In keeping with the spirit of the Better Days 2020 celebration of Utah women’s suffrage this week, we wanted to give a shout-out to the remarkable Utah woman who founded our agency: Alice Merrill Horne. Our friend Laura Durham wrote a lovely profile of Alice for the Better Days 2020 website. As Laura writes: “In 1899, Utah Representative Alice Merrill …
The Utah legislative season is upon us, along with Utah’s cultural days on Capitol Hill (Arts Day on the Hill and Museums Advocacy Day among them). We thought we’d share a helpful information sheet that explains why Governor Herbert is proposing a $3 million increase for our agency’s grants budget this year. UA&M Information Sheet
Two cultural institutions in Utah recently got shout-outs on the national stage. Granary Arts in Ephraim was listed as one of 10 great DIY art spaces across the country in USA TODAY: “Art flourishes in remote central Utah thanks to artists based in a historic granary building on the high plains.” Amy Jorgensen, executive director/chief curator of Granary Arts, said, …
Government funding of arts and culture plays a large role in bridging significant funding gaps between rural and urban areas. While the most recent “Giving USA 2018 Report” suggests that some foundations are increasing their focus on rural development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture report found that only 5.5 percent of large foundation grant dollars go to rural areas. In contrast, …
Earlier this summer, Americans for the Arts honored Weber Valley Youth Center and artist David Griggs for his site-specific artwork, Where the River Flows, as among 50 outstanding public art projects created in 2018. The art installation was commissioned through our agency’s Public Art Program. The Public Art Network Year in Review program is the only national program that specifically …
Each year, we award two $10,000 fellowships to individual visual artists to acknowledge their artistic excellence and encourage their careers. Artists practicing in a variety of media – such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, craft, and new genres – are eligible. Our 2019 fellows were Jim Jacobs of Ogden and Shane Deeter of La Sal. We checked in with them recently to …
We will soon welcome a beautiful new outdoor sculpture to the Glendinning Home, where Utah Arts & Museums is headquartered. Ogden artist Heath Satow was awarded the opportunity to create a site-specific work to be placed on the home’s grounds. His piece, AMH: 1898, honors our agency’s founder, Alice Merrill Horne, in a number of ways, not least by incorporating …
At a special event on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, Americans for the Arts (AFTA) honored Governor Gary Herbert with its Governors Arts Leadership Award. Founded in 1960, AFTA is the nation’s leading organization for advancing the arts and arts education, supporting the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate and promote the arts in America. Governor Herbert was recognized for …
One of the most iconic and life-altering events in America’s history – the completion of the transcontinental railroad – happened in Utah on May 10, 1869. Spike 150 is the umbrella organization for all those celebrating the 150-year anniversary of the Golden Spike ceremony in Utah. Through a series of activities and events, the Spike 150 initiative aims to inspire, …
Assuming Governor Gary R. Herbert signs the budget bills approved during the final days of the session, the Utah Division of Arts & Museums will receive an additional $2 million in one-time funding for grants to arts organizations and museums. This will bring the total grant pool in fiscal year 2020, including federal funds, to approximately $3.5 million.
by Rozanna Benally-Sagg In the Montezuma Creek community, where Georgiana Simpson teaches art at Whitehorse High School, she is providing learning opportunities in a supportive environment. In particular, she encourages students to reflect on their own personal strengths as tools for success. “I encourage my students to use their strengths and skills to help others,” Simpson said. This year, Simpson …
After reviewing hundreds of requests for funding, the Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee placed additional funding for cultural grants near the top of their funding recommendations. The subcommittee unanimously recommended $3.5 million in ongoing grants funding for arts organizations and museums, slightly more than half of what was proposed by Gov. Gary Herbert in December. But even that …