The Felt Gallery Art Show was an exhibition held at the Felt Building in the Exchange Place Historic District in downtown Salt Lake City. This show was dedicated to spotlighting emerging artists and creating space for new voices within the local arts community. It was an exciting evening that reflected the growing creative energy of SLC by bringing together work that was experimental, personal, and unafraid to explore complex or unconventional ideas.
Being part of this exhibition was meaningful not only for the opportunity to show work publicly, but also for the environment that the Felt Gallery cultivated. It was a space that encouraged honesty, curiosity, and dialogue. The gallery provided a platform where vulnerability and reflection could exist side by side.
The Work
Throw the Dog a Bone is a painting that I created that was accepted into the show as part of this broader conversation. Painted in acrylic on panel, the piece depicts the skeleton of a dog, an image that is at once playful, ironic, and quietly contemplative.
The title draws from a familiar phrase often used to suggest offering something small or symbolic. Paired with the skeletal form, the phrase becomes absurd. A bone is offered to a dog who is already bones. This contradiction is intentional and uses humor as a way to approach themes of life, death, and what remains.
Humor, Mortality, and Meaning
Skeletons have long served as symbols of mortality in art, but they also carry an inherent levity. In this piece, the skeletal dog is not meant to be frightening or grim. Instead, it exists somewhere between wit and reflection and invites viewers to laugh first, then think a little longer.
The work leans into the idea that humor is often how we cope with difficult truths. Life and death are inseparable, and humor becomes a bridge between the two. By presenting mortality through a familiar and almost endearing subject, the painting softens the weight of the theme without diminishing its importance.
Context Within the Show
Within the context of the show, Throw the Dog a Bone existed alongside other works by emerging artists navigating identity, emotion, and experimentation. The show emphasized exploration over polish and encouraged work that asked questions rather than offering tidy answers.
In that context, the piece felt at home. Its blend of humor and existential reflection aligned with the spirit of the exhibition, which centered art that is thoughtful, human, and willing to sit in ambiguity.
Reflection
Being among the selected artists at Felt Gallery marked an important moment in my creative career. It reinforced the value of allowing humor to coexist with heavier themes and trusting that audiences are willing to engage with both.
My work does not attempt to resolve the tension between life and death. Instead, it acknowledges it lightly, honestly, and with a sense of play.
Want to work together? Let’s create!
xoxo,
Michaela Rae
