The Utah Division of Arts and Museums and the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors has released a list of 14 arts organizations awarded federal stimulus funding to reinstate jobs that were lost or preserve positions at risk of elimination due to the economic downturn. This funding will save or restore jobs in Cedar City , Logan , Moab , Ogden , Orem , and Salt Lake City .

The funding awards announced today were allotted for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which was designed to encourage and support the economic recovery of the United States . Through an optional fund accessible to state agencies as part of this granting process, the Division was able to recoup $40,000 in funding to support two folk arts staff positions lost earlier in 2009 due to statewide budget cuts. As a result, through the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, the Utah Arts Council applied for and received the maximum amount the state was eligible to request: $301,000.

In May of 2009, Utah arts organizations were contacted by the Division and invited to apply for ARRA grants in amounts ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. An advisory panel, composed of seven community members and a representative of the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors, reviewed each application. With the purpose of ARRA grants explicitly tied to the retention of positions in-jeopardy or the restoration of lost jobs, the grant review panel included an experienced human resources representative from a Utah business, as well as community representatives from across the state.

Criteria used to weigh the applications included: the quality and breadth of compelling evidence indicating job loss, the completeness of the application, the professional nature of the organization; the impact of the position on both the organization and the greater arts work force; as well as the feasibility of the proposed plan to fund the position after the ARRA funding was spent.

“In difficult economic times, it’s tempting to cut staff because – for most arts organization and museums like Treehouse Children’s Museum – that’s where the bulk of the expenses are. But cutting staff positions means the remaining staff have even more responsibilities with even fewer resources available. Eventually you lose trained and creative staff, and ultimately the quality of the experience provided to patrons begins to suffer,” said Lynne Goodwin, executive director of the Elizabeth Stewart Treehouse Children’s Museum in Ogden .

The following organizations will receive funding for jobs through the state-level grants program:

Cedar City

Utah Shakespearean Festival, Southern Utah University

$25,000 for the positions of Scenery Director and Assistant Box Office Manager

Logan

Alliance for the Varied Arts

$15,000 for the Marketing Coordinator

Cache Valley Center for the Arts

$10,000 for the position of Marketing Director

Moab

Moab Music Festival

$10,000 for the Executive Director, Administrative Box Office Manager, External Relations Manager, Operations Director, Assistant Operations Director, Music Director, and Artistic Director positions

Ogden

Elizabeth Stewart Treehouse Children’s Museum

$25,000 for our position of Education Coordinator

Orem

City of Orem : Timpanogos Storytelling Festival

$15,000 for the position of Outreach Services Assistant

Salt Lake City

Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah

$25,000 for our Education and Outreach Coordinator

Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT)

$15,000 for the positions of nine dancers

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Foundation

$25,000 for the position of Assistant Touring Manager      

Plan-B Theatre Company

$13,000 for the positions of Managing Director and Producing Director

Salt Lake Acting Company

$25,000 for the position of Executive Artistic Director

Salt Lake Art Center

$25,000 for a full-time Curator of Education

Tanner Dance Program, University of Utah

$13,000 for five part-time teaching positions

Utah Symphony & Opera

$10,000 for five resident artist positions and restore four resident artist positions

“We are just thrilled to receive this grant,” said Louise Wallace of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. “We are so grateful to the Utah Arts Council for administering the program and awarding this grant. These funds will be critical to the cultural arts programming that we provide the community. This is programming that makes a real difference in people’s lives and their quality of living.”

ARRA funds will be available beginning October 1, 2009.  For further information on the complete grant program, please visit the National Endowment for the Arts website at www.arts.gov. For more information on the grants distributed in Utah , please contact Katie Woslager, Grants and Endowment Manager, at kwoslager@utah.gov or 801.236.7550.

The Utah Arts Council is housed within the Division of Arts and Museums. The Division is part of the Utah Department of Community and Culture and promotes innovation in and the growth of Utah ’s arts, cultural, and museum community. Visit us at  www.artsandmuseums.utah.gov  or call 801.236.7555.

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.