Rat Fink!' Tells Story of What You May Have Missed How Political Ideologies Affect Family Countercultural Icon-Turned-LDS Convert Stability on County Level

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Advertise with us Report this ad Granary Art Center's 'Rat Fink!' tells story of What You May Have Missed How political ideologies affect family countercultural icon-turned-LDS convert stability on county level

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EPHRAIM, Utah — Granary Art Center’s Sign up for news updates current exhibition “Rat Fink!” is a far cry Email Address from what one generally encounters in a traditional art museum. Curated by Laura Allred Hurtado, the exhibition showcases the life and art of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, a pioneer of California’s Custom Car movement of the 1960s, who later moved to Manti, Utah, after converting to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Visitors will discover a wide selection of Roth’s art, such as sculptures, drawings, T-shirts and skateboards. The inclusion of such items broadens the parameters of traditional art exhibitions and paints a nuanced picture of an artist that relished in American counterculture.

Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's "Bad Bad Doggy," ink Born in 1932, Roth was a California and mixed media on paper, is on display at the native whose diverse career included Granary Art Center in Ephraim through Sept. 18 as part of the exhibit "Rat Fink!" work as a cartoonist, custom car designer Scotti Hill, Granary Art Center and pinstriper. Roth is considered an

Enlarge photo» innovator in Southern California’s Kustom Kulture movement, a term used to designate the style and accessories of Summary those who crafted and rode custom cars and The Granary Art Center's "Rat motorcycles starting in the 1950s. Fink!" presents a fascinating look at the work of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, In 1963, Roth created the character Rat Fink, a figure Advertise with us Report this ad an artist, custom car designer, that would serve as an icon of the hot rod movement. cartoonist and pinstriper who Most Popular moved to Manti, Utah, after joining The Church of Jesus Christ of According to Hurtado, “Conceived as an anti-Mickey Latter-day Saints. Mouse, Rat Fink is a miscreant, a bulging-eyed, In Family Media Across Site grotesque rodent with sharp teeth and a large mouth.” Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre offers... The character’s deliberately shocking appearance and 2 Utah natives make 'So You Think You Can... grotesque green or gray color “became a poster symbol 'Love and passion': One Voice Children's... of an entire counterculture movement, summarizing, in Quirky 'Minions' makes for some harmless,... his deviance, the ethos of outsider.” Harper Lee's town joyful, anxious over... So what was the motivation for Roth’s rebelliousness? Jim Gaffigan: Being true to himself for... Granary Art Center's 'Rat Fink!' tells story... The answer can be found by examining the context of Photos: Ballet West costumes tour Wasatch... his creations. During the 1960s, pop art took the country by storm, introducing the American public to artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Get The Deseret News Everywhere Oldenburg. Pop ushered in a new phase of art that eliminated the boundaries of high and low culture, Subscribe Mobile Facebook Twitter RSS Email using household items, advertisements and imagery from “popular” sources. This facet of pop, granting Most Commented artistic legitimacy to lowbrow, functional items, indelibly influenced Roth’s work. In Family Media Across Site

Hurtado, the global acquisitions art curator for the LDS Movies becoming more like giant TV shows 2 Church History Museum, said, “I am continually on the ‘Nephi and the Sword of... 2 hunt for talented and complex artists who are Mormon. Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre... 2 Roth’s work is that in spades.” Prince William starts work as air... 1 In 1974, Roth converted to the LDS Church and moved Granary Art Center's 'Rat Fink!' tells... 1 to Manti to be closer to the town’s iconic temple. Hurtado recognizes a peculiarity in that action. “As much as (Roth) stood for the counterculture that resisted the ubiquitous sameness of Fordism and the pristine squeaky cleanness of Disney … (in) much of his later work … he (was) dedicated to his Heavenly Father, which attests to his transformation,” Hurtado said. Roth’s work and life — he died in April 2001 — speak to the complexity of artistic experience and how he retained his rebellion despite settling down in the small, sleepy town of Manti. His move to Manti both continued and diversified his own artistic legacy, but it also contributed an entirely new facet to the local community. Since 1977, Manti has hosted the annual Rat Fink car show and reunion, which attracts local residents and outsiders alike. The Granary’s proximity to Manti makes it an ideal venue for such an exhibition. If you go … What: "Rat Fink!" art exhibit When: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, through Sept. 18 Where: 86 N. Main, Ephraim

Phone: 435-283-5110 Advertise with us Report this ad Web: granaryartcenter.org

Scotti Hill is an art historian based in Salt Lake City. She teaches art history at the University of Utah and Westminster College and works as a freelance curator and writer.