The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art believes in the power of the art of our time. Through programming, advocacy, and collaboration, we work with artists and communities to build a better world.

WINDOWS + MIRRORS

Sep 4, 2022 – Sep 24, 2022

Installation photograph, Windows + Mirrors, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Sept 4–24, 2022, photo by Zachary Norman, © UMOCA

This student exhibition features work by artists aged 9-14 who participated in the Museum’s Artist-in-Training summer camp.

Throughout the week-long camp, students learned about contemporary art practices and techniques. In visual arts, windows and mirrors can be used as a metaphor for empathy and self-representation. The students explored artwork they could directly relate to, as if looking in a mirror. They also discussed artwork outside their lived experience, which invited them to consider a new perspective, like looking through a window.

In the students’ words, empathy means “trying to feel what another is feeling.” One student shared their hopes for the viewer: “I want others to have an opinion and feelings about my art that’s all their own and perceive it how they want to.”

These artworks speak to imagination, self-discovery, curiosity, and individualism in childhood. Whether you see yourself, someone you love, or something entirely new reflected in the pieces, the Artists-in-Training hope you feel empathy and connection!