an illustration id a giant hot dog acting as a bridge between two red rock cliffs. There is a rainbow arching over the hot dog in a blue sky with scattered fluffy white clouds.

What happens when you place a hot dog, a rainbow, and some red rocks together? Find out as we explore a single work of art from the UMFA’s permanent collection: Hot Dog Bridge by Russell T. Gordon. This unique ACME Lab highlights the ways we might think about and understand multiple meanings within a seemingly simple image.

This quintessential work of Pop Art visualizes a whimsical western landscape, but what other complex things does it ask us to think about? Identity? Personal experience? Western expansion? Share your thoughts and interact with the artwork as we learn about the artist’s connection to Utah and as we build our own fantastical landscapes, play with color, and hear what the community thinks about this beloved work of art.


Explore More of Russell T. Gordon's Work


Title image: Russell Talbert Gordon, American, Hot Dog Bridge, 1974, lithograph, gift of Dr. Christopher A. & Janet Graf