Artists Against the Bomb opens Friday, October 16, 2026.
Artists Against the Bomb opens Friday, October 16, 2026.
Jul 30-Aug 2, 2026
Expand your artistic practice this summer with Studio Sessions, a new adult art program co-hosted by the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) and Workshop SLC. Designed as an immersive, multi-day experience, Studio Sessions brings together more than 20 hours of instruction, hands-on workshops with professional artists, gallery-based learning, a day of outdoor studio practice, and the opportunity to exhibit your work at UMOCA.
Grounded in the belief that a studio can take many forms, participants will learn and create across multiple environments over five sessions—moving from UMOCA’s galleries and Workshop SLC’s studios to the natural landscape of the Tracy Aviary Nature Center. Centered around the theme Visions of the West, the program explores a range of artistic mediums, techniques, and approaches while fostering community, experimentation, and creative growth. All workshop materials are included, culminating in a public exhibition of participant work at UMOCA.
Materials will be provided for all scheduled workshops. For Studio in the Wild, the final day of creative work, artists are encouraged to bring their own preferred mediums.
INTRODUCTIONS
Meet the UMOCA team, Workshop SLC instructors, and your fellow Studio Sessions: Summer 2026 cohort as we kick off the weekend together. We’ll introduce this session’s theme, Visions of the West, outline what to expect over the coming days, and create space to connect before we begin making art together.
GUIDED TOUR WITH UMOCA
Join us for a guided tour of Altered States in the Acid West to build your skills in observing and discussing contemporary art. Through conversation and close looking, you’ll gather inspiration, unpack visual meaning, and explore a range of artistic styles while discovering new ways to inform your own creative practice.
GREAT SALT LAKE LANDSCAPES
Inspired by Alfredo Jaar’s The End, create salt watercolor landscapes using color washes and line drawing to explore texture, shape, and color. Along the way, we’ll reflect on the changing Great Salt Lake and consider how art can respond to environmental themes through observation and personal expression.
ORGANIC SKETCHING
Taught by Chris Maggio
Strengthen your drawing practice by learning the fundamentals of observational sketching. Through approachable exercises, you’ll build confidence in capturing the world around you while developing the hand-eye coordination and visual awareness that support every artistic medium.
A WORLD OF COLOR
Taught by Louise Christensen
Discover the science and intuition behind color theory while learning to mix a cohesive, expressive palette. Through hands-on exercises, you’ll explore hue, saturation, value, and color harmony to make more intentional choices in your own artwork.
FINDING YOUR STYLE
Taught by Spencer Brady
Explore a range of historical painting styles and the techniques that define them, from color and brushwork to light and abstraction. Then apply what you’ve learned by creating an oil painting that reflects the style, subject matter, and visual language that resonate most with you.
STUDIO IN THE WILD
Spend a full day at Tracy Aviary’s Nature Center bringing together everything you’ve explored throughout Studio Sessions. Working in an inspiring natural setting, you’ll develop an original piece in your preferred medium while receiving individualized feedback and guidance from the program’s instructors.
Celebrate the conclusion of Studio Sessions at a public reception featuring a pop-up exhibition of work created during Visions of the West. Participants are invited to exhibit a finished piece in UMOCA’s Education Gallery and share their work with friends, family, and the community. Light refreshments will be served.
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