We are sad to say good-bye to Jill Remington Love, who will be leaving her post as executive director of our parent department, the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, at the end of December 2023. Under Jill’s leadership, the Utah Division of Arts & Museums has thrived. She knew all the staff personally in the department and led …
UA&M Arts Education team hosts national arts education conference
UA&M’s Arts Education program hosted the annual gathering of the National Association of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) arts education managers from across the U.S. and territories, here in Salt Lake City, Nov. 7-9. The gathering was a resounding success, with some colleagues declaring, “We’re still walking on air!” The convening allowed our agency to share several arts organizations and stellar …
Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) Data
The newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) is an economic and social impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. Building on its 30-year legacy as the largest and most inclusive study of its kind, AEP6 provides detailed findings on 373 regions from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico — ranging in population from 4,000 …
Artworks made of original Capitol dome copper installed back in the Capitol
In 1980, a powerful windstorm with gusts of up to 70 mph caused segments of the Utah Capitol dome’s original copper cladding to fly off, and much of the copper that remained was damaged. The copper cover was then replaced. Seeing the recovered material as an opportunity, the state held an art competition to use the salvaged material. Governor Scott …
Kudos to Marie Desrochers on Her Utah Museums Association Award
At this year’s Utah Museums Association (UMA) conference in Vernal, our own Marie Desrochers was recognized with the Public Service Award. Marie is the Outreach Preservation Coordinator for our agency and the keystone of our Utah Collections Preservation Program (UCP). UCP delivers training designed to elevate the preservation literacy of collections stewards across Utah. Marie developed and delivered broad curricula …
Farewell to Our Outgoing Board Members
Thirty-six years of cumulative service were recently celebrated as five board members retired from Utah Division of Arts & Museums board service. Staff and board members honored them with the following thoughts. Utah Museums Advisory Board: Tim Glenn (2015-2023, chair 2022-2023)Tim led our board with humor and thoughtful questions. He brought great energy to our board and leaves a legacy …
Announcing Our 2023-24 Folk Arts Apprenticeship Recipients
We’re excited to announce the eight apprenticeship pairs for the 2023-24 Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program. Since 1989, our Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program has supported a rich multitude of traditional artistic expression in the Beehive State. For more than 30 years, we have supported numerous apprenticeships in traditional dance, craft, music, and other art forms. Over a period of several months, …
Hey, It’s Peter Hay!
We want to welcome our new Visual Arts Coordinator, Peter Hay. Peter has called Salt Lake City home for the past three years. His background is as a cultural programmer, educator, and artist. He grew up for the most part in Oklahoma and received an associate of arts degree from Northern Oklahoma College, a bachelor of arts degree from Northeastern …
Utah Poet Laureate Lisa Bickmore Receives $50,000 Grant from Academy of American Poets
We’re pleased to announce that Utah Poet Laureate Lisa Bickmore will be one of 23 poets laureate across the United States to receive an award of $50,000 for creative projects from the Academy of American Poets. Bickmore will create and digitally archive micro-editions of chapbooks with writers throughout Utah. She will also work with youth and educators to publish broadsides …
The Arts and Healing
Our assistant director, Natalie Petersen, recently wrote a wonderful blog post for Get Healthy Utah about the connection between the arts and healing in the area of mental health. Give it a read at this link or by viewing this PDF.
Staff Highlight: Jenna Ehlinger
Jenna Ehlinger is our new Chase Home Museum Administrator and Accessibility Coordinator for the division. She has a master’s degree in folklore and public culture from the University of Oregon, a B.S. in anthropology from Wisconsin Lutheran College, and is a certified archaeologist. She got her start in museums working for the Milwaukee Public Museum’s anthropology department as an intern …
Creative Aging at Saltgrass Printmakers
Our agency has distributed funding to support creative aging initiatives. Here’s a highlight of Saltgrass Printmakers, one of our grantees through this project. We recently interviewed Stefanie Dykes, the host of a 10-person workshop at Saltgrass, to find out more. Q: Tell us a little about the project. A: At Saltgrass Printmakers, the Creative Aging participants are learning how to …