Utah Museum of Fine Arts

10/12/2026

When you visit a fine arts museum, you probably expect to see paintings, sculptures, and other visual art, but you may not expect to be greeted by live opera music. This fall, you're invited to treat your eyes and ears to world-class art! Sight & Sound at the UMFA offers free music performances for the public, inspired by art at the Museum.

“For this program, the UMFA collaborates with a wide range of musicians and composers to create performances that connect back to exhibitions on view at UMFA,” says Quetzal Martinez, manager of university student programs at the Museum. “This program is important because it allows visitors to experience visual and performance arts complementing each other, making for an interdisciplinary or cross-modal encounter with art. By collaborating with musicians and composers we are bringing attention to local artists and showcasing the strong connection between art forms.”

Incredible composers from the University Composer’s Collective 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 Great Hall at the UMFA on October 28, 2026.

Two composers, Sadie Olsen and Caleb Martin, agreed to give At the Heart of it All readers a behind-the-scenes peek at their artistic process and give some insights into what you will experience at the Sight and Sound performance at the Museum!

Read the interview in our latest blog, At the Heart of it All, Sight and Sound: Composer Interviews, at thttps://umfa.utah.edu/sight-and-sound-composer-interviews/.

Artwork credit: Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun, French, 1755–1842, Princess Natalia Ivanovna Kurakina, born Golovine, 1797, Oil on canvas, Gift of Val A. Browning; conserved with funds from the Ann K. Stewart Docent and Volunteer Conservation Fund, UMFA1993.034.014

10/08/2026

You might notice a gallery name change this fall!

The Black Box, located on the northeast side of Global Contemporary Art, is now called the New Media art gallery. It's the same dark space, but the new name better reflects how our curators think about this segment of the UMFA collection.

As the collection continues to grow, this name change helps define our gallery spaces while also guiding how these artworks are categorized, documented, and preserved for future generations.

This fall, the New Media art gallery will feature Hrair Sarkissain's Homesick (2014). The two-channel video is an emotional reflection on home. While exiled from Damascus during the Syrian Civil War, the artist created a 1:30 scale replica of the building where he grew up. Across two projections, he methodically destroys the replica with a sledgehammer, testing the resilience of the material against air strikes. Homesick invites us to contemplate what "home" means, the memories we carry with us, and the ways we respond to loss in times of conflict or crisis.

Artwork Credit: Hrair Sarkissian (Syrian, born 1973), Homesick, 2014, Two-channel color HD video, sound. Purchased with funds from The Phyllis Cannon Wattis Endowment Fund and the Friends of Contemporary Art (FoCA), UMFA2016.11.1

10/06/2026

10/04/2026

Save the date: Friday, October 23 for the opening celebration of salt 18: Amor Muñoz. Enjoy pozol by Zoque Mexican Chocolate, vibe to beats provided by DJ Drew, and mingle with artist Amor Muñoz!

Muñoz is a Mexico City-based artist who works at the intersections of technology, craft, labor, and biology. In her expansive, research-driven practice, she traces how technology is deeply embedded in our material and cultural lives.

For her salt exhibition, Muñoz turns to corn (also known by the Nahuatl name elotl, or elote in Spanish). Corn is more than a food: it is a carrier of memory, a record of cultural exchange, and a living system of knowledge that has been passed across generations. The exhibition features an immersive installation called KaleidescopElote.

RSVP is encouraged. Learn more at https://umfa.utah.edu/event/salt-18-public-opening/.

Curatorial Sponsor: Erica and Ben Dahl

09/28/2026

It's finally here! Land Art Week runs from October 1 to October 4, with amazing events throughout the valley, including a Spiral Jetty Community Meet-up on Saturday, October 3.

Everyone is invited to explore Robert Smithson’s monumental earthwork, Spiral Jetty, listen to music, create art, and learn about the Great Salt Lake environment!

Visit our website to view the day's agenda as well as learn about all of the other Land Art Week events both at the UMFA and from our partners: Powder Art Foundation, Holt Smithson Foundation, Dia Art Foundation, Ogden Contemporary Arts, Utah Museum of Contemporary Arts, and Kimball Art Center.

We are so excited to celebrate all things Land art with the community!

09/27/2026

How does a museum build a collection? Why do museums choose specific objects to steward for future generations?

Explore these questions and more in this special video blog, At the Heart of it All: Collecting for the Future.

https://umfa.utah.edu/collecting-for-the-future/

09/25/2026

The application deadline for the UMFA's Spring 2027 Registration Internship is next week!

Current University of Utah Department of Art & Art History students can submit an application by Friday, October 2, to be considered for this paid opportunity. Gain hands-on experience with the core practices of museum registration, including file management, archival rehousing, and documentation standards.

Learn more and apply at https://umfa.utah.edu/about/employment/internships/

09/24/2026

We are excited to announce the return of our salt series, with salt 18: Amor Muñoz on view October 24, 2026!

Muñoz is a Mexico City-based artist who works at the intersections of technology, craft, labor, and biology. In her expansive, research-driven practice, she traces how technology is deeply embedded in our material and cultural lives.

Learn more at

Amor Muñoz is a Mexico City-based artist who works at the intersections of technology, craft, labor, and biology. Through an expansive research-driven practice, she traces how technology is deeply embedded in our material and cultural lives.

09/18/2026

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!

This is a talk you don't want to miss. Learn more about the artist and RSVP at https://umfa.utah.edu/event/artist-talk-land-art-week-2026/