Salt Lake Art Museum to open in historic former synagogue on Pioneer Day

The historic B’nai Israel Temple at 249 S. 400 East will become the home of the new Salt Lake Art Museum, opening July 24 in Salt Lake City. Photo: Salt Lake Art Museum

New museum will focus exclusively on Utah artists, with exhibitions exploring the state’s landscapes, history and cultural identity

SALT LAKE CITY — A new museum dedicated entirely to Utah art and artists will open Friday, July 24, inside one of Salt Lake City’s oldest religious buildings.

The Salt Lake Art Museum will hold its free grand opening from 3:30 to 8 p.m. at 249 S. 400 East, according to the museum. The Pioneer Day event will include special exhibitions, community activities and opportunities to explore the newly restored space.

Housed inside the historic B’nai Israel Temple, the museum will feature work by Utah artists ranging from early landscape painters to contemporary creators. Museum officials describe it as the first fine art museum to open in the state capital since 1983 and the first Utah museum devoted exclusively to the state’s artists.

“Utah has long been known for its extraordinary landscapes, but those same landscapes have inspired generations of extraordinary artists,” museum founder Micah Christensen said in the opening announcement.

Christensen said the museum is intended to provide a permanent home for artists whose work has often been recognized outside Utah without receiving the same attention within the state.

Opening exhibitions are expected to include a collection of landscapes by 19th-century painter Albert Bierstadt, who spent several weeks working in Utah. KSL reported that the museum plans to display 25 of the roughly 30 Utah landscapes attributed to Bierstadt alongside modern photographs of the same locations, showing how the landscapes have changed over time.

Other exhibitions will highlight Spanish-born Utah artist Pilar Pobil and Julia Reagan’s well-known roadside billboards, which blended advertising, pop culture and visual art. A separate gallery will examine the history of the building itself.

The Romanesque Revival temple was built for Congregation B’nai Israel and completed in 1891. The structure was designed by German-born architect Philip Meyer, with construction overseen by local architect Henry Monheim. It later served several commercial purposes, including as a restaurant and office building, after B’nai Israel merged with Congregation Montefiore to form Congregation Kol Ami in 1972.

Executive Director Chris Jensen told KSL the museum will seek to preserve Utah’s artistic culture while providing space for conversations about modern issues, including immigration, climate change and discrimination.

“Utah’s artists have enriched our communities, preserved our history and helped tell the story of who we are for generations,” Jensen said in the museum’s announcement. “The Salt Lake Art Museum is more than a building filled with artwork.”

The museum has already begun holding limited programs, including its Utah Master Series honoring influential artists and an interactive installation that invited visitors to trace their silhouettes onto the museum walls.

The Salt Lake Art Museum opens to the public Friday, July 24, at 249 S. 400 East in Salt Lake City. The grand opening is free and scheduled from 3:30 to 8 p.m.