By Alayna Een
Love Letters, a temporary exhibit located in The Gateway of Salt Lake City, Utah, was created through a fanciful collaboration of mostly local, book-loving artists. It showcases interactive exhibits that are sure to capture the imagination of museum-goers of all ages. The Love Letters exhibit seeks to answer the question, “how do letters, words, and art help us understand and tell our story?” Each artist creatively answers this question in his or her own way and invites the museum-goers along for the journey. This highly-interactive exhibit encourages museum-goers to redefine the limits of literary worlds by finding secret passages behind bookshelves and paintings and to ponder on the potential of their own life story by writing on a typewriter, stamping a significant phrase, and crafting their own love letter to the world.
There’s an almost palpable sense of wonder to the whole experience, signaled, perhaps, by the first art piece you see when entering the space: a paper sculpture of Alice and the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland,created by exhibit founder John Connors. The whimsy begins immediately, as you push past a secret door in the stunning array of color-coded books and into the heart of the museum. You are filled with wonder as you stand amidst larger-than-life letters (designed by Josh Clason) and art pieces almost too small to be seen (artist Mckay Lenkler), slide down the pages of a book (artist Skylar Chubak), and watch Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous words ebb and flow along the contours of your figure, your fingers, and your face (artist Craig Winslow).
The murals that guide you through the space are both Instagram-worthy and thought-provoking, each hand-crafted and painted by a local artist (Ann Chen, Jill DeHaan, and Tayler Mitchell). Michelle Christensen’s giant mural depicts famous cities which serve as the backdrop for some of the most-beloved stories and invites you to take your own trip (via paper airplane) to unknown destinations. Stefan Kunz’s handiwork is seen executing an incredible 3-D mural which morphs from one empowering phrase to another as you make your journey through the final part of the exhibit.
The beloved books of literary giants are set to scale in Haylee Barry’s colorful 8-12 feet tomes, as an homage to the stories that shape us. And further along, the intricate paper alphabet of Matisse Hales reminds viewers of the power and importance of each individual letter in our language.
The focus of the museum slowly shifts from honoring the words and stories of others to empowering individuals to write and express their own stories. Aiding in this transition, exhibit founder Becca Clason showcases a colossal “Write On” mural using over 6,000 pencils and erasers. And “write on” you will, as you send a “wish you were here” postcard, drop a letter of encouragement in the mail, and clink out a line or two on a typewriter.
The final exhibit (designed by John Connors and Josh Clason, built by Toby Draper) invites you to literally shred your negative thoughts and instead surround yourself in the colorful confetti of positivity.
The museum experience is completely self-guided, so when some of the exhibits (specifically the typewriter experience) are full, you can always come back. I was glad that I had a nice camera on hand and that I went with friends who were more than happy to take pictures. I had moments of giddy, child-like joy as I pushed around the life-sized blocks to spell out the name of a friend, explored the “Tiny Art Show,” and ran up the stairs to slide down the open face of a book one more time. But I also had moments of deep introspection as I honestly considered what I want my life story to be, and what words I still want to live and express. The colorful richness present throughout this entire exhibit is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, and it is an incredible testament to the talent and imagination of all the artists and collaborators involved. This exhibit truly is a love letter to the world, a way to increase awareness of the written and spoken words that shape and enhance the very nature of our lives. While I’m still not exactly sure what my story is, after going to the Love Letters exhibit, I’m more convinced that it’s going to be a fun read. You don’t want this chapter of your life to end without experiencing it.
Tickets for Love Letters at The Gateway in Salt Lake City are available online by hourly increments. Most people stay for about an hour and a half, but you are welcome to stay as long as you like (and if you’re an absolute booklover like me, you may want to plan for two hours). Love Letters opened in June and will close on September 14.
The Gateway presents Love Letters, founded by Becca Clason.
The Gateway, 24 S. Rio Grande Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah
84101
June 19- September 14, 2019 10:00 AM-8:00 PM hourly.
Tickets: $16.50 Adults, $12.50 Children 3-10, Children 2 and under are free
https://www.showclix.com/event/love-letters-museum
https://www.lovelettersmuseum.com
https://www.instagram.com/lovelettersmuseum/
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