The Museum Store at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts is growing and transforming, and at the heart of that change is a diverse and talented array of makers, artisans, craftsmen, and cultural connectors. As the UMFA collectively endeavors to decolonize the museum, we too are investing in community members that make beautiful and unique items that visitors love.
Pitch Blackness / Off Whiteness is a compelling example of how his works challenge viewers to think critically about the power of language. Through his incisive selection of words, phrases, and idiomatic turns of phrase, Thomas asks us to consider the complicated and multivalent meanings of language we use often habitually and without thinking much about it. What ideas do “pitch black” and “off white” conjure up in your mind? What meanings could it imply that these familiar adjectives are transformed into unfamiliar nouns? How does this example reveal how words and phrases reduce complex experiences of life and society?
Marie Watt is a storyteller. Ideas of kinship, community, stewardship, tradition, and memory run through her work, as well as many mythologies: the Seneca Creation Story, Greco-Roman epics, and even pop culture sagas like Star Wars and Star Trek serve as inspiration.
Inspiring Critical Dialogue and Illuminating the Role of Art in Our Lives
The UMFA is about more than objects—it’s about helping you connect in meaningful ways to great art and ideas, to the fascinating history of human culture and creativity, at your own pace.
No matter how young you are, what you know, or where you’re from, works of art are one-of-a-kind human creations that tell unique stories, evoke memories, inspire conversations, and open possibilities.
Find yourself here and explore the critical conversations waiting in the galleries.
Explore the galleries and permanent collection with docent-led, self-guided, adult group tours and more! Gain insight into your favorite works of art by scheduling a tour today.