Pictured Above: Stephen Groo, Still From “Resident Evil, The Missing Chapter”, 2009, (c) Utah Wolf Productions

OVERVIEW

Pictured Above: Stephen Groo, Still From “Resident Evil, The Missing Chapter”, 2009, (c) Utah Wolf Productions

OVERVIEW

For the creative residents (and expatriates) of Utah and Salt Lake counties, Stephen Groo is an enigma – a highly prolific individual with a body of work that speaks to his force of will and creative vision while simultaneously exposing the surface shortcomings of blockbuster independent filmmaking. The spectrum of appreciation ranges from incredulity to intense admiration with much private discussion taking place as to the merits of his compelling oeuvre of short films, feature films, music videos, etc. In deference to the “hard work, dedication, and sweat put into these projects” (as quoted on Stephen’s website) and out of a sincere appreciation for his work- we propose a gathering of filmmakers, intellectuals, artists, creatives, educators, students and the general community to create a forum where appreciation and criticism can coexist. The free two-day symposium will feature a number of lectures, panels and film screenings along with an accompanying printed collection of selected papers and essays available for purchase.

CALL FOR PAPERS

CFP form must be completed by February 15^th, 2010, final papers are due March 15^th, 2010.

DOWNLOAD CFP HERE

Please email all submission forms to symposium@segoarts.org

Please email all correspondence to chris@seecoy.com or to jason@jasonmetcalf.com

Sego supporters- just a few updates on our recent developments.  The foundation’s board of directors and I have decided to withhold from obtaining a new space for the Sego Art Center until further notice. In conjunction with this, I have decided to continue at-large activities through curating exhibits and holding educational programming throughout the state in a variety of settings.

The Sego Arts Foundation is alive and fully functioning as an official 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, and it is our mandate to stay in-tact and organized so that we may take advantage of future opportunities, both in brick-and-mortar spaces, as well as in the programs I’ve just discussed.

I am excited about the potential of these ideas, and already have plans for several curatorial and academic projects that will continue to further the mission of Sego- to foster a dialogue which concerns contemporary art to Provo and Utah in general.  The projects that are in the planning stages will likely begin to happen at the begging of 2010 and will move forward from that point.

The closing of the art center has been difficult for us, and we have received many personal notes from supporters and colleagues expressing the need for what we have been doing to continue.  So stay tuned for our upcoming projects, but until (and after) then, we urge all of our members and supporters to frequent the other magnificent spaces throughout the state who exhibit contemporary art.

We are particularly interested in the Central Utah Art Center, as their mission fits most in line with what we did at Sego – promoting emerging to mid-career contemporary artists of national / international origin, while supporting local and regional artists that contribute to a local dialogue and artistic heritage.  So you’ll see us working with them in the future on a variety of projects.

Thank you for all of your support.  Anticipate interesting things to come from Sego.  You won’t be disappointed.

Jason Metcalf
Director

We would like to notify our supporters that the Board of Directors of the Sego Arts Foundation is excited to announce that the Sego Art Center will shortly be housed at a new space in Downtown Provo.  As of May 1st, 2009, the Art Center will no longer occupy it’s inaugural location at 169 N University Avenue in Provo.  The foundation has been approached by several building owners in Provo and Salt Lake City about donation of space for an art center and artist studios, and is negotiating the future occupancy of the spaces.  In accordance with the mission of the Arts Foundation, Sego will continue to maintain a presence in Provo and Utah Valley, even as we extend the Foundation’s reach to our State’s capitol.  The potential spaces the search committee is considering are better in quality and location than our previous residence, and will truly be a next step in enabling Sego to achieve its long term goals.

As these exciting events unfold, we want to remind you that we need your help more than ever in sustaining the Sego Arts Foundation.  A financial contribution of any size will greatly help the Foundation in furthering its mission of displaying and educating Utahans about contemporary visual art and music.  Please pledge your support today by visiting segoarts.org/support and becoming an annual member of the Foundation, or by joining our Facebook cause and donating through that network.

We will shortly be announcing even more positive changes in the Sego Arts Foundation as a whole, so look forward as these developments unfold. Again, thank you for your ongoing support of the Arts.

All the Best,

Maht Paulos
Chairman
Board of Directors
Sego Arts Foundation

Best Link Ever! Forms of Melancholy curated by Chris Coy at Sego Art Center

What would Marx make of the internet? The man who envisioned future communists hunting and fishing by day and writing criticism by night would probably appreciate blogs, but think less of groceries on demand. Marx also believed that alienation stems from the worker’s lack of control over the distribution and use of his product — a theory that informs the exhibition “Forms of Melancholy,” organized by Chris Coy at the Sego Art Center in Provo, Utah…. read more

Cafe Press, when viewed as a tool for artistic production is an interesting departure point for the exploration of object creation ‘after the internet’. Both the site and it’s user community celebrate the ease and immediacy of invisibly manufactured, ready-to-make items. Their contributions make for a staggering array of proposed t-shirts, teddybears and campaign signs all made in narrowly prescribed forms. As Nicolas Bourriaud writes in his exploration of relational aesthetics, “the advances of technology and ‘Reason’… blindly replace human labour by machines, and set up more and more sophisticated subjugation techniques…So the modern emancipation plan has been substituted by countless forms of melancholy.” This installation at Sego Art space aims to address forms of melancholy found on cafepress and allow the invited artists an opportunity to designate works for manufacture and purchase on the site and in the space.

Curated by C. Coy with a live lecture by artist and curator Marisa Olson on Thursday, April 2nd at 7pm

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Kari Altmann, Jeffrey Baij, Charles Broskoski, Ryan Browning, Chris Collins, Petra Cortright, Constant Dullaart, Patrick Dyer, Thomas Galloway, Quinn Gorbott, Bardhi Haliti, Charles Harlan, Chris Harris (lung), Joel Holmberg, Justin Kemp, Dennis Knopf, Andrew Kozlowski, Thomas Mailaeander, Eilis McDonald, Jon Rafman, Billy Rennekamp, Zach Shipko, Hayley Silverman, James Whipple, Jessica Williams, Bennett Williamson, Robert Wodzinski, Damon Zucconi and others

Forms of Melancholy ::: Marisa Olson from Sego Art Center on Vimeo.