‘Mi Vida – My Art’ Exhibit to Appear at Weber State University Stewart Library

OGDEN, UTAH- The Pilar Pobil Legacy Foundation, in partnership with Weber State University Stewart Library and Friends of the Stewart Library, presents Pilar Pobil’s new art show, “Mi Vida – My Art.” The exhibit will run from Aug. 30-Oct. 3 in the Stewart Library. 

Several free events will allow the community to hear from and about Pobil, a Utah artistic legend. 

  • Sept. 3 and Oct. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m., Pobil will meet guests and answer questions on the first floor of the Stewart Library as part of Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll. Light refreshments will be served. 

  • Sept. 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m., a Culture Conversation and Artist Talk will take place in Stewart Library Hetzel-Hoellein Room 321. Pat Poce, executive director of the Eccles Art Center, and Electra Fielding, WSU associate professor of Spanish, will introduce Pobil’s Spanish history and culture and discuss her influence on the Utah art scene. A question and answer with the artist will follow. A light lunch will be provided. 

Utah art lovers are well acquainted with Pobil’s paintings and sculptures. Born in 1926 and raised in Mallorca, Spain, she is self-taught in the mediums of acrylic, watercolor, oil and clay. Pobil’s art adorns furniture, doors, shoes, textiles and spills into her garden. She is also the author of “My Kitchen Table: Sketches from my Life.” 

In 2016, Pobil was knighted by the King of Spain for promoting and contributing to Spanish culture. She has been recognized formally by museums, arts organizations, the Hispanic community, two Salt Lake City mayors and former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert as one of Utah’s best and most significant artists. She has been named one of Utah’s 15 Most Influential Artists, one of Utah’s 100 Most Honored Artists, and a major catalyst for change in the state.

Pobil’s father, an admiral in the Spanish Navy, was assassinated in Spain’s Civil War when she was 9. “Although I knew from an early age that I was an artist, I was born in Spain at a time when women were not encouraged to pursue their ambitions,” Pobil explained. “My mother was very austere and conservative. I had to become a rebel in order to express my individualism and pursue my dreams.” 

Eventually, Pobil met and married Walter Smith, a U.S. WWII veteran and talented pianist, and moved to Utah in 1956. In her 40s, with her three children in school, Pobil began a career as a professional artist. 

Soon to turn 95, she cannot stop creating art. “I am still on a journey of discovery,” she said.  

The ardent feminist continues to paint and exhibit, write and tell stories, reconfigure and replant her garden, host events in her remarkable house, train her rescue dog and closely track the day’s news. “Something I cannot do,” she often says, “is to quit.” 

“My Vida – My Art” celebrates a life that spans continents, cultures and languages. It examines the myriad ways Pobil expresses her identity while fostering social justice. The community is welcome to visit the free exhibit and events. 

For more about the artist, visit pilarpobillegacyfoundation.org.

For Stewart Library hours, visit library.weber.edu.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Author:

Wendy Holliday, Stewart Library dean
801-626-6403 • wendyholliday@weber.edu 

Contact:

Monica Whalen, Pilar Pobil Legacy Foundation board president
801-652-0554 • monicamwhalen@gmail.com