1. What was the last piece of art you bought?

Ted Wassman, it was a gift from my mom for Christmas. Kathryn Wilson (mother) owner of Sego Gallery

2. Who is your favorite Utah artist living or dead?

Kathryn Wilson (mom), Marah Brown Rohovit (mother in law). Outside of the Family it would have to be Kathryn Stats, southern Utah landscape painter

3. Have you ever attended a gallery stroll event in Salt Lake City, when?

Yes, last spring.

4. What is one of your favorite galleries/museum/art spaces in SLC?

One right next to Red Rock that always has some really interesting pieces. I really like small galleries that have some very unusual things. And not that it will always work for my home or office or whatever but its part of art appreciation and really learning from art is seeing some of the really innovative and creative kind of funky sometimes not so successful projects. Somebody really expressing themselves in a creative way.

5. The Salt Lake City Arts Council is an important part of the Salt Lake City visual arts scene. What could be done to increase funding for this entity?

Well, I would say that I’ve already helped as much as we, well not as much as we can but helped substantially, but they are in that space rent-free. That has been a county commitment to have the art center be a tenant in a rent-free capacity. I think it’s a very important entity within the community. I like the focus on the contemporary. I think they do a great job. There has been some discussion about relocation although I have skepticism that they could ever find a more beautiful location.

6. Do you have any final thoughts about what the mayor’s office could do to better serve the visual arts community?

Well, the gallery stroll is incredible. I think, if you go to my website and look at my ideas on a creative economy as it relates to downtown Salt Lake, its very synergistic for my plan of downtown. You know there is a great new downtown development coming on board with retail and housing, we have to focus on our creative industries. That includes more galleries, fostering young people who are creative with technology and architectural firms, graphic artists, more galleries. I think that is all part of what will ultimately be the piece missing and is the success for down town Salt Lake. My plan really speaks to visual arts and I think it’s the more we can get in our downtown area primarily within the city the better. I am very influenced by the visual arts considering my mom has made a career out of being an artist and gallery owner. Married a guy whose mother is in the same camp, a very strong visual artist. We are clearly part of that community. I am on the board of the Museum of Fine Arts and proud of that and work hard on that one, in fact they have some great exhibits coming up. Really believe that the arts enrich learning, they enrich education of kids this age (son 4) and are really such an important element in the viability of our communities. I think the focus by the mayor in really creating a fostering environment where artists can flourish is going to be important. I want to see more arts back in the schools. It is really a challenge. The Museum has a great program Art in a Box that goes statewide, it’s a great thing but we really need to get a better understanding to the community that art is a priority.