300 Plates

300 Plates 2021

300 Plates is an annual fundraiser and exhibition that benefits the programs of Art Access. This popular art sale involves over 200 Utah artists creating over 350 10"x11" panels. Held online again this year, we are grateful for all the artists and art lovers who continue to support us. Questions? Email 300plates@artaccessutah.org.

There are two sponsorship opportunities this year. Sponsoring 300 Plates is the most impactful way to support our programs and help us to keep advocating for and supporting access to the arts in Utah. Sponsorships are available now, click below for more information.

SPONSORSHIPS

Important Dates

Monday, April 26, 2021
Individual tickets go on sale for $25 each.

Monday, May 17, 2021 at 10:00 am
Online preview of all plates available to the public.

Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 10:00 am
Exclusive access to the online sale begins for sponsors and ticket holders.

Friday, May 21, 2021 at 10:00 am
Online sale will be open to the public.

Friday, June 11, 2021 at 5:00 pm
Online sale closes.

2021 Sponsors

Thanks to these sponsors, we have metal plates again this year!

300 Plates History

Joe Ostraff
Art Department Chair, BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications
Former Art Access board member

The story of the 300 Plates Fundraiser begins in Thailand in the summer of 1993. My family and I were the invited guests of a family living in Cha-am, Thailand. As part of our weekly activities, we would visit one of the many Buddhist Wat (monasteries) found in almost every community. On one such visit, a monk approached me and gave me a packet of photos of King Rama V. He blessed me and promised that if I incorporated the images in my art I would bring about good fortune. I held on to the images for many years, waiting for an appropriate time to use them.

In fall of 1998, I was driving home from a field trip with BYU art students. John Ohran was among the group. He and I got into a discussion about art ideas and he shared his interest in a project that Ed Kienholz (an internationally acclaimed installation artist) had completed, numbering prints one through one thousand and selling them for the corresponding number. It seemed to me a critical statement on the commodification of art, and John and I wondered if we could give the idea a positive twist.

During the conversation, I mentioned my Thai experience and one thing led to another. Hence, John and I had a two-person exhibition at Art Access in 1999 entitled Restoration of Good Fortune: One Through Three Hundred and Fifty, with the prices matching the numbered art. Images of King Rama V as king, military leader, and father found their way into all the mixed media paintings on aluminum plates, and the sale proceeds were divided between Art Access and the Sudanese Refugee Fund.

In 2002, Art Access was looking to diversify its funding base since the majority of the organization’s funds came from a single source. I was a board member at the time and suggested that we try a fundraiser using progressive pricing, and that we invite multiple artists to participate. It was very successful, and I feel that the Thai monk’s blessing continues to be realized each year through the 300 Plates fundraiser.

2021 Artists

We are so grateful for all the returning artists who support 300 Plates every year and for all the new artists (over 50!) who are joining us. This fundraiser would not be possible without them. And since times are still difficult for artists and nonprofits, we are splitting the proceeds from each plate sale with the artist 50/50.