SALT LAKE CITY – DesignArts '16, an exhibition of Utah design, is now open at the Rio Gallery in Salt Lake City and will continue through Oct. 21, 2016.  The Rio Gallery is open Mon. – Fri. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 300 S. Rio Grande in Salt Lake City. A reception and celebration coinciding with Salt Lake Design Week and Salt Lake Gallery Stroll will be hosted in the gallery on Oct. 21 from 6-9 p.m.

 Juror Jim Childress selected 39 designs by 18 Utah designers ranging from lighting design to salt and pepper shakers. The juror's award winner in the professional category is Jessica Greenberg for her lighting design work with SB Dance and Off-Broadway Theater. There are two juror’s award winners in the student category: DesignBuildBLUFF for their “Cedar Hall” project in architecture and Jun Li’s architectural design concepts for five projects.

The juror, Jim Childress, is a partner at Centerbrook Architects and Planners. Childress has worked over the past 30 years on numerous projects at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the world-renowned center for molecular biology research. He was the architect for notable projects in the West, including the Headquarters for the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, Wyo., and three projects at the University of Colorado: the LEED Gold Wolf Law School and the LEED Platinum Center for Community, and the Health Sciences Library on the Anschutz Medical Campus. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, Childress’s work has been recognized with 60 design awards including the American Institute of Architects 1998 Architecture Firm Award. He was invested into the College of Fellows of the AIA in 2001 and served as the Chair of its Committee on Design.

The Design Arts Program of the Utah Division of Arts & Museums sponsors DesignArts Utah annually with exhibitions featuring designs, prototypes, and produced samples by designers in Utah’s various design fields. Further information is available online at visualarts.utah.gov  If you have questions about the DesignArts Utah program or the exhibition please contact Jim Glenn at [email protected] and 801.245.7271.

Images available upon request.