History — 1990s

Free noon lecture series, ART-LUNCH, begins.

SLAC joins with Utah AIDS Foundation for a “Day Without Art” and opens the exhibition, A Test of Love: AIDS in Utah, in response to the global epidemic.

Establishing a new mission under her tenure, Allison South describes contemporary art as “that which responds to the conditions and concerns of modern life, and which discovers and defines new forms.” The goal of the SLAC is to ”be an institution which encourages artists to experiment.”

“Issues in Art” becomes part of the Art Center Newsletter, allowing independent critics to review visual art exhibitions throughout the Wasatch Front.

Under the direction of a new director, Sam Gappmayer, major outdoor renovation to the façade of the building takes place including a new ADA ramp, revolving doors, and the addition of the glass pyramid.

The new mission statement declares: “An art community will neither progress nor develop if left to respond only to itself.”

The words “to embrace the underserved” are added to the mission statement to better communicate inclusivity as a core value of the organization. Such efforts of inclusion manifest in exhibitions and programming, with art functioning as a nexus of gathering and communities.

Ric Collier takes over as director from 1996-2007, leading the organization for nearly a decade.