Craft Lake City is pleased to present Celebration of the Hand: Salty, an outdoor exhibition inspired by the music of local singer-songwriter, Marqueza. The collaborative exhibition will be on view in 14 street-side frames along Broadway (300 S.) between 200 West and 200 East in downtown Salt Lake City through the end of August 2020. The exhibition is sponsored by Craft Lake City, The BLOCKS SLC, Center for the Living City and The Temporary Museum of Permanent Change. This project has received funding from Utah Humanities (UH).In Celebration of the Hand: Salty, eight emerging local artists visually interpreted tracks from Marqueza’s newly-released album, Salty. The featured artists include Abraham Von August, Chromatophore, Hy Amenero, Jessica Wiarda, Kristen Bernabe, Laura Frisk, Space Babes Art and Victoria Minji Lee. Each visual artist created digital artwork informed by a specific song from the Salty album. Visitors to the free outdoor exhibition will be invited to stand in front of each visual piece and scan a QR code to listen to the musical track that inspired it.

Artwork by Space Babes Art, inspired by "Solaris," a track from Marqueza's new album, Salty.
Marqueza is a queer Japanese/Venezuelan singer, songwriter and producer based in SLC. Passionate about art as an outlet for expression, processing and healing, they make genre-fluid music by coupling improvisation with electronic production. Marqueza supports the activation and protection of spaces for QTBIPOC to express themselves creatively.  Marqueza describes Salty as an open letter to Utah and Salt Lake City, describing SLC as a place that is “as traumatic, painful, and isolating as it is a place of healing, refuge, and fierce underground community.” Members of the public can purchase the full Salty album and learn about causes Marqueza supports at www.marinamarqueza.com.

“We stand in solidarity with Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and People of Color in asking for societal change that combats inequality and racism,” said Craft Lake City Executive Director,  Angela H. Brown. “We also recognize that this type of change must first happen within ourselves. We hope this collaborative exhibition allows the public an opportunity to question what they are seeing and hearing in a way that impacts positive change for our community’s future.”

Artwork by Jessica Wiarda, inspired by "801," a new track from Marqueza's album, Salty.
Informed by activist Jane Jacobs’ fascination with self-organized urbanism, Celebration of the Hand is a seasonal exhibition series designed to enhance and reflect Salt Lake City’s cultural district through the work of local artists. The exhibitions feature inspiring artwork meant to engage passersby with ideas that matter, and provide the local artisan community with a venue to showcase their talent and contribute to the city's cultural enhancement. Celebration of the Hand is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week free of charge, and provides a safe option for experiencing art while social distancing.