Brad Taggart examines surfaces and substances at Hub City Art Gallery

By Robert Green

Staff Writer

9/4/2019

Mt. PLEASANT—A well-known teacher and sculpture from Snow College will be showcasing some deeply personal artwork exploring his identity at the Hub City Art Gallery.

Brad Taggart, associate professor of sculpture at Snow College, will be showcasing a group of pieces entitled, “Identity and Visage – An Exploration of Surface and Substance.”

Taggart’s exhibit will be comprised of four mixed-media sculptures that explore questions about his identity, as he was adopted as a young boy.

“I was adopted when I was a boy and had a really great adoption experience,” Taggart said. “The pieces address the idea of how we develop identity.”

The visage portion of his show will consist of six sculptured ceramic portrait pieces—two of which are large torso figures, two are half-life portraits and two others are life-sized portraits.

Taggart will be on hand at an opening reception Friday, Sept. 6 from 6 – 8 p.m. at Hub City Art Gallery, which is located upstairs in the Mt. Pleasant City Hall, 115 W Main Street.

Taggart admits to loving all things sculpture. He is primarily a figure sculptor, but he also enjoys having the freedom to work in any tradition, material, technology or style that suits him at the time. He holds an Associate of Art degree from Snow College, a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in sculpture from Utah State University and a Master of Fine Art degree in sculpture from Brigham Young University.

In addition to his academic degrees, Taggart has traveled and studied throughout the US, as well as many European art centers such as Rome, Florence, Paris, London and Barcelona.

The pieces in the identity collection are essentially waypoints on a journey “where I don’t know the exact circumstance of its beginning, and like anyone else I’m not sure where or how it will end,” Taggart said.

In writing about his artwork, Taggart explained, “I was adopted shortly after my birth in May of 1968. I have known my whole life that I was adopted; however, I know nothing about my genetic origins. A high school teacher once asked me to share with the class how I felt different as an adopted child. I was surprised because I had honestly never realized that I should feel different.

“Over the past several years, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on my life and the factors that have shaped my identity. The paramount fact in my life is that a single decision forever altered my trajectory. My life as an adopted child has been fulfilling, so regardless of what combination of nature and nurture may be at play because of that decision, I am content with the course my life has taken.”

Taggart is a commissioned artist with works in several public and private collections. He lives in Ephraim, Utah with his wife Kim and four sons.

The show is sponsored by the North Sanpete Arts Council, Heritage Highway 89 and the city of Mt. Pleasant.