Kimball Art Center’s ‘Gaze Into These Eyes’ Champions Justice-Impacted Artists

Kimball Art Center: ‘Gaze Into These Eyes’

Tucked into the heart of Park City, the Kimball Art Center has long been a hub for creativity and community. Founded in 1976 by Bill Kimball, the center champions artists whose works spark conversation and connection. Its latest exhibition, “Gaze Into These Eyes,” pushes that mission further, inviting viewers to reconsider how portraiture can reshape our understanding of justice, empathy and humanity.

Collaboration Between Kimball Art Center and the Center for Art and Advocacy

The show is a collaboration with the Center for Art and Advocacy, an organization founded by artist Jesse Krimes to support creatives directly impacted by the U.S. carceral system. What began in 2017 as the Right of Return Fellowship, providing $20,000 grants to six artists annually, has grown into a national nonprofit. “When I originally came home from prison, there were next to no support systems … particularly within the art world,” Krimes shares at the exhibition opening. “I realized we couldn’t wait for institutions to create something; we needed to create it on our own.”

“When I originally came home from prison, there were next to no support systems … particularly within the art world.”

Since its founding, the Center for Art and Advocacy has supported more than 40 fellows and helped its artists gain national recognition. Fellows have gone on to receive MacArthur Fellowships, Guggenheim Fellowships, Pulitzer Prizes and Creative Capital Awards, with work collected and exhibited by institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the Philadelphia Art Museum. As Krimes notes, “A number of artists were homeless, living out of their car when they applied. I think that’s a testament to the impact the organization has and the people we support.”

The Meaning and Message Behind ‘Gaze Into These Eyes’

So, what exactly is “Gaze Into These Eyes?” The exhibition brings together works that “confront, reclaim and reimagine systems of representation.” Through portraits, whether painted, quilted or captured in other media, each artist invites the viewer to pause and connect. Kimball Art Center curator Nancy Stoaks explains, “Portraits are an important tool for human connection. We all can see pieces of ourselves in these works, which is quite extraordinary, even though we may have very different lived experiences.”

“It was a way to remind people that even while incarcerated, they’re still part of our community.”

Krimes’ own series, “Elegy Quilts,” exemplifies this approach. Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the works began when he asked incarcerated people to describe their favorite memories of home. He then stitched these memories into quilts, often incorporating clothing and ephemera from the participants and their loved ones. “It was a way to remind people that even while incarcerated, they’re still part of our community,” Krimes says.

Artists Featured in the Kimball Art Center Exhibition

The show features many powerful voices. Fulton Leroy “Mr. Wash” Washington’s “When I Returned” captures the emotional weight of reentry after incarceration, while Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez’s “I.C.E. Scream” series uses seemingly playful pop imagery to reflect on detention and deportation. Nashville-based painter Omari Booker brings bold, expressive works that confront systemic injustice, and photographer Frank Blazquez offers stark portraits that document identity, struggle and survival in the Southwest. Together, their works broaden the exhibition’s call to see and truly reflect on the humanity in each subject.

Why Park City Matters to the Exhibition’s Mission

For Carly Fischer, deputy director of the Center for Art and Advocacy, the exhibition’s placement in Park City carries its own significance. “People asked, ‘Why here?’ But why not?” she says. “Why can’t Park City be at the center of a national dialogue on what’s happening in contemporary art?” As one of the region’s oldest creative nonprofits, the Kimball Art Center has long elevated emerging artists while sparking national conversations. “We curate all of our exhibitions,” Stoaks emphasizes. “We tailor-make our shows for this community, because institutional collaborations and artist voices are at the root of what we do.”

“Why can’t Park City be at the center of a national dialogue on what’s happening in contemporary art?”

Visit Kimball Art Center and Support Justice-Driven Art

“Gaze Into These Eyes” is on view through Jan. 4, offering ample time for visitors to immerse themselves in its stories. Then on Nov. 12, the center will host an artist panel, providing deeper insight into the practices and lived experiences behind the work.

Show your support by visiting the Kimball Art Center, bringing a friend and also joining in the conversation. More information can be found at kimballartcenter.org and on Instagram at @kimballartcenter. Learn more about Krimes’ advocacy work at centerforartandadvocacy.org.

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