Guide to Researching Utah Artists

The life-time status of Most Honored Artist of Utah was granted to living artists in 2002. It was awarded for proven artistic contribution and excellence by the Springville Museum of Art 2002 Olympic Curatorial Committee. These 200 artists were chosen from nearly 8,000 contemporary Utah visual fine artists, painting [oil/acrylic, transparent/opaque watercolor], sculpture, drawings, conceptual mediums and printmaking.

To be chosen for this honor an artist must produce excellent quality art; be historically, professionally and critically acclaimed; be representative of artists in various styles, mediums, subjects, peoples and geographic locations to be found in Utah. Each artist must have lived in Utah five years during his career and was nominated by a majority of the eight committee members of the Springville Art Museum .

The Dumke Library asked Arley Curtz of the Bountiful Davis Art Center for his recommendations and he has added a number of younger artists to this list. Dr. Olpin's agreed with us that these additional names should be added .

For Books Check:

1. UNIS – available biographies, autobiographies, theses, dissertations etc.
2. World Cat – available biographies, theses, dissertations etc.
3. Biography/Genealogy Master Index

Databases to Check

1. Art Full Text (Wilson Web)
2. Ebsco – Academic Search & Eric
3. Proquest
4. Utah History Suite
5. Special Collections

Utah Books to Check for Articles of Biographies

1. Jensen, Andrew .LDS Encyclopedia. ( Salt Lake City , UT: l914)
2. Olpin Robert S, Seifrit William C., Swanson Vern G., Artists of Utah .(Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1999)
3. Swanson Vern G., Olpin Robert S., Seifrit William C., Utah Paintings and Sculpture. (Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith Publishers, 1991)
4. Swanson Vern G., Olpin Robert, Poulton Donna & Rogers Janie L. 150 Year Survey Utah Art &Artists. ( Salt Lake City, UT: Gibb Smith, 2002) p.124
5. Swanson Vern G., Olpin Robert S, Seifrit William C. Utah Art. (Layton,Ut: Gibb Smith Publishing Co, 1991) p.218-19
6. Oman, Richard G. & Davis , Robert O. Images of Faith: Art of the Latter-Day Saints . (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Co.,1995) p.124-25
7. Masterworks: From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints .(Salt Lake City, UT: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1984)
8. All Things Testify of Him: Inspirational Paintings By Latter Day Saints (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1998)
9. Jones, Linda Jones . Harvesting the Light: the Paris Art Mission & Beginnings of Utah Impressionism. (Salt Lake City, UT: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,1987)
10. Out of the Land: Utah Women (Salt Lake City, UT : Utah Women's Arts Project, [1992?])
11. Haseltine, James L. 100 Years of Utah Painting: Selected Works ( Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake Art Center)
12. Horne, Alice Merrill. Devotees and their Shrines:A Handbook of Utah Art. ( Salt Lake City, Ut: Deseret News, l9l4)
13. Olpin, Robert S. Dictionary of Art. (Salt Lake City, Ut: Salt Lake Art Center, 1980)
14. Pioneer Art & Artists
15. Powell ,Allan Kent (Editor) Utah History Encyclopedia. (Salt Lake City : University of Utah Press , c1994.)

General Art Books

1. Davenport , Ray, Davenport 's Art Reference [ Ventura , Calif. ] (1302 Beachmont, Ventura 93001), 2001)
2. Marquis, Who's Who in the West , (Chicago, Marquis-Who's Who 27th edition, 1997-1998)
3. Bowker R.R, Who's Who in American Art , (New York [etc.] R. R. Bowker, 1993)
4. Swanson, Vern (Olpin, Seifrit), Utah Art , (Layton, Utah: Peregrine Smith Books, 1991)
5. Biography Index. A Cumulative Index to Biographical Material in Books and Magazines. Volume 15: September, 1986-August, 1988. New York : H.W. Wilson Co., 1988. [BioIn 15]
6. Samuels Peggy and Samuels Harold . The Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West . (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1976.) Hastings Falk, (Editor). Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975 : 400 Years Of Artists In America (Madison, CT : Sound View Press, 1999.)
7. Dawdy, Doris Ostrander. Artists of the American West. A Biographical Dictionary . (Chicago: Sage Books, [1974 ])
8. Fielding, Mantle. Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, edited by Glenn B. Opitz. ( Poughkeepsie , NY : Apollo, c1986 ).
9. Havlice, Patricia P. Index to Artistic Biography ( Metuchen , N.J. :The Scarecrow Press, 1973.

Newspaper Clippings

1. Fine Arts Clipping File
2. Fine Arts Card Catalog (mainly gallery announcements)
3. Special Collections clippings file (American artists)
4. Special Collections vertical file
5. Salt Lake Tribune archives –
6. Deseret News archives –

Journals/Magazines

1. Architectural Digest
2. Art in America
3. American Artist
4. American Art Review
5. Artline
6. Arts Magazine
7. Art Talk
8. Mountainwest
9. Southwest Art
10. The Artist
11. Utah Historical Quarterly Magazine – Utah Historical Society Website
12. Western Art Digest
13. Western Historical Quarterly Magazine

Online Sources

1. google.com
2. yahoo.com
3. artcyclopedia.com
4. byu.edu/moa/exhibits
5. askart.com
6. 15 Bytes. at www.artistsofutah.org
7. Artist Index Springville Museum of Art at sma.shs.nebo.edu/artistindex
   

Other Libraries to check

1. Utah State Historical Society Library
2. LDS Church Archives
3. LDS Church Library
4. Utah Museum of Fine Arts Library
5. Salt Lake City Library clippings file for Utah history/arts
6. B.Y.U. Lee Library

Return to the Utah Artists Project home page.