its surface area due to excessive water extraction.

Described as an "environmental nuclear bomb" by local officials, the lake's decline exposes toxic dust beds containing arsenic, lead, and mercury while threatening surrounding ecosystems. In response, Jaar chose "to print these images in a small, unspectacular format, as a kind of visual whisper, a lament for our dying planet."

Stop by the museum this week to experience this critical body of work before it closes.

We are proud to introduce the incredible panel of jurors for this year’s Assemblage Art Fund cycle! Each juror brings a ...
09/01/2026

We are proud to introduce the incredible panel of jurors for this year’s Assemblage Art Fund cycle! Each juror brings a distinct perspective grounded in curatorial practice, community building, artist advocacy, multidisciplinary studio practice, and public engagement.

Meet the 2026–2027 Jurors:

Amanda Jirón-Murphy – Arts leader, Curator, and Residency Program Manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, dedicated to artist advocacy and curatorial projects.

jun mabuchi – Cultural producer, ceramicist, DJ, and longtime curator/program producer with For Freedoms.

Sarah Russin – Executive Director of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) and founding member of the LAVA Coalition, championing experimental and socially engaged art.

Jaclyn Wright – Multidisciplinary artist, educator, Associate Professor at the University of Utah, and recipient of grants from Aperture, OD Photo Prize, and PhMuseum.

The Assemblage Art Fund is administered by the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regional Regranting Program .

Earlier this month, we teamed up with our friends at Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and University of Utah Youth Education...
08/31/2026

Earlier this month, we teamed up with our friends at Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and University of Utah Youth Education for an incredible week of "Art & Motion" summer camp!
Campers spent the week creating wearable art, bold masks, and original props—and then brought them to life through movement.

Their choreography and mask designs were directly inspired by Eleanor Mahin Thorp’s exhibition, Snowtrickle, feldspar, dirt. To cap off the week, the campers delivered their final Friday performance in the gallery space, moving alongside the exhibition itself.

Kudos to these young artists and dancers for an unforgettable showcase of creativity and movement. Special shout out to Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Ai Fuji Nelson for leading this session with the UMOCA Education Team.

Final chance to view Altered States in the Acid West before it closes tomorrow, August 29!Featuring the work of 23 artis...
08/28/2026

Final chance to view Altered States in the Acid West before it closes tomorrow, August 29!

Featuring the work of 23 artists, this exhibition examines the mythologies, Indigenous practices, histories of extraction, and ecological impacts shaping the American West. Pictured here is work by Utah-based artist Russell Albert Daniels from his Mother Wound series. Daniels' hauntingly beautiful aerial photographs offer a stark perspective on landscapes scarred by mineral extraction, toxic mining waste, and ongoing megadrought—revealing environmental damage often hidden from the ground.

Final Weekend Hours:
Friday: Open late until 9 PM
Saturday: Open 11 AM – 6 PM

Artwork Details:
Russell Albert Daniels

Mother Wound: Extraction. Fracking evaporation pools, Glen Bench Road, Uintah Basin, UT (From the Mother Wound series), 2023. Aluminum print. Courtesy of the artist.

Mother Wound: Evaporation. Asarco copper mines, San Xavier District border, Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona (From the Mother Wound series), 2022. Aluminum print. Courtesy of the artist.

Join us for our next Flow Share Yoga session—an all-levels, disability-friendly class featuring gentle movement guided b...
08/26/2026

Join us for our next Flow Share Yoga session—an all-levels, disability-friendly class featuring gentle movement guided by Kellie St. Pierre (klstpierre) and live improvised sound by Nora Price (nora price).

This month’s practice takes place inside Eleanor Mahin Thorp's (Eleanor Mahin Thorp النور مهین تورپ) Snowtrickle, feldspar, dirt, using the artwork as a point of reflection throughout the session.

📍 Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

🧘 Bring a mat, towel, and water bottle

🎟️ 100% scholarships available (email [email protected])

Link in bio for tickets.

Final days! 🚨 Altered States in the Acid West closes this Saturday, August 29.Emerging from the 1970s counterculture, th...
08/25/2026

Final days! 🚨 Altered States in the Acid West closes this Saturday, August 29.

Emerging from the 1970s counterculture, the acid western upended classic myths of the American West—replacing tales of conquest with surrealism, psychedelia, and spiritual inquiry.

This exhibition brings together Indigenous practices, histories of extraction, and critical re-readings of Western lore to explore the region as a complex site of belief, myth, and human experience.

Don't miss your chance to see it before it's gone.

📅 Closing: Saturday, August 29

Join us for a beginner-friendly Bead Embroidery Workshop inspired by artist Janna Avner works featured in Altered States...
08/21/2026

Join us for a beginner-friendly Bead Embroidery Workshop inspired by artist Janna Avner works featured in Altered States in the Acid West.

In this hands-on, slower-paced session designed for teens and adults, you’ll learn the classic two-needle flat stitch technique to construct your own custom beaded piece. No prior experience is necessary, and all tools and materials are provided.

Event Details:
🗓 When: Friday, August 28 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
🎟 Admission: FREE with RSVP (Link in bio to reserve your spot)
📍 Details: Designed with teens and adults in mind. All materials supplied.

[Images 2 & 3]

Janna Avner, Bent Aurora for Setsoo: Deconstruction Version Test 37, 2026.

Janna Avner, Untitled (I will be beading until I die), 2026.

ROUX

08/21/2026

Join us next Friday, August 28 for a beginner-friendly Bead Embroidery Workshop inspired by artist Janna Avner’s works featured in Altered States in the Acid West.

In this hands-on, slower-paced session designed for teens and adults, you’ll learn the classic two-needle flat stitch technique to construct your own custom beaded piece. No prior experience is necessary, and all tools and materials are provided.

Event Details:

🗓 When: Friday, August 28 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

🎟 Admission: FREE with RSVP https://utahmoca.org/event/bead-embroidery/

📍 Details: Designed with teens and adults in mind. All materials supplied.

[Images 2 & 3]
Janna Avner, Bent Aurora for Setsoo: Deconstruction Version Test 37, 2026.
Janna Avner, Untitled (I will be beading until I die), 2026.

In the summer of 2020, Madeline Rupard bought a used car so she could leave her NYC apartment during lockdown. Four year...
08/20/2026

In the summer of 2020, Madeline Rupard bought a used car so she could leave her NYC apartment during lockdown. Four years, multiple cross-country moves, and thousands of miles later, that trusty, unglamorous hatchback became a sanctuary, a mobile home, and a symbol of stubborn, dumb hope.

Now, facing the sale of the vehicle, *2002 Subaru Forester* draws directly from one final drive—narrated by Madeline’s stream-of-consciousness ruminations as she reckons with the death of a friend. Through slow, hand-painted images, she uses the humble form of the Forester to confront immense, abstract themes of love, loss, and letting go.

Madeline Rupard: 2002 Subaru Forester opens September 11, 2026 at UMOCA.

📍 Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
🗓️ Sept 11, 2026 – June 5, 2027
🎟️ RSVP at https://utahmoca.org/event/fall-season-opening-reception/

Address

20 S West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT
84101

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 9pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm

Telephone

(801) 328-4201

Website

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