300 (and 8) colorful 'Plates'

The new "300 plates" is a noisy, active, good-natured feeding frenzy. But don't confuse it with the local buffet.

"300 plates" is the name of Art Access Gallery's fourth-annual exhibition/fund-raiser, and even though there's no food involved, it's a feast for the senses.

Imagine walking into a stark white room and seeing a bold grid of color. The plates — there are actually 308 this year — are arranged just centimeters apart, row after row, winding along the walls and around corners.

From a distance, this display is overwhelming, but look a little closer and suddenly the grid fades away to reveal individual, unique colors and styles.

This year, 64 of Utah's best artists dished up their finest work on recycled, 10-by-11-inch litho printing plates.

One of the artists, Sandy Brunvand, created two multi-media plates that show off her unique style.

Actually, for this exhibition, her style is especially unique.

"This allows me to work slightly outside what I normally do," Brunvand said. "It allows for a more playful focus."

A part-time art teacher at the University of Utah who also has a gallery in town, Brunvand lets that playfulness show in her plates. She uses both print and paint, and draws inspiration from Utah's canyon trails, where she loves to hike. To add an even funkier touch, she used staples on one of her plates.

"I love that staples are not part of fine art," she said.

Brunvand's fresh, fun look at art is what Art Access is all about. The goal of the gallery, said director Ruth Lubbers, is to make art accessible to everyone by making it appealing and affordable.

Art Access is an affiliate of VAS arts, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all people — but especially the disabled — learn through art. According to its Web site, VSA arts is the only organization in the world that brings together the arts, education and disability communities to ensure that everyone has access to the arts.

Lubbers said that "300 plates" started four years ago, as the gallery needed a way to raise money for community activities. The "renting a hotel ballroom and serving a rubber-chicken dinner" scene just didn't fit with the gallery's image, she explained.

With a little inspiration from Joseph Ostraff and John Ohran, two artists who'd used printer plates at a private art show, Lubbers found the perfect fund-raiser.

It's affordable — $25 per ticket to get in, and with plates for sale in every price range — and it's fun. Lubbers said people got so excited about last year's exhibit that they began lining up outside two hours early, despite sweltering heat.