Left to right: Vicki Bourns, Terry Goedel, and Mary Anne Carter
|
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We had a wonderful time sharing Utah with the National Endowment for the Arts chairman, Mary Anne Carter, earlier this month. Chairman Carter was in town to launch the Blue Star Museums program at Hill Aerospace Museum, and she took time to meet with arts educators, tour the new Museum of Utah on Capitol Hill, speak at the Culture Connects conference, and participate in a grants funding information session. She spoke about the importance of the arts to the everyday wellbeing of all Americans, from young children to senior citizens. Chairman Carter also mentioned a recent study from England that analyzed arts engagement and physical activity. The study showed that arts and cultural engagement were linked to a slower pace of biological aging. Good news for all of us!
While we're on the subject of aging, let me mention that our agency is looking for 25 individuals who are interested in being trained in how to teach art-making to adults 55 and older. This Lifetime Arts course is recommended for anyone planning to run, teach, or sustain creative aging programs. Training will occur on Thursday, July 30. More information can be found here.
And speaking of the new Museum of Utah, there is a grand opening event on Saturday, June 27. Come visit to check out artwork from our State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection, on display among fascinating historical artifacts from our sister agency, Utah Historical Society. And check out the item further down in this newsletter about moving the collection to its new home.
Warm regards,
Victoria Panella Bourns
Director, Utah Division of Arts & Museums
P.S. As always, you can find us on Instagram and Facebook at @utahartsandmuseums. A list of our newsletters that you can subscribe to is on our Newsletters webpage. Looking for a past newsletter? Check out our Past Newsletters webpage.
|
|
|
|
- The Utah Nonprofits Association offers the Nonprofit Credential in areas such as fundraising, marketing, and volunteer management.
-
Creative West is offering a Capacity Building Webinar Series, a year-long lineup of free professional development workshops for artists and arts organizations. Join them the second Tuesday of each month from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
-
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting applications for its FY26 discretionary grant cycle. There are a number of museum grant programs to be aware of.
-
The DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management is offering “An AI Roadmap for Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations.”
-
The National Endowment for the Humanities is running the American Heroes Student Art Contest, open to students in grades 3–12. Students should submit an original, handmade two-dimensional artwork and an artist statement. Submit by June 1 at 11:59pm EST.
-
Our colleagues at Utah State Historic Preservation Office are hosting Preservation Engaged, an annual convening of people from across the state to discuss revitalizing and protecting Utah's collective history. The event is Friday, June 12 at Ogden High School; register by June 5.
-
The University of Utah Department of Theatre and Spy Hop are hosting In-Person Facilitation Workshops with Michael Rohd, June 11-13. This course is for people who facilitate, teach, lead, direct, guide, or host in classroom, arts, public engagement, community meeting, organizational, municipal, or team contexts.
-
The National Endowment for the Arts’ annual Blue Star Museums Program is open. The program encourages museums, zoos, botanical gardens, historic houses, etc. to offer free admission to active-duty military personnel and up to five family members. The program runs through Sept. 7.
-
Creative West’s “Living Traditions: Folk Art and Beyond Grant” celebrates and invests in the cultural practices and art forms that connect and sustain communities. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 30, 2026, or until all available funds have been awarded.
-
Guidelines and application materials for the National Endowment for the Arts’ principal grants category, Grants for Arts Projects, are now available. Application deadline is July 9, 2026, for projects taking place beginning in 2027.
|
|
|
|
Call for Artwork: Statewide Annual UT ’26 |
We’re now accepting artwork submissions from all Utah artists, 18 and older, for this year’s exhibition, hosted by Utah Valley University Museum of Art at Lakemount, Dec. 8, 2026 - March 13, 2027. Each artist is welcome to submit two artworks for consideration. Submissions must follow the theme of this year’s exhibition: Mixed Media, Works on Paper, and Installation. We are honored to have Lehuauakea (Hawaii/New Mexico) and Liz Miller (Minnesota) as this year’s jurors. Nearly $10,000 will be awarded, and each artist will be paid a $150 honorarium for each artwork selected for exhibition. Deadline to submit artwork is July 9.
|
|
|
|
“40 Years of Folk” Opens June 5 |
First opening as a venue for Utah folk art in 1986, the Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Art has been a valued space of the Utah Division of Arts & Museums for 40 years. In honor of the history of the museum and the artists who have played a vital role in its journey, we have invited all artists who have worked with our museum to submit artwork for our upcoming exhibition, “40 Years of Folk.” This exhibition will showcase the variety of artists involved in exhibitions and programming at our museum over the past 40 years. Join us for an opening reception on June 5, 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
|
|
|
Our Living Folk Arts Education workshop series is accepting applications. This free program allows folk artists from the UA&M Teaching Artists roster to offer hands-on workshops to schools and community groups around the state. Groups can select from a wide range of traditional arts workshops taught by Utah folk artists. You can hold a workshop at the Chase Home Museum in Salt Lake City or arrange to have the artist come to your location.
|
|
|
|
|
Utah Original Writing Competition Opens Soon |
Since 1958, our Utah Original Writing Competition has awarded Utah writers for works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in a variety of forms. The competition’s mission is to aid Utah writers on their path to publication and broader recognition. Submissions must be original works and, with some exceptions, cannot be published or accepted for publication at the time of entry. Manuscripts are reviewed in a blind process by judges selected from outside of Utah. There is no entry fee, and it is open to all Utah residents age 18 and over. We're delighted to be partnering with Utah Humanities for the management of this year’s competition. The competition opens May 25 and closes July 1.
|
|
|
|
Utah Artist Fellowship
Professional Development |
The Utah Artist Fellowship Professional Development Series helps professionals in a variety of creative fields master the business side of their practices. Join us for:
Taxes for Artists, Freelancers,
and Creative Businesses
Presenter: Hannah Cole, Enrolled Agent,
of Sunlight Tax
Wed. May 27, 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Three-Part Series:
Promoting Yourself and Your Work
Presenter: Robin Cembalest
+ Instagram for Artists
Wed. May 20, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
+ Crafting Your Artist Statement
Tues. May 26, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
+ Promoting Yourself and Your Art
Wed. May 27, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
|
|
|
Alice Merrill Horne
Art Collection Has New Home |
The State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection is finally in its new home at the North Capitol Building, where the new Museum of Utah is housed. Our staff, with Bailey’s Moving & Storage, moved roughly 1,800 artworks from our previous storage locations into the new, state-of-the-art collections space. The team will spend the next few months methodically unpacking, checking conditions, and re-shelving artworks in their permanent homes.
|
|
|
|
|
Grant reports for General Operating Support, Creative Aging, Collections Preservation, and Individual Artists are due June 1! Please ensure you complete your report by the deadline. Final payments will be processed once your report is submitted and approved.
|
|
| Are you interested in a reading or workshop with Utah Poet Laureate Lisa Bickmore for your school or community group? Learn more at the link about booking an appearance. Requests are honored based on the nature of the request and the availability of the poet laureate.
|
|
| Our sister agency, the America250 Utah commission, is organizing events in the state to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Your organization can get involved by requesting a branding kit on the America250 Utah website.
|
|
|
|
|
Victoria Panella Bourns,
Division Director
Donna Law,
Commissioner
|
| 3760 S. Highland Drive
Millcreek, UT 84106
|
| |
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
3760 South Highland Drive | Millcreek, UT 84106 US
|
|
|
|
This email was sent to agrove@utah.gov.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
