Perfecting the art of publishing art.

• Author: Smith, Cheryl
• Position: Gibbs Smith Publishing/Peregrine Smith Books publishes "Utah Art" book

Perfecting the Art of Publishing Art

Gentile Avenue in Layton, Utah, is worlds away from the chaotic pace of New York's Madison or Park Avenues, yet - surrounded by wooded pastures, log fences, and grazing sheep - it is the address of a major publisher of arts, nature, history, and textbooks.

Gibbs Smith Publishing/Peregrine Smith Books, named for its co-founder and publisher Gibbs Smith, publishes 30 to 35 new titles each spring and fall on topics of national and international interest.

A New Book about Utah Arts

Among Peregrine Smith's newly released fall collection is Utah Art, a huge, richly illustrated volume that celebrates the history of the visual arts in the Beehive State. It's been three years in the making. According to some art historians, Utah is ranked third among western states in the quality of the work produced by its native artists.

"Utah Art is the most complete work on Utah art ever done," said Smith. "It recounts the golden epochs of the tradition of art in Utah, ever since the pioneers arrived. When you look around Utah today, it's amazing to see how the performing arts and music have been cultivated and promoted in Utah, but the visual arts haven't," Smith observed. "Readers will discover things about Utah they can't believe, about painters who have been forgotten, and about people a new generation will appreciate."

Smith said readers of the book will discover a common theme transcending the decades of Utah art: the grandeur and diversity of Utah's landscape.

Utah Art features 112 color plates of the work of Utah masters and unsung artists, as well as 60 black-and-white photos of the artists and their studios - past and present. The book is written by art historians in three sections: "From Pioneer Painters to Impressionism, 1847-1900," by Dr. William Seifrit; "Tradition and the Lure of the Modern, 1900-1950," by Robert S. Olpin; and "The Contemporary Scene, 1950-1990," by Vern G. Swanson. It was published in cooperation with the Springville Museum of Art, thanks to grants from the George S. and Delores Dore Eccles Foundation and Geneva Steel. The book also has appendixes, including a complete catalog of the Springville Museum Art collection. Utah Art retails for $49.95.

Famous Outside the State

Peregrine Smith receives more than 50 book proposals each week from aspiring and published writers all over the country. The company's 18 employees also generate many of the ideas that end up being published. "The common...