Land Art Week Artist Talk: Lita Albuquerque
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is thrilled to inaugurate the first Land Art Week with an artist talk featuring Lita Albuquerque. With a practice encompassing sculpture, site-specific installation, and ephemeral projects, Albuquerque made important contributions to the Light and Space and Land art movements in the 1970s. Her ongoing work continues to engage with these themes, using the body, earth, time, and motion to reveal our place in the universe.
Dive into the conversation and learn more about Land art from the 1970s to today!
Meet the Artist:
Since the early 1970s, Lita Albuquerque (born 1946, Santa Monica, CA; raised in Carthage, Tunisia and Paris, France) has created an expansive body of work, ranging from sculpture, poetry, painting and multi-media performance to ambitious site-specific ephemeral projects in remote locations around the globe. Often associated with the Light and Space and Land Art movements, Albuquerque has developed a unique visual and conceptual vocabulary using the earth, color,…
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Public Event. Lectures. Campus Locations: Dumke Auditorium (UMFA). Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). Cost: Free. Ticket URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/land-art-week-artist-talk-lita-albuquerque-tickets-1998599687466?aff=oddtdtcreator. Transportation / Parking: Free Parking in lot 12 by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Thursday, October 1, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit umfa.utah.edu. John O'Connell Exhibition/Tribute [U Arts Pass Event]
Celebrate the life and work of Department of Art & Art History's late Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing John O'Connell in a tribute exhibition, "The Stories We Tell Ourselves."
Exhibition: October 8–28, 2026
Reception: Thursday, October 22, 4:30–7:00 p.m. Family and Friends of John will be attending
John O'Connell came to painting late, then spent the rest of his life making up for lost time. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, he grew up in a big Irish neighborhood in the urban Northeast and made his first painting at 28, following stints in engineering school, construction, and music. He studied at Massachusetts College of Art and the University of Connecticut, taught at Middle Tennessee State University, and joined the University of Utah faculty, where he was associate professor of Painting and Drawing for more than two decades. His paintings layered organic forms, weaving industrial textures and decomposition. Utilizing his knowledge of construction and the erosion of material, he crafted…
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Campus Locations: Gittins Gallery (FMAB). Cost: Free and open to the public. Transportation / Parking: We recommend you take mass transit to the campus if you can. The gallery is between two TRAX stops (South Campus and Stadium), and several buses drop off right next to and across the street from the Social Work Building. UTA’s website has tools to help you navigate your way up to the University.
Parking Lot 8 is Pay-By-Phone ($2.00 per half hour) until 8:00 PM. You will see signs in the parking lot with a QR code.
Parking Lot 10 is recommended for those who need ADA spots. Visitors displaying a stat… Contact Email: info@art.utah.edu. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Thursday, October 8, 2026 – Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Insights Tour: For the Future
Want to experience works of art through the unique lens of the people who see them every day? Insights Tours at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts provide you with the perspectives of those who know these works of art in unique ways! These lunch-hour tours are a perfect midday break, and you can even stop by the Museum Café for a bite to eat!
Explore the special exhibition For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001-2026 through the eyes of Museum staff members. This 45-minute tour will provide insights into the works of art on view, their unique histories, and the ways the Museum stewards them.
Join associate curator of collections, Luke Kelly for this free tour to explore the story of the Museum’s Asian art collection through the objects in For the Future.
Luke Kelly is the associate curator of collections at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. In his 25th year at the museum, he oversees the Asian and archaeological collections. Luke has curated small and large-scale shows from the Asian and Asian-American collections…
Event Categories: Exhibitions. Public Event. U Arts Pass. Campus Locations: Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). Cost: Free, Registration Required. Ticket URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/insights-tour-for-the-future-tickets-1999796288532. Transportation / Parking: Free parking available in lot 12 by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Friday, October 9, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit umfa.utah.edu. Third Saturday for families: Calaveras Paper Skulls
Looking for a free family activity in Salt Lake City? Look no further than the Utah Museum of Fine Arts! Admission to the Museum is free every third Saturday of the month, and there is always an art-making activity for the whole family. This extra special Third Saturday brings paper calaveras making, performances, film screenings, and food trucks to the Museum!
This October marks the one-year anniversary of the two new galleries celebrating art from México, Central, and South America at the UMFA. A three-year collaboration with Artes de México en Utah and the Transformación Cultural work group created these beautiful spaces that reflect the richness of living cultures, identity, and art.
Find inspiration in the Calaveras on view in the galleries and create one yourself out of paper! Calaveras are representations of human skulls and skeletons displayed during Day of the Dead celebrations. A calavera represents the departed soul and can be made of sugar, paper, wood, or other material.
Agenda:12 pm | Guided…
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Kids/Family. Public Event. Campus Locations: Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). Cost: Free. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Saturday, October 17, 2026, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit umfa.utah.edu. Drop-in Drawing Disco
Looking for a place to meet fellow artists and learn new skills in Salt Lake City? Grab your sketchbook and head on over to a Drop-in Drawing Disco at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts! This free, laid-back event invites you to explore your artistic potential.
Explore salt 18: Amor Muñoz and get inspiration from KaleidoscopElote to create a radial paper relief!
KaleidescopeElote is an interactive sculpture and Augmented Reality (AR) sound experience that comes to life with visitors’ movement in the gallery. By bringing contemporary technologies into contact with much older systems of knowledge, salt 18 reveals the long exchange between people, the natural world, and the vast patterns of the cosmos.
All materials are provided, but feel free to bring your own sketchbook or current project to work on. All levels of experience are welcome. RSVP is encouraged but not required; join at any time as space allows.
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Public Event. Campus Locations: Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). Cost: Free. Ticket URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drop-in-drawing-disco-radial-paper-reliefs-tickets-1999718172886. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit umfa.utah.edu. Insights Tour: For the Future
Want to experience works of art through the unique lens of the people who see them every day? Insights Tours at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts provide you with the perspectives of those who know these works of art in unique ways! These lunch-hour tours are a perfect midday break, and you can even stop by the Museum Café for a bite to eat!
Explore the special exhibition For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001-2026 through the eyes of Museum staff members. This 45-minute tour will provide insights into the works of art on view, their unique histories, and the ways the Museum stewards them.
This free tour will be led by Alisa McCusker, senior curator at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts!
American art encompasses an extraordinary range of creative expression, including Indigenous practices dating back thousands of years, traditional modes of painting and sculpting of European origin, as well as modern and contemporary forms engaged on the global stage. Alisa McCusker, Curator of European and American Art, leads a…
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Public Event. Campus Locations: Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). Cost: Free, Registration Required. Ticket URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/insights-tour-for-the-future-tickets-1999794531276. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Friday, October 23, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit umfa.utah.edu. Sight and Sound
Treat yourself to incredible sights and sounds at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
Ten incredible composers from the University Composer’s Collective have found inspiration in the art on view in the special exhibition, For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001–2026. These never-before-heard compositions will be performed live by the Student Opera Guild in the UMFA Great Hall.
Experience human creativity in a way you never have before with this free performance at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts!
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Public Event. Music. Campus Locations: Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA). Cost: Free, RSVP Encouraged. Ticket URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sight-and-sound-tickets-2001253569298. Transportation / Parking: Free Parking in lot 12 by the UMFA. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit umfa.utah.edu. Department of Art & Art History Club Pop-up Event [U Arts Pass Event]
Join us in celebrating student creativity. More details to come.
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Campus Locations: Gittins Gallery (FMAB). Cost: Free and open to the public. Transportation / Parking: The Gittins Gallery is located in the Film and Media Arts Building, 375 South 1530 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. Please visit the Gittins Gallery for an updated map with parking lot suggestions: https://www.art.utah.edu/gittins-gallery/. Contact Email: info@art.utah.edu. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Thursday, November 5, 2026 – Monday, November 23, 2026.
Holiday Art Sale [U Arts Pass Event]
Purchase handcrafted and unique art by Department of Art & Art History students. All proceeds directly support student clubs and organizations.
Event Categories: U Arts Pass. Campus Locations: Gittins Gallery (FMAB). Cost: Free and open to the public. Transportation / Parking: The Gittins Gallery is located in the Film and Media Arts Building, 375 South 1530 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. Please visit the Gittins Gallery for an updated map with parking lot suggestions: https://www.art.utah.edu/gittins-gallery/. Contact Email: info@art.utah.edu. Campus Wide Event: Yes.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026 – Friday, December 4, 2026.