Kirsten Darrington and arts supporter Max Chang enjoy an action figure of former division director Vicki Panella Bourns at Vicki's retirement party this summer.
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Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I’m delighted to introduce myself to you, in my first intro to the ArtsMuse newsletter, as the director of Utah Division of Arts & Museums. Some of you already know me. For those who don’t: During my more than 15 years of involvement in Utah’s arts and culture sector, I’ve worked at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Salt Lake County’s Zoo, Arts, & Parks Program, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. I also served at Utah Arts & Museums in a variety of roles in the past, including assistant director of the agency back in 2013-16. So this is really a homecoming for me!
Utah has a vibrant and passionate cultural community, and I’m looking forward to working alongside you all in the coming months. In the meantime, please check out some of the division’s goings-on further down in this newsletter.
Warm regards,
Kirsten Darrington
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.
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The Utah Nonprofits Association offers the Nonprofit Credential in areas such as fundraising, marketing, and volunteer management.
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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.
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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.
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The DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management is offering “An AI Roadmap for Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations.”
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The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies has free advocacy resources for nonprofit arts organizations.
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ArtsHub has resources, training, and support to help arts and culture organizations advance accessibility.
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SMU DataArts is conducting a study on Generative AI in the Performing Arts with the goal of learning about how these technologies are affecting artists’ work, income, career opportunities, and creative practices.
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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.
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The John Wesley Powell River History Museum has issued a Request for Qualifications for Exhibit Master Planning and Interpretive Planning Services. The RFQ is open through Sept. 8.
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Our colleagues at Utah Historical Society invite you to join them for the Utah History Summit on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the North Capitol Building.
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Art Preservation Fund is a newly launched national initiative expanding access to conservation funding and expertise for museums, historical societies, archives, tribal organizations, and other collecting institutions across the nation. They are currently in the early stages of fundraising and organizational development, with plans to open their first grant application cycle in Fall 2026.
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Join Us for the Breaking Barriers Conference |
Art Access and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums invite you to join us for the Breaking Barriers Conference. This conference is for past participants of the Breaking Barriers program and their peers, as well as for anyone interested in advancing accessibility within their organization. The conference is free and will take place on Monday, Aug. 24 over Zoom.
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We're proud to support Utah Creative Aging Coalition's Kaleidoscope Festival, Utah’s first statewide creative aging festival. This month-long celebration honors the creativity, connection, and vitality of older adults through performances, classes, exhibits, and community events. The festival begins with a kickoff celebration on Aug. 22 in Salt Lake City, followed by arts experiences across Utah through Sept. 19. Registration opens July 20. Classes are intended for adults 55+, are free of charge, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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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.
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Book the Utah Poet Laureate |
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.
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Poetry Out Loud Coming Soon |
We are thrilled to announce the return of Poetry Out Loud for Utah 9th- through 12th-graders this school year. This annual nationwide poetry reciting competition offers students the chance to dig deep into great works of poetry while competing for cash prizes and the chance to represent our state at the national finals in Washington, D.C. next spring. This year's competition will feature a completely new and expanded anthology of poems, to be unveiled Sept. 1. Registration is opening soon! Keep an eye on our POL webpage, where you can sign up to receive notifications.
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The application for the Fall 2026 Change Leader Institute is open and will close on Friday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. The Change Leader Institute is a professional development course that addresses leadership issues in relation to leading or surviving change. Our goals are to better equip arts, museums, and cultural leaders to deal with environmental and organizational change and to create a statewide support network for Utah's cultural community.
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Kirsten Darrington,
Division Director
Katherine Potter,
Interim Commissioner
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| 3760 S. Highland Drive
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