WSU Library Features Photographs Of Utah’s Prehistoric Rock Art
OGDEN, Utah — Weber State University Friends of the Stewart Library presents “Ancient Painters of the Colorado Plateau,” a Utah Arts & Museums’ Traveling Exhibition on display in the library until April 28.
The exhibit features 24 photographs by Craig Law, a retired Utah State University art and design professor. Each image chronicles Utah’s prehistoric rock art. The photographs are a small selection of images included in a larger collection called the BCS Project, which records Barrier Canyon Style rock art in Utah.
Utah is home to numerous world-class prehistoric rock art sites. This endangered artwork provides a record of Utah and North American cultural history. Many sites have been seriously compromised by vandalism, others by accelerated aging and weathering. Law and David Sucec, an independent curator, started the BCS Project in 1991 in response to growing alarm over the deterioration.
Since incorporation, the BCS Project has sought to document any and all known sites of prehistoric Barrier Canyon rock art in Utah before it is lost. As of 2001, the project has photographed 212 sites. The complete documentation (without specific locations of sites) will be housed in the Special Collections Division of the Marriott Library at the University of Utah as a record and resource for scholars and the public.
Law has received numerous awards and honors. His work is in many private and public collections, including the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Law is currently represented by Phillips Gallery in Salt Lake City.
Sucec is a visual artist, scholar, independent curator and teacher living in Salt Lake City. In 1991, Sucec was awarded a Utah Humanities Council Research Fellowship to initiate the BCS Project.
The public is invited to view the exhibit in WSU’s Stewart Library. The library is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 1-9 p.m. For more information on the exhibition, please call 801-626-6509 or go to library.weber.edu/ref/more/events.cfm.
Utah Arts & Museums and the Traveling Exhibit Program
Utah Arts & Museums’ Traveling Exhibit Program is a statewide outreach program that provides schools, museums, libraries and community galleries with the opportunity to bring curated exhibitions to their community. This program is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on participating in the program, please contact Fletcher Booth at fbooth@utah.gov or call 801-824-9177. For media inquiries, contact Alyssa Hickman Grove at agrove@utah.gov or call 801-236-7548.
Utah Arts & Museums is a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts (DHA). To enrich the quality of life for the people of Utah, DHA creates, preserves and promotes Heritage and Arts. The division provides funding, education and technical services to individuals and organizations statewide so all Utahns, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or economic status, can access, understand and receive the benefits of arts and culture. Additional information on the programs and services can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov or by calling 801-236-7555.
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For high-resolution photos, please visit the following links:
Jamie Weeks, University Archives & Digital Collections associate curator
801-626-6486 • jweeks@weber.edu- Contact:
Jamie Weeks, University Archives & Digital Collections associate curator
801-626-6486 • jweeks@weber.edu