BOUNTIFUL—The Bountiful Davis Arts Center (BDAC) is known for giving artists the opportunity to display their art but it also offers artists a chance to develop new work through the Test Site Artist-in-Residence program. Winners are selected annually and get 24 hour access to the studio. The center’s Test Site’s Emerging Artist program offers the same opportunity for high school students to use the studio during the summer.

“There are not that many opportunities in Utah for a Test Site,” said BDAC Education Director Alison Neville. “It gives them a chance for experimentation and exploration to develop new ideas and mediums that foster some change.”

The program started in 2018, she said. “We have an open call and we pick someone different each year. We ask for basic information, CV and a letter of interest saying why they want the space and how it would benefit them. We try to get artists with different backgrounds.”

Artists are provided a studio space to work in, said Neville. “They also get studio visits from professionals and get to teach a workshop. It’s more personal and gives them a chance to chat with the community so they can see the artwork, meet the artists and have them teach about the process. Their exhibition lines up with their studio time.”

The Junior Artist-in-Residence program is for high school juniors or seniors, she said. “They’ll have a solo show during the next Davis School District Student Exhibition that is held every year.”

The juried show features the best student art from across the district,  said Neville. “Those artists who end up having an exhibition at BDAC that stand out in the pool of artists are shortlisted. We talk to their teachers and ask who could use the space and be responsible and who they think it would be the most valuable to. We want the opportunity to be helpful for someone pursuing art after high school.”

The current Junior Artist-in-Residence is Tray Streeter who is a Syracuse-based artist. Streeter is inspired by classic horror films, rock music, old masters and comic books, according to BDAC. Streeter’s exhibition “Art and Horror” is on display through April 29.

Adult Test Site Artists-in-Residence include Aimee Odum, an artist, educator and curator and Jeffrey Hampshire, a recent graduate of Brigham Young University and an instructor at the Visual Arts Institute in Salt Lake City. 

“Check out BDAC,” said Neville. “We are supporting local artists. Go to our website and see what the opportunities are and apply for some.” λ