The UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount: Constantly Encouraging the Community to Create

photo credit: UVU Museum of Art’s Facebook page 

After five years of careful preparation, the UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount finally opened its doors last year. Melanie Laycock Bastian’s legacy lives on through this generous donation of her former home to the university.   

In 2023, Utah Valley University revealed a beautiful gift from the family of Melanie Laycock Bastian. What used to be her nine-bedroom, sixteen-bathroom home has been transformed into The UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount. While this donation was announced in 2018, the museum did not celebrate its grand opening until 2023. Much hard work was to be done during those five years to prepare the private home to become a public space, but honoring Bastian’s legacy made it all worth it in the end.  

In her lifetime, Bastian was known for her giving spirit, so much so that she was awarded an honorary doctorate from UVU due to her generosity. She donated much of her wealth to schools and charities. It made sense that after her battle with leukemia came to an end, something should be done to ensure her legacy lived on after her. She had a deep love for both education and the arts; those two loves were married with her sons’ gift to the university.  

The Review was able to speak with Associate Director Emily Johnsen about what makes the museum special. In a similar manner to how Bastian would often open her doors to her community, the museum does not charge admission. It is their goal to be a comfortable gathering space for anyone who would like to visit. Aside from being a breathtaking environment in which one can view extraordinary art, Lakemount Manor has much to offer its community.  

They offer many free public programs, such as artist talks and panels. Every Wednesday, they hold an open studio, where visitors can participate in whichever activity is featured that day. Some past open studio activities have been creating dioramas, comic books, fanciful houses, and more. Similarly, on the second Saturday of each month, an art-making activity is offered which produces a collaborative work in the end.  

Due to its association with the university, the museum also serves as a great outlet for the artists at UVU. Museum employee Talia Taylor told the Review, “What I love so much about this museum is the way it gives our local artists a chance for exposure, from our students to our alumni. It’s been really great to support them and have their art be seen. It really goes to show the quality of education people can get from UVU’s art department.” This quality education is currently being displayed at the museum in its first-ever alumni show.  

The parlor of the museum houses its permanent collection, and throughout the rest of the home is a variety of rotating exhibits. In addition to the alumni show, the museum is currently showing two other must-see exhibits: Born into This by James and John Rees (available until Sept. 21) and Through the Eyes of a Child by Dennis Smith (available until Oct. 12).  

The Rees brothers’ collection displays the ways in which shared experiences can be processed and then artistically expressed in differing ways. Contrasting techniques, media and style are used to represent a shared childhood in ways that are visually distinct yet share a clear connection. Linocuts and monotypes are prominent throughout the collection, often featuring scribbles of colors and smears of paint under profound doodles.  

Dennis Smith also explores the experience of childhood with his collection. He captures this experience through many bronze sculptures, such as a boy with feathered wings and aviator goggles learning to fly. Alongside these skillful sculptures are striking paintings of suburban landscapes. Thanks to the vivant colors and swirling use of lines, viewers truly see these landscapes through the eyes of a child.  

While it has been over a year since the museum opened, many students still do not realize all that it has to offer. From the many activities they host to the beautiful garden one can enjoy, the museum constantly encourages the community to create. Above all, it is a representation of who Bastian was and what she believed in.