We’re pleased that Governor Cox has included several items for our agency in his 2023 budget request. Read the details below.
$75,000 – New Art Transportation Vehicle (one time)
- Current vehicle is at the end of its service life and has broken down recently, requiring us to rent another vehicle
- A new vehicle will be more energy- and cost-efficient (the old vehicle uses 8 miles per gallon of diesel fuel)
- Approximately 70.7% of the 21 counties that our Traveling Exhibition Program (TEP) reaches are rural
$300,000 – Alice Merrill Horne Art Acquisitions and Management (ongoing)
- This request is all about growing and caring for the State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection
- Will cover growing insurance costs – $25,000
- Will cover cost to rent space from museums or galleries around the state for our statewide exhibitions, from which we often purchase work – $25,000
- Will cover cost of a state-of-the-art content management system with easy access for the public – $15,000
- Will cover creation of high-quality, sturdy, ADA-accessible labels with correct agency name – $50,000-75,000 one time, then $1,000 annually
- Will enable purchase of high-quality works of art from Utah artists that we can’t afford with our current budget ($160,000 – $200,000)
$1M – Ongoing for UA&M Grants Budget
$4M – One Time for UA&M Grants Budget
- Funding goes directly to nonprofit museums and arts organizations throughout the state
- Helps stabilize funding as new organizations come into the grant pool
- UA&M’s general operating support grants are critically important to the cultural sector: ongoing/operating dollars are the hardest dollars to raise for nonprofits, and are the most important to create stability in this valuable sector of our state economy
- We live in uncertain times, and our grantees have told us that the funding priorities of Utah’s foundations and corporations are shifting, and that cultural organizations may not receive the funds they have in the past
- Staffing and operational expenses for nonprofit museums and arts organizations are increasing at an accelerating rate