The start of a new year brings with it new possibilities for life as well as art, and among those are the visions of artists on display at local galleries. Whether or not you’re an artist, the innovative creations of local artists are eye-opening. Here are some that are at the top of our list, which you should make a resolution to see.

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art: New Frontier
New Frontier, Sundance Film Festival’s look at “the next generation of artistic expression” that started in 2007, returns for its second year at the gallery formerly called the Salt Lake Art Center. The program’s film and video installations challenge the limits of visual storytelling, and the opening-night party is not to be missed. This year’s theme, “Future Normal,” promises to be suitably mind-blowing. Jan. 20-May 19, 20 S. West Temple, 801-328-4201, UtahMOCA.org

House Gallery: Jared Lindsay Clark
Clark’s Bild was the work selected to open the Locals Only gallery at UMOCA early in 2011, and his challenging approach to sculpture, which could be called painterly as well as architectural, will take on the local house of abstraction. His site-specific approach applied to this local venue, formerly a knife shop, should yield fascinating results. Jan. 25-Feb. 18, 29 E. 400 South, 801-322-1027, HouseGallerySLC.com

Utah Museum of Fine Arts: Georges Rouault: Circus of the Shooting Star
Rouault was a French Fauvist/Expressionist painter in the first half of the 20th century and is best known for religious subjects. He was also fascinated by the circus as subject matter, and this collection of color etchings and wood engravings from 1926 to 1938 depicts the circus with a mixture of innocence and melancholy. Accompanied by a family guide, this is one of the best art shows to take the whole family to. Take the time to check out other exhibits in the museum—running concurrently will be the collection At Work: WPA Prints. Feb. 3-May 13, 410 Campus Center Drive, University of Utah, 801-581-7332, UMFA.Utah.edu

Art Barn: Salt Lake Seven
The Salt Lake Seven is a group of some of the area’s most notable photographers, headed by Kent Miles, who’ve sharpened their talents for over a decade to produce some astounding lenswork. A group show of what these local masters are able to capture of the world around us is always worth a look. March 9-April 27, 54 Finch Lane, 801-596-5000, SLCGov.com/arts/pages/vizarts.htm

Gallery UAF: Particulation/Caught Up In the Moment
Christine McDonough, Michelle Condrat and Kim Blackburn are powerhouses of artistic technique. Condrat’s landscape and figure painting use contemporary impressionist techniques with depth and sensitivity, while McDonough and Blackburn possess emphatic photographic techniques. McDonough was awarded Photographer of the Year-Bronze Level at the 2011 International Print Competition of the Professional Photographers of America. May 18-June 8, 230 S. 500 West, No. 120, 801-322-2428, UAF.org/UAFGallery

Art Access: Paul Vincent Bernard & E. Clark Marshall
Art Access consistently shows artists with some of the most unusual artistic styles and techniques. Bernard’s oil on aluminum plates and Marshall’s historical ceramic collages create striking results with uncommon uses of materials. June 15-July 13, 230 S. 500 West, No. 125, 801-328-0703, AccessArt.org