Matters of public concern related to Utah’s visual arts community.
A report from Utah’s 2017 legislative session You probably know Utah has a state bird (seagull) and a state flower (sego lily), but did you know there’s also a state rock (coal), a state fossil (Allosaurus) and not one but two state vegetables — a historic one (the […]
“This is outrageous,” erupts Chicana artist Ruby Chacon on Facebook about the West Jordan mural set-to. “What are people thinking?!?! Seriously . . . I don’t get this mentality.” For those who haven’t followed the probably-only-in-Utah story, widely covered by media, it goes something like this – many […]
On Monday, Lynnette Hiskey stepped down as Director of the Utah Division of Arts & Museums after two years in the position. She previously had served as the department’s assistant director and was promoted to the new position after Margaret Hunt resigned in 2013. Hiskey’s departure was sudden […]
Pioneer Craft House calls for an open meeting to discuss the future of the arts in South Salt Lake.
by Geoff Wichert My first published writings on art were written in Southern California, and published by a magazine in Portland, Oregon. They were written in the LA area because that was where my stained glass studio was, and the city was then a hot place for glass […]
The Kimball Art Center has announced that its Board of Directors and Building Committee will host a “Meet Your Designer Night” with the Top Five architects (out of 18 invited firms) chosen to compete for the Kimball Art Center Transformation Project. At the historic Egyptian Theater the invited […]
While the debt ceiling debate dominated the political news, another piece of legislation, important to the arts community, came to a vote last week. The Walberg Amendment, which would have cut an additional $10.6 million from the NEA on top of the proposed $20 million cut in the […]
The Utah Cultural Alliance reports that Kansas has become the first state without an arts agency. Governor Sam Brownback vetoed funding for the Kansas Arts Commission after the legislature voted to fund the commission over his objections. Read the article here. The UCA also reports that the U.S. […]
First, on the local level (text courtesy of UCA member organization Utah Heritage Foundation): Preservation moratorium proposed Senate Bill 243, Historic Areas or Sites Amendment, was released with text on Monday, February 7, 2011. In brief, the bill proposes a year-long moratorium on designations, expenditures, and development agreements […]
From his recent statements that degrees in the liberal arts are “degrees to nowhere” Utah State Senator Howard Stephenson (R, Draper) appears to be either: 1) disappointed in himself 2) a “liberal” 3) a seer Or possibly all three. Disappointed because his own bachelor’s degree in psychology […]
If you’ve been watching the debates in Utah’s gubernatorial election, you’ve probably noticed that discussing the arts is not a priority. Which is why we had Amanda Finlayson sit down with the two candidates to discuss their personal involvement in the arts and how they would support Utah’s […]
Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of Gilgal Garden becoming a Salt Lake City public park. Of course the art that became a park is much older than that. Salt Lake’s answer to Simon Rodia’s Watt’s Tower or the Palais Ideal of Facteur Cheval, Gilgal was the creation of […]
