Water, Land, and the Work of Art: A Conversation on the Great Salt Lake

Join UMOCA for an evening of conversation about water, land use, and the role of art in shaping public understanding of both. Prompted by Salt Lake Water School, Oscar Tuazon’s site-specific project at UMOCA, this panel brings together experts working at the intersection of natural systems, cultural memory, and environmental change.

From the slow evolution of water law to the fast-moving consequences of dust storms and drying lakebeds, panelists will explore how the Great Salt Lake and its surrounding landscape reflect—and shape—our relationships to community, conservation, and creative practice.

Panelists
Kyle Roerink — Executive Director, Great Basin Water Network

Paul Monty Paret, PhD — Associate Professor of Art History, University of Utah

Emily E. Lewis — Partner, Culp & Kelly, LLP; Host of Ripple Effect podcast

Kevin Perry, PhD — Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah

The conversation will touch on legacy and loss, policy and practice, and the evolving role of artists and institutions in protecting shared resources.

This program is presented in conjunction with Oscar Tuazon: Salt Lake Water School, on view at UMOCA through September 27, 2025.

Oscar Tuazon: Salt Lake Water School is made possible by generous support from Wake the Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City Arts Council, Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge, Powder Art Foundation, Salt Lake County Arts & Culture, Emerson Collective, Courtesy of Luhring Augustine