Thank you to Lisa Lamoreaux and Brad Stroman for the highly successful exhibition, and for their tireless energy and artistic talent that went into creating the show. “A Conscious Balance” will hang for two additional weeks, so stop by the gallery soon, or visit the gallery website to view the works. For each sale, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Swaner EcoCenter, so call the gallery today to reserve your favorite piece. Thank you to Lisa Lamoreuax for joining us for the exhibition opening, all the way from Washington state! Congratulations to both of the artists.

Sales from “A Conscious Balance” will benefit the Swaner Nature Preserve and EcoCenter, which proudly protects 1,200 acres of high-altitude wetland, stream corridor, and upland habitat for wildlife, water quality, and recreation in Park City, Utah. This exhibition runs from March 23rd through April 13th. Swaner Eco Center, Park City, Utah.

Brad Stroman, “Oak Creek Canyon,” 24″ x 24″, 2009

I was recently sent a copy of Columns Magazine, an alumni publication from the University of Washington. In it, Bruce Barcott describes the life and work of Ellen Dissanayake, an affiliate professor at the U.W. She’s written three books, What is Art For, Homo Aestheticus, and Art and Intimacy, all covering the topic of evolutionary aesthetics. She looks for meaning, definition, and reasoning to the question: why do humans need art?

Working in the fields of art history, anthropology, psychology, and ethology she has deciphered that “Art making evolved as a behavior that contained advantages for human survival– and those advantages went far beyond what Charles Darwin ever imagined.”

Dissanayake also asks the age-old question, “What is art.” Her answer? “Making Special.” Thousands of years ago, our ancestors made bowls and other utensils and tools. But what makes the Grecian Urn “art?” Decoration, or “making it special.” A poet takes every day vocabulary words and makes them special. A painter takes a canvas, board, or maybe even an Egyptian tomb wall and makes it special.

Think about it. Why do we need to make art? How have our rituals and decorations become a part of our everyday lives? What are the origins of art as we know it now? And how can we see it evolving for the future?

And why did we need to “make things special” in order to survive as a species? Dissanayake says that our cermonies, our music, and art is all a type of coping mechanism. We use art to mourn, celebrate, calm, and invigorate. Thus, art evolved along with our species as we continued to make things, and our world, special. Dissanayake is seeking the truth and explores in and pulls from many fields. She’s now researching the origins of music (What’s a musical lament? “How humans make crying special”) at the U.W. School of Music.

of course, not every art scholar agrees with her ideas and hypothoses, but that’s the true beauty of art and its discussion– why do we make art, and what is art? It’s all subjective! What do you think? Why do you create art? What do you make special? It mever hurts to add some introspection to your daily practice.

Art Business News ran a feature called “Generation Next– Staying Relevant in a New Era of Art” which featured artists Brooks Yates [p.29], Lisa Lamoreaux [p.30], and Brad Stroman [cover]. View our Press Page to read the article, written by Michael Wilmering.

To honor and benefit the National Ability Center, Gallery MAR artist Penelope Moore has generously donated a gorgeous wine and roses painting for their annual Red White and Snow Auction. If Lail vineyards is one of your favorites, don’t miss out on your opportunity to bid to win this painting, seen below.

Penelope Moore, Black Cherry Bouquet, Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 18″, 2009

and

Your Very Own Bottle of J. Daniel Cuvee, a 2000 Napa Valley Red Wine

Combined Retail Value $2000

To learn more about the weekend’s programs, visit www.redwhiteandsnow.org or call the gallery at 435-649-3001.

Red, White & Snow is the premier fundraiser for the National Ability Center. Held March 12-14, 2009, the weekend-long event celebrates some of the nation’s top chefs and finest vintners. The event offers a unique opportunity for culinary and wine connoisseurs, vintners and skiers from across the country to mingle in an extraordinary setting.

The weekend is made up of a variety of wine tastings, Vintner Dinners hosted at private estate homes around Park City and Deer Valley, ski challenges and culminates with a mountain elegance gala dinner and auction.

All proceeds from the event go to directly benefit the National Ability Center’s programs and participants.

Jan Perkins, “Ten O’Clock in the Morning,” Oil, 5″ x 5″, 2008

Our hearts go out to the Bozeman, Montana community, Montana Trails Gallery and its staff, and all of the artists affected this week by a natural gas explostion. One person is still missing after the explosion shook downtown Bozeman early Thursday morning, destroying several businesses and prompting the shutdown of a portion of the city’s downtown. This tragedy affects thousands in Bozeman and elsewhere.

The explosion occurred at about 8:15 a.m. in the 200 block of Main Street. Crews allowed the fire to burn into the afternoon because they could not completely shut off natural gas. Several businesses were destroyed including Boodles restaurant, the Rocking R Bar, Pickle Barrel that is located in the Rocking R Bar, Montana Trails Gallery, the American Legion building and Lilly Lu’s children’s store. Bozeman is a small mountain resort town, similar to Park City

Debris was launched over a 3 block radius and, while Bozeman has calmed somewhat, work has just begun for those who will clean up and investigate the devastating natural gas explosion.

One of our Gallery MAR artists, Jan Perkins, shows with Montana Trails Gallery as do other friends of the gallery. This is a grim reminder to always manage your artwork carefully, document when your pieces are hanging, and make sure that your works are insured properly.