Arts & Humanities

USU Blanding and Moab to Host 'Sentinels' Art Exhibit

By Marcus Jensen |

This reductive woodcut on washi of a juniper at Bears Ears National Monument is one of the works of art featured in the Sentinels art exhibit, where artists present their concern for the global future through artistic imagery. (Artist: Todd Anderson)

Utah State University Blanding and Utah State University Moab will host the art exhibit Sentinels, presented by the Last Glacial Collective. The exhibit is a collaboration of artists that worked to present their concern for the global future through artistic imagery. The two USU campuses will host the exhibit from late February through May 2023.

Both campuses will hold an exhibit open house that is open to the public. USU Blanding’s open house will be 6-8 p.m. March 1 in the Blanding Arts & Events Center. USU Moab will host the open house from 6-8 p.m. March 3. The Sentinels artists will make a brief presentation during the open house. This exhibition and events are made possible by the cooperative efforts of USU administrators and Moab and Blanding campus faculty members.

"It is a true honor to share Sentinels: The Piñon Pine and Juniper Trees of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments at Utah State University,” said Todd Anderson, associate professor of Art at Clemson University and Sentinels artist. “Sentinels has been four years in the making and I am excited that the project will first be seen, in its entirety, at its ‘home’ in Southeastern Utah. I am truly thankful that USU and the community has granted us the opportunity to come visit and present Sentinels.”

Sentinels includes 12 large woodcuts by artists Todd Anderson and Bruce Crownover and three “word paintings” by scientist Gary Machlis. The artists are excited to display Sentinels in the region that inspired its creation, reinforcing that the arts and sciences can further engage the public with the natural and cultural heritage of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

"I am truly excited and enthused to be part of Sentinels, and to come to Southern Utah and through this exhibition share the project with the people and communities that live in the region,” said Machlis, professor of Environmental Sustainability at Clemson. “Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are revered by many, and they deeply inspired us as artists and scientists. We want to share what the juniper and piñon pine have taught us, to give thanks to the landscape and the people who have made it possible, not just for us but for future generations, to learn from these magnificent trees, these watchful sentinels."

Previous works by the Last Glacier Collective are in the collections of the Getty Museum, Yale and Stanford Universities, the U.S. Library of Congress, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among many others.

For a preview of the art exhibit and to view the Sentinels art book, visit www.toddandersonartist.com/#/maritime.

About the Artists:

Todd Anderson is an artist and Associate Professor of Art at Clemson University in South Carolina. Bruce Crownover is an artist living in Madison, Wisconsin, and an alumnus of USU-Logan. Crownover has worked with over 100 nationally-recognized artists as a collaborative master printer. Both Anderson’s and Crownover’s work can be seen in galleries and museums across the country. Gary Machlis is Professor of Environmental Sustainability at Clemson University. His research focuses on conservation, disaster preparedness, and sustainability, and he is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine’s Board on Environmental Change and Society.

About USU Blanding:

Offering residential campus housing and dining, Utah State University Blanding gives students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university, all while providing award-winning education. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, plus technical education offerings in Business, Technical Trades and Health Professions, USU Blanding offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at blanding.usu.edu.

About USU Moab:

Located in the outdoor recreation paradise of Moab and boasting one of the greenest buildings on any USU campus, Utah State University Moab offers students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With programs such as Nursing, Elementary Education, Recreation Resource Management and Social Work, technical education in Health Professions, Automotive and Business, and degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, USU Moab offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at moab.usu.edu.

Land Acknowledgement:

As a land-grant institution, Utah State University campuses and centers reside and operate on the territories of the eight tribes of Utah, who have been living, working, and residing on this land from time immemorial. These tribes are the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indians, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Northwestern Band of Shoshone, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, San Juan Southern Paiute, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, and White Mesa Band of the Ute Mountain Ute. We acknowledge these lands carry the stories of these Nations and their struggles for survival and identity. We recognize Elders past and present as peoples who have cared for, and continue to care for, the land. In offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm Indigenous self-governance history, experiences, and resiliency of the Native people who are still here today.

WRITER

Marcus Jensen
News Coordinator
University Marketing and Communications
marcus.jensen@usu.edu

CONTACT

Todd Anderson
Associate Professor of Art, "Sentinels" Artist
Clemson University
tdander@clemson.edu


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Statewide Campuses 334stories Arts 228stories Land Management 121stories

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