PLEASE, NO MORE ART
The Utah Division of Arts & Museums has announced a temporary pause on accepting new artwork donations as of June 1, 2025. This pause is due to the agency’s transition to a new storage facility located at the forthcoming Museum of Utah. During this time, staff will focus on preserving the existing collection and preparing artworks for future loans and exhibitions. The division plans to resume reviewing new acquisitions, including both donations and purchases, once the Museum of Utah is operational. For more details, the public is encouraged to contact Collections Manager Hannah Barrett at hbarrett@utah.gov.

Matthew Mazzotta, artist for a forthcoming public artwork in Salt Lake City’s Glendale Park

Matthew Mazzotta to create landmark public art at Glendale Park
The Salt Lake City Arts Council has commissioned acclaimed artist Matthew Mazzotta to lead a major public art project at the future Glendale Park—marking the city’s largest-ever West Side commission. Known for integrating community input into his site-specific works, Mazzotta will host “Outdoor Living Room” events to gather local voices and shape a meaningful installation. The park is part of a 100-acre green space initiative and represents a historic investment in Salt Lake’s West Side.
Public engagement events:
Thursday, April 24, 6-8 p.m.
Rose Park Smiths Grocery Store, 1200 W 600 N

Saturday,  April 26, 1-3 p.m.
International Peace Gardens, 1060 S 900 W

Elizabeth Malaska wins 2025 Doctorow Prize for Painting

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art has awarded the 2025 Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting to Portland-based artist Elizabeth Malaska. The biennial award includes a $15,000 unrestricted cash prize and a solo exhibition of Malaska’s work, on view at UMOCA from September 26, 2025, through January 3, 2026. Malaska is known for her richly layered, symbolically charged paintings that draw on mythology, representations of the body, and the natural world to explore themes of protection, vulnerability, and transformation. Her work has been featured in ArtForum, Art in America, and Ms. Magazine, and is included in the permanent collections of the Seattle Art Museum and Portland Art Museum.

Utah Humanities faces major blow as NEH cuts funding
Utah Humanities has announced the termination of its federal grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, following widespread NEH cuts on April 2 that affected over 1,200 grants nationwide. The loss jeopardizes critical support for statewide programs in literature, history, and museum education—initiatives the organization calls “essential to our cultural infrastructure.” From 2019 to 2023, Utah received over $9.6 million in NEH support, benefitting institutions like the University of Utah and Southern Utah Museum of Art. Utah Humanities is urging community members to contact elected officials and share stories of the impact humanities programs have had across the state.
Advocacy Resources

15 Bytes

UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.