The Salt Lake City Arts Council is pleased to present its newest exhibitions featuring artists Chauncey Secrist & Nate Francis at the Finch Lane Gallery, March 12 through April 26, 2021. In the interest of public safety we are offering limited hours with gallery visits are by appointment and comply with the Utah Leads Together and CDC recommendations.

Chauncey Secrist, (un)Holy Relics

Chauncey Secrist’s (un)Holy Relics is inspired by his experiences growing up as an outsider of a dominant culture informed by religion. Secrist grew up in a conservative, heavily religious neighborhood, in a family that was largely agnostic/atheist. “What has stuck with me is the comment that because I do not believe in God, I cannot understand sacredness or reverence,” writes Secrist. (un)Holy Relics acts as Secrist’s response to the opinion that an agnostic/atheist person cannot feel reverence. It is a series of sculptures encased within glass cloches, giving the impression of sacredness. The sculptures are comprised of materials that hold significance for the artist as well as found materials, such as bones, string and rocks. Each sculpture appears as an enshrined vignette devoted to an undefined hallowed belief.

Nate Francis, In Place: a Study of Loneliness in Utah’s Landscapes

Nate Francis is a photographic and sculptural artist who works with issues of identity and isolation. He often appears in his own work by documenting his body or performing for the camera. In Place explores Nate Francis’s experiences growing up gay in Utah, at the geographical, social, and cultural epicenter of the LDS faith. “Coming out as queer after living as a member of the Mormon faith and serving a two-year mission for the organization was a wake-up call for myself, my family, and my friends,” writes Francis. Through photo collage of the artist’s body and Utah’s sparse landscapes, as well as sculptural objects found from these landscapes, Francis captures the relationship of their identity to their surroundings. Photos of Utah’s beautiful but barren geography serves as a metaphor for Francis’s experiences. Heavy rocks are placed on photos of Francis’s body to symbolize the weight of otherness. Portraits of Francis are cut and fragmented to represent the artist’s feelings of being verbally dissected.

Media Contact:

Samantha Smith |

To schedule an appointment, safely view works online, or for more information visit the Finch Lane Gallery Current Exhibitions page or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.