Art festival celebrates American spirit in Salt Lake City

Sugarhouse Arts Festival brings out the best of community art to celebrate the nation’s independence

            Thousands of people had the chance of celebrating American spirit in the Sugarhouse 4^th of July Arts Festival, that took place last July 4 in the Salt Lake City neighborhood of Sugarhouse.

            The event, organized by the Sugarhouse Chamber of Commerce, gathered different kinds of art and cultural events that brought the community together and fostered engagement and involvement on what American cities know how to do best: a vibrant neighborhood life.

            And evidences of this vibrant life could be seen on the activities held by the festival organizers.

            During the hours the festival was open, several different activities took place, such as a central stage, where local bands and musicians performed, a dog parade was conducted at 2100 South.

Also complementing the activities, food trucks were available for all those who were both in need of food and curious to try different flavors and aromas. All these combined with several new bars and restaurants that opened in the area over the past year.

Among the forms of art that were available at the festival, a special focus was giving to arts related to the urban scene. Elements of our daily life were present in the festival, providing us with the unusual and the curious when it comes to manifesting our own creativity.

Paintings on vinyl records were a major work shown at the festival. The works portrayed iconic cartoons and comic situations that revolve life and popular culture of the 21^st Century.

The use of elements of nature combined with classic painting were the major vectors on Sam Snow’s artworks. Combining wood and painting, the artist gave a different perspective on our relation with the nature that surrounds us.

            Pop art was also represented in the festival with interesting re-readings and works inspired by iconic brands and franchises, such as Star Wars of Pokemon, the famous Japanese videogame and cartoon that was a fever in the late 1990s.

            Justin Hillgrove, artist and member of The Hive Gallery, specialized in Pop Art, considers that kind of art as a way of relief from our daily life.

            “Our art is cheaper than therapy,” said Hillgrove.

            Besides arts, the festival was a major stand for political campaign aiming the next municipal elections, in November.

            Candidates like Mayor Ralph Becker, who is seeking a third term, and George Chapman had stalls in the neighborhood, trying to get support for the upcoming voting process.

            Chapman said he was against the streetcar expansion and he would halt it, if elected to the office.

This festival has been on for more than a decade, but this year it has gained more importance after the Sugarhouse Monument has been rebuilt and rededicated last June.

After the major change, the monument is fully walkable, allowing more people to walk through and allowing local business to expand their activities.

Tom Gilbert, Vice Chair and Chair of Events for the Sugarhouse Chamber of Commerce praised that the new monument was a major driving force to this year’s festival.

“The festival gets the whole community out. It gives a new perspective, it shows how walkable Sugarhouse is,” said Gilbert. He also mentions the fact the festival exalts all the qualities the neighborhood has when it comes to things to do.

“It shows people how cool the area is when it comes to eat, to go out, to shop and to have fun,” told Gilbert.

When asked whether the festival will be held in the years to come, Gilbert said it continue to be promoted in the future.

“This was the 16^th annual festival and they’ve all been a blast. They continue to grow every year and we continue to get great sponsors from the community,” said Gilbert.

Re-reading Peanuts in a pop art context (Photo: Gabriel Neves)