UTAH HUMANITIES NEWSLETTER



" Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings."

- Walt Disney
  
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Utah Humanities empowers Utahns to improve their communities
 through active engagement in the humanities.


Our Heritage Workshops Strengthen Utah Museums

   
Utah Humanities' new museum interpretation workshop series launched at the  Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts in February . The first workshop, "Telling Our Stories: Introduction to Museum Interpretation ," was the first in a series of five linked workshops that bring together nine Utah museums to work on exhibits that tell their community stories. The workshops are focusing on critical topics such as research, writing, design, and museum education.   

Workshop attendees are enjoying a very hands-on experience complete with homework directly related to their specific museum projects. They are learning and applying relevant and specific skills such as how to translate ideas and research into physical exhibits, as well as how to display objects safely. They are receiving in-depth training about the writing and editing process, what makes a good exhibit label, and how to fabricate their own professional-looking labels on a budget.

The workshops are both informative and fun, and will result in real-world exhibits in each museum.

Thanks to this great group of museums, our wonderful team of trainers, and to the  Utah Division of Arts & Museums  for partnering with us on this project!

Photo 1: Participants in the Museum Interpretation workshops are creating fascinating exhibits about their communities;  Photo 2: Problem solving object mounts;  Photo 3: Drafting a rough narrative from research and planning documents.
Photos courtesy of Megan van Frank.
 

Studying the Power of Art to Communicate Ideas



East High Clemente student Anahi Valle displays her collage of art by Mexican muralist Maria Izquierdo. Through her independent study of Izquierdo, Anahi learned how the painter drew attention to the lack of rights of women in Mexico during the twentieth century. Inspired by her research, Anahi created this collage and her own T-shirt with Izquierdo's self-portrait.

Students in the Clemente art history class at East High are studying "Communicating Through Art," examining the work of a wide variety of artists from around the world. Their teacher, Jorge Rojas, Director of Education at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and Honors College teaching fellow from the University of Utah, Jess Esplin, have helped students understand that artists often draw attention to social issues in their home countries. Cate Praggastis, teacher at East High, has helped Clemente learn how to research and develop thesis statements, as part of their study .
 
Clemente is a partnership between Utah Humanities, the Honors Colleges at the University of Utah and Westminster College, and University Neighborhood Partners. It receives major support from Alternative Visions, a fund of the Chicago Community Trust. The goal of Clemente is to inspire students to go to college and succeed there.

Photo courtesy of Jean Cheney.


We've Finalized Competitive Grants and a Research Fellowship Award!
 


The following events or projects have recently been awarded funding through our Competitive Grants and our Research Fellowships. Visit our website in the next few weeks for detailed descriptions and remember to check our calendar for event dates.

Congratulations to all!

Competitive Grants:

West View Media:  Who We Are: An Inside Look at the Diverse Cultures of Salt Lake City's 
West Side Neighborhoods

Utah Shakespeare Festival:  Play Seminars in the Grove

Utah Museum of Fine Arts:  ACME Sessions

University of Utah Department of English:   Guest Writers Series Hivemind Book Club of SLC

Ogden Union Station Museums :  We Dig History!

Utah State University Museum of Anthropology:   Expanding the World Explorers Club at the Museum of Anthropology

Silver Reef Museum:   Silver Reef Museum Student Outreach

Utah Film Center:   The Tribal Film

Spy Hop: Sending Messages:  True Stories from a Secure Care Facility

Art Access:   Dreamers Project

Artes de Mexico en Utah:   New Voices / Neuva voces

Delmont R. Oswald Research F ellowship Award:

Emma Kemp:   The Disembodied Word: Marie Ogden's Home of Truth


We've Received the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency!

Great news! Utah Humanities is one of the first organizations to receive the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, the world's largest source of nonprofit information. GuideStar recently launched the Platinum participation level to help nonprofits celebrate the results of their programs. By sharing these metrics the sector can move beyond simplistic financial ratios to assess nonprofit progress.
 
We will continue to display quantitative metrics to represent how hard Utah Humanities is working toward achieving our mission.
 
We're proud to use GuideStar Platinum to share our full story with the world. We achieved Platinum by completing GuideStar's preceding participation levels of Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each provided stakeholders with increasingly detailed organizational information ranging from basic contact information to programmatic information.


Click the State Icon to See Our Humanities Events Near You
 


Our events calendar is organized by month, date, and even region of the state.

Click the icon to visit our calendar, and remember  to check back often.

There are always new humanities events to attend!


Many Thanks

Utah Humanities is grateful for the generous support of many individuals, foundations, and corporations and for public funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Utah, and the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks Fund.
 
   

Utah Humanities would like to thank Chevron for its recent generous gift to support our 19th annual Book Festival. We would also like to recognize Mikal Byrd, Chevron's representative, who understands the important role the humanities play in our communities.


 


Empowering Utahns to improve their communities through active engagement in the humanities.

202 W 300 N, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103 | 801.359.9670 | www.utahhumanities.org