99th Annual Spring Salon
The Spring Salon was first held in 1922, begun by students and teachers of Springville High School who wanted to exhibit and promote original artwork. The Salon has been held annually since that time, except during World War II when fuel and other goods were rationed nationwide. The Springville Museum of Art continues the tradition today and invites all artists in Utah to participate in the 99th Annual Spring Salon. This exhibition is a juried competition that showcases the diversity and quality of contemporary Utah art.
Thank you to all who entered the 99th Annual Spring Salon! We received exactly 1,100 entries, a record breaking number of entries! It made for a very competitive jury process with only ~290 entries being accepted for display. We appreciate and acknowledge the vulnerability it takes to enter a show like the Spring Salon! We are continually impressed with the thoughtfulness and talent of Utah's artists. Thank you for continuing to create such innovative and skillful work.
Juror Statements:
Serving as one of the jurors for this year's Spring Salon, I have a much deeper understanding of the monumental and significant burden it is to make decisions about the personal nature of the works submitted. It was plainly apparent that the work entered in the Salon was a serious representation of people’s heart and soul. The thoughtfulness on the part of the artists invoked many long and serious discussions for the jurors. After a full day of jurying, I had difficulty sleeping because the conversations we had about the merits, similarities, differences, intentions, and quality of the work kept running through my head. The work produced and submitted is a testament to the ethics and aesthetics of art in Utah. It was truly a difficult, rewarding, and stimulating experience. Thank you, Utah artists!
- Ron Richmond, Professional Artist
As a juror, it’s always an overwhelming and humbling process to narrow down the selections to just a few. One thing that always stands out to me with juried shows is the profound impulse humans have to create, produce, explore, articulate, imagine, and make. To create is always a vulnerable act, one that requires an earthly translation of the imagination and with it, comes an inherent risk. But what I think is captured in this historic 99th annual Springville Salon in each and every work, both in and out of the show, is that very raw drive to create. In Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being he says:
"All art is a work in progress. It’s helpful to see the piece we’re working on as an experiment. One in which we can’t predict the outcome. Whatever the result, we will receive useful information that will benefit the next experiment. If you start from the position that there is no right or wrong, no good or bad, and creativity is just free play with no rules, it’s easier to submerge yourself joyfully in the process of making things. We’re not playing to win, we’re playing to play. And ultimately, playing is fun. Perfectionism gets in the way of fun. A more skillful goal might be to find comfort in the process. To make and put out successive works with ease."
To borrow from Rubin, there were so many works in progress, so many interesting experiments. The works that stood out to me the most were artists whose work felt comfortable leaning into play and the messiness of the create act—not whimsy as a subject matter—but as a core and central way of producing that captured some form of experimentation in their work. These seemed to put imagination and creativity first and the audience second. Drawing on various grounds for inspiration, the selected works often allowed me to take in an idea, image, or material, anew.
- Laura Hurtado, Director, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
Friday March 3, 2023
Online entry form available
Wednesday April 5- Saturday April 8, 2023, 10:00am-5:00pm
Taking in artwork for exhibition
Friday April 14, 2023 (before 5:00pm)
List of accepted works posted online
Wednesday April 26, 2023
Exhibition Opens
Opening Reception, 6:30-8:30pm
Thursday April 27 - Saturday April 29, 2023, 10:00am-5:00pm
First artwork pickup period
*if you’d like to pick up your work outside of the designated pickup period an appointment must be made with the curatorial staff by emailing kkimball@springville.org
Closing date of exhibition
Wednesday July 12 - Saturday July 15, 2023 10:00am-5:00pm
Second artwork pickup period
*if you’d like to pick up your work outside of the designated pickup period an appointment must be made with the curatorial staff by emailing kkimball@springville.org
SMA takes a small commission on artworks sold in exhibitions. All funds are put towards the growth and care of our Permanent Collection.
A complete list of artworks available for purchase in the 99th Annual Spring Salon will be available after the show opens. Artworks can be purchased in person at the Museum or over the phone by calling 801-489-2727.
The Salon is open to all Utah artists, working in any media. Each artist may submit up to two works of art created within the last three years. Works over three years old are not eligible. *All works MUST be original in concept and execution. Artwork must be prepared securely for display and “ready to hang” with appropriate hardware. Artwork cannot exceed 11ft. on its largest dimension. Framed works that hang on a wall cannot exceed 9ft. in height. Artworks exceeding 150 pounds or over 7ft. on its largest dimension must be approved by SMA curatorial staff in advance by emailing kkimball@springville.org. All participating artists must agree to the Conditions of Entry and the Art Pickup Agreement listed on this page. Works that have previously been accepted into Springville Museum of Art juried exhibitions are ineligible.
*Artificial Intelligence Policy: Only works original in conception and execution are eligible for submission to the Springville Museum of Art’s juried exhibitions. AI-generated art or works derived in whole or part from AI technology are not eligible for entry.
Entry Information
Original artwork must be received at the Springville Museum of Art April 5-April 8, 2023 during Museum Administrative Hours (10am-5pm). Each entry will cost $18.00 and must be paid online in advance. All digital media must be delivered in person with a USB drive. Online Entry Forms must be completed, at latest, 24 hours prior to delivering work to SMA. These Online Entry Forms may be found on the Spring Salon webpage after March 3, 2023. Artist Statements and label information should be included with the online entry form. The entry form as well as the entry fee must be received with the artwork(s) at the Museum before 5 p.m. on Saturday April 8, 2023. Those artists designated as “Most Honored Artists of Utah” may enter without a fee but all works will be subject to the jurying process. Artists may choose to ship their artwork to the Museum for jurying at their own expense; artists are responsible for any return arrangements.
The Springville Museum of Art requests that each artist include an “Artist’s Statement” about their work with each entry submitted. Please keep statements between 25 words minimum and 100 words maximum. Artists will be able to electronically submit their statement at the time they complete the Online Entry Form and it may be used in the jury process. Those statements submitted electronically may be reproduced on labels for display and/or in the printed catalogue. Statements submitted after 5:00pm on Saturday April 8, 2023 will not be printed on labels and not considered in the jurying process. Statements cannot be changed after 5:00pm on Saturday April 8, 2023.
Insurance Agreement
SMA’s insurance agreement insures artwork on loan (except for high risk art) for the "fair market value" of the artwork, not necessarily the sales price of the piece. The "fair market value" is subject to an appraisal by a professional appraiser or art consultant, as determined by SMA’s insurance carrier. All works accepted for the exhibition will be insured through July 8, 2023, also for the fair market value. Frames and pedestals will not be insured for damage.
High Risk Art: (If you are not sure if your work falls in this category, please talk with SMA staff when you submit your piece):
- Paintings that are still wet or soft beneath the paint skin
- Any unframed works of art or works of art whose surface extends beyond and in front of the frame
- Works of art with previous condition problems
- Particularly fragile artworks, mixed media, installation, multi -part or assemblage works, glass, ceramic, plaster, exposed paper, etc.
- Poorly prepared pieces and frames (faulty wires, screw eyes, clips, etc.)
- Works of art behind regular silica glass (Pastels may be behind silica glass and be insured. Other works must be behind Plexiglas.)
- Artworks with exposed backs or simple paper backing (To be insured, works of art on canvas must have the back of the stretcher-bar covered by cardboard, foam core, etc., to protect the canvas.)
- Artwork that requires special handling provisions
All artists will be asked to sign a Release Agreement upon entry which affirms that they are the owner of the artwork being entered into the show. The artist will also (1) expressly waive any and all claims or causes of action that he or she has or may have in the future against SMA and Springville City arising from or in connection with the Exhibition and (2) agree to indemnify SMA and Springville City for any damages caused by artist and artist’s artwork and actions.
Jury Process
The Salon exhibition will be selected by jurors. ALL ARTISTS - including those recognized as “Most Honored Artists of Utah” - will be subject to the jurying process. The jurors will select the final artwork for the exhibition, in consultation with SMA Director, Emily Larsen. SMA curators reserve the right to make final curatorial decisions regarding works in the exhibition and their placement. All work exhibited must comply with the SMA Community Standards Guidelines. The Community Standards can be found here.
Jurors
Laura Hurtado: Laura Allred Hurtado is the Executive Director of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. As a curator and writer, her practice explores issues of gender, belief, identity, and the local. As an administrator, Hurtado values collaboration and growing arts communities that are mission- and purpose- driven and rely on a culture of empathy and a deep commitment to contemporary makers. She is the author of numerous texts including Karalee Kuchar: A Long Mournful Cry (2019), A 15 Year Expanse (2020), Baggage: Alex Caldiero: In Retrospect (2021), and an essay in the forthcoming Oxford University Press Object/Belief (2025). She has curated exhibitions in New York City and throughout Utah. Her most recently co-curatorial projects, with curator/artist Jared Steffensen, include a retrospective of the Guerrilla Girls (2020) as well as Our Wake Up Call For Freedoms (2022) and Nostalgia, Memory, & the Uncanny (2024). She was recently selected to participate in EXPO: CHICAGO’s curatorial forum (2022).
Ron Richmond: After years of complaining about jurists in art exhibitions, Ron Richmond is getting his karma. Ron Richmond has exhibited his paintings in solo and group shows in galleries and museums in major cities across the country and in London. His work is in the collections of museums, corporations and public collections and he has been profiled on BYUtv Artful. Ron received MFA and BFA degrees from Brigham Young University. He has worked as a professional artist for 30 years. After working in near isolation in his studio for fifteen of those years, he and his wife decided he could benefit from some interaction with actual people (he wasn’t going that crazy), and is now an adjunct professor of art at Snow College. He was born in a place with the greatest snow on earth (Denver, Colorado), but now happily resides in Mt. Pleasant, Utah where he and his wife raised four wonderful children. When he is not in his studio or teaching, Ron is playing in the canyons, lakes, and mountains of Utah and Colorado.
A list of accepted work will be posted on the Salon webpage of the smofa.org website on Friday April 14, 2023. Award winners will be notified via email before the opening reception, where the award winners will be announced publicly.
Art Pickup Agreement
All artwork will be considered on temporary loan to the Springville Museum of Art (SMA) from date of entry, through the duration of the exhibition, until final pickup date listed below. Due to increased numbers of art submissions, artists must pick up all pieces from the Museum within the time frame specified here:
- Thursday April 27- Saturday April 29, 10:00am-5:00pm
- Wednesday July 11 - Saturday July 15, 10:00am-5:00pm
Exhibition Catalogue
An exhibition catalogue will be printed with reproductions of select works. Not all accepted artworks will be illustrated in the catalogue. All artists receive one copy of the catalogue for every accepted entry. Catalogues cannot be mailed but should be picked up at the Museum by the artist during the exhibition dates or at time of art pickup.
Exhibition Events
Opening Reception and Award Ceremony, April 26, 6:30-8:30pm
Awards, Purchases, and Sales
Artworks from the exhibition will be selected for cash and/or purchase awards. Awards are determined by jurors and curators. SMA retains a 30% commission on all art sales during the exhibition. Please price your work accordingly. If applicable, please coordinate with your gallery in pricing pieces. SMA staff will not be able to set or negotiate prices for artists, nor will they be able to change prices on printed labels. Artwork will be sold as is, including any frames, pedestals, or other display supports provided by the artist. During the duration of the exhibition, all art sales must be directed through the Museum; artwork may not be sold privately while on loan to SMA.
