UMOCA is finally getting a home of its own

For decades, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art has been something of a hidden fixture downtown, and it's finally getting a front door. The museum, which has gone by UMOCA since 2011, is moving into a brand-new building in downtown Salt Lake City, ending what has been described as its 'invisible' status in the city's cultural landscape. It's a big moment for an institution that has been championing contemporary art in Utah since 1931.

The move comes as part of the new downtown Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention District, led by the Smith Entertainment Group. Executive Director Laura Allred Hurtado announced that the museum's current home, which it has occupied since 1979, will be demolished to make way for the district's planned east-west connection. UMOCA will shift north, closer to Abravanel Hall, where it will serve as one of the entrances to the district. The project is folded into the overall district cost and will be funded through a mix of taxpayer money and private donations, though no official price tag has been set yet.

If you've ever visited the current space, you'll understand why the move is welcome. The building lacks natural light, which makes showing certain exhibitions a struggle. The new home, designed by the Portland-based firm Allied Works, is built around that problem. Lead designer Emily Kappes says the facade draws inspiration from Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels, a land art installation right here in Utah, and the plans include a café, community spaces, multi-use event rooms, and several exhibition galleries flooded with natural light. That light alone opens the door to contemporary art that simply cannot be shown in the current building, and the museum will also bring art into the public passage that links the whole district.

There's a long runway before the doors open, so don't expect to visit the new place next week. The current UMOCA will close on July 10, 2027, and construction is expected to run through 2031, at which point the museum will celebrate its centenary in its new home. In the meantime, programming will carry on from a temporary venue that has yet to be announced. To mark the end of the old era, curator Jared Steffensen has put together a final exhibition called 'So Long,' asking artists who have shown at the museum since 1979 to donate work that will, quite literally, go down with the building when it's demolished.

Until then, the museum is still very much open at 20 S. West Temple, and it's worth a visit before the clock starts running. Admission is a suggested $10 donation, and it's closed on Sundays and Mondays, so plan around that. The current lineup is deep: 'Artists Against the Bomb' by Peter Kennard is on view now, alongside 'Time, Truth, and Other Immeasurables,' Madeline Rupard's '2002 Subaru Forester,' Rick Silva's 'Dirt Nap,' and Steven Chodoriwsky's 'An ad hoc ad infinitum cul de sac but good,' all running through the winter. Sol LeWitt's 'Wall Drawing No. 309' has been up since March 2025 and stays through March 2027. If you're looking for a night out, the 'Doomsday Disco' Halloween bash is this Friday from 7 to 10 p.m., and a live dance performance by Courtney Mazeika and Peter Farrow is set for Thursday, October 29. It's a good chance to see the museum as it is before it becomes something entirely new.