“I got my first set of oil paints when I was five years old. I’ve been making art ever since,” announced Stephen Teuscher, one of the trio that founded Studio-de-Verre (studio of glass). As for the other two, it was the illustrations in the Golden Braid books that got Kerry Transtrum hooked on art at age three. For Dan Cummings, he knew in the second grade, when he received all kinds of accolades for a saber-toothed tiger that he drew, exactly what he was going to do the rest of his life.

“I tried to bring a little piece of the Lower East Side to Salt Lake City,” Corey Bullough said, reflecting on what first inspired him to open Fice Gallery back in 2008. Deeply influenced by the street art and creative culture of New York City, Corey wanted to create something he felt the city lacked - a space where young, emerging artists could be seen, heard, and supported.

“I hope that in some small way, I am keeping alive the memory of the men who wore those helmets during WWII - giving them a fun second run.” Fred Conlon, owner of Sugarpost, did not plan to be a welder. He did not even plan to be a potter. But he always had an openness to life’s unexpected turns and a deep appreciation for pursuing what felt right, even if it did not make perfect sense at the time.

“I’ve always believed in the power of art to inspire, to challenge, and to bring people together,” said Shalee Cooper, director of Modern West. That belief is at the core of the gallery’s mission established under the vision of its founder, Diane Stewart.

“I was born in Mexico, or at least my father liked to think that I was.” David Galvan, volunteer manager of Mestizo Coffeehouse begins his story smiling as he recalls his father holding him up as a child in their home in Utah and proudly proclaiming, “Who’s my beautiful Mexican baby?”