Photo by Tyler Alexander – Globe CLCC
Frank McEntire is a past president of the Entrada Institute. He is also an Entrada Institute Ward Roylance award recipient.
McEntire is a native of Houston, TX, and moved to Utah in 1976. His sculptural works have been featured in several publications and shown in numerous exhibits throughout Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. He is well known as an independent curator. As a writer, McEntire has published many exhibit catalog essays and magazine articles. His reviews and feature articles were well received as the former art critic for The Salt Lake Tribune and Salt Lake Magazine. McEntire has served on boards of many arts and human services organizations, including the board of directors for the Utah Arts Council until appointed as its executive director, a position he held until January 2005.
According to Ivar Zeile, owner of + Gallery in Denver, Co., McEntire “is an icon of unusual and impressive scope. As a collector and manipulator of discarded religious objects, he creates assemblages that run heavily counter to their original intentions. Strong spiritual connotations push the constructed imagery into a realm that is fraught with social as well as political commentary. McEntire’s appointment as the executive director of the Utah Arts Council makes his artistic oeuvre all the more intriguing. His deep background in the arts, including years as an art critic, paints a picture of distinction and unparalleled dedication to the arts.”