- The Reno Tahoe International Art Show debuts in Utah from May 15-17.
- Held at the Mountain America Expo Center, it features 200 global exhibitors.
- The event includes art music dance and aims to surprise with its scale.
SANDY — The Reno Tahoe International Art Show, born out of the COVID pandemic, started as a "passion project" for Briana Dolan and her dad, Kevin O'Keefe.
Upon moving to Reno from the West Coast in 2020, Dolan said she heard from local artists who were frustrated that people in the area weren't buying from local artists, instead opting to travel to major cities to procure pieces.
"We wanted to be able to present specifically local art first, in a very high-end, sophisticated way," Dolan said.
So, Dolan and O'Keefe first opened a gallery and eventually founded Peaks Art Fairs, which hosted the inaugural Reno-Tahoe show in 2022. Now in its fifth year, Dolan has decided to bring the show to Utah as well.
Held at the Mountain America Expo Center, the inaugural Salt Lake Art Show will run from Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 17. Dolan said the show marks Utah's first indoor art and design event of its scale.
"The whole concept was really to create a very welcoming, comfortable art fair environment that was very much community-based. So we're working with all the local art organizations, local universities and community colleges and dance groups — anything within the arts — to really encompass the region and capture it in this very comfortable event," Dolan said.
"Families are invited, people who feel like they don't understand art can walk in and find something that they weren't expecting, that fits within the arts category."
But why Utah?
Initially, Dolan said she felt like Salt Lake City made sense since it was within the region and "very similar to what we experienced between Lake Tahoe and Reno, Park City and Salt Lake City, we kind of saw a lot of crossovers."
When she fully dove in, though, Dolan said she was blown away by Utah's (perhaps under-recognized) art scene.
"I was in LA for a long time, obviously now in Reno, but really, every city that we've worked with talks the talk, you know, about supporting the arts. ... But what we found in Utah, across the entire state, is just a true support for the arts, financially, through various organizations, and from the public," Dolan said.
According to the National Endowment for the Arts, Utah's arts and cultural productions sector added about $9.6 billion to the state's economy in 2023. Additionally, 69,047 workers were employed in the arts and culture industries, with wages and benefits totaling $5.1 billion.
The show will feature art by 200 exhibitors from around the world, organized into seven categories (galleries, bespoke furniture, Utah treasures, features, sculpture walk, and First Nations/Indigenous Peoples).
Tickets include three options: $30 for a single day, $60 for a three-day ticket, and $95 for a VIP ticket that allows entry on all days of the show, including Thursday night's VIP Preview.
Because this is the first event of its kind in Utah, Dolan expects the show to surprise a lot of people with its scale and programming, adding that it will include live music, live dance performances, craft activities and activities for kids.
"It's fine art, design, music, dance, all under one roof for the weekend, and it's extremely elegant and fun. I think it's going to surprise people, because it's very different from an outdoor festival," Dolan said.
