Final exhibit to mark end of an era for Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is saying a bittersweet goodbye as it prepares to demolish the building that has served as its gallery since 1979.

The museum sits next to some of the most iconic buildings in downtown Salt Lake — Abravanel Hall, the Salt Lake Temple, the Salt Palace — so why don't more people know where it is? Laura Allred Hurtado, the museum's executive director, says it's because the building is practically invisible.

"Our current space was really drawing on architectural philosophies that were important in the 1970's, like a sunken plaza or sinking the museum into the ground ... the net effect is that it really made the building invisible," she said.

Hurtado says the new location, opening in 2031 as part of sweeping changes proposed for downtown Salt Lake City, will not only be above ground but will also have lots of natural light and an architectural profile that Salt Lake residents will come to know and love.

Submissions for the museum's final exhibit in the old building, entitled "So Long," are open now. The exhibit will feature local artists' work — and curators are asking anyone with ties to or love for the old building to submit.

"It's those histories and personal connections that I'm really going to miss and that we're trying to celebrate in our final exhibition," said Hurtado.

As the building is demolished in July of 2027, that final exhibit will become part of the rubble, buried with the memory of the museum.

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