{"id":93656,"date":"2025-06-17T07:09:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T14:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=93656"},"modified":"2025-06-19T07:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T14:41:32","slug":"slc-mayors-artist-awards-and-other-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/slc-mayors-artist-awards-and-other-news\/","title":{"rendered":"SLC Mayor&#8217;s Artist Awards and Other News"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-93656 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/slc-mayors-artist-awards-and-other-news\/screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8-38-51-am\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.51-AM-290x290.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.51-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.51-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.51-AM-360x360.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/slc-mayors-artist-awards-and-other-news\/screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8-38-36-am\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.36-AM-290x290.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.36-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.36-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.36-AM-360x360.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/slc-mayors-artist-awards-and-other-news\/screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8-39-06-am\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.39.06-AM-290x290.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.39.06-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.39.06-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.39.06-AM-360x360.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/slc-mayors-artist-awards-and-other-news\/screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8-38-44-am\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.44-AM-290x290.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.44-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.44-AM-350x350.png 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.44-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.44-AM-360x360.png 360w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.44-AM.png 594w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/slc-mayors-artist-awards-and-other-news\/screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8-38-58-am\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.58-AM-290x290.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.58-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.58-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.38.58-AM-360x360.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has announced the recipients of the 2025 Mayor\u2019s Artists Awards, honoring individuals and organizations that have made lasting contributions to the city\u2019s cultural life. A few are such longstanding champions of our arts community\u2014pillars, if you will\u2014we were surprised to learn they hadn&#8217;t already been honored.<\/p>\n<p>Established in 1992, the Mayor\u2019s Artists Awards recognize the people and groups who use the arts to enrich community life and elevate the city\u2019s creative spirit. This year\u2019s honorees exemplify the diversity and vibrancy of Salt Lake\u2019s arts ecosystem. The awards will be presented on Friday, June 20, at 5:45 p.m. during the <a href=\"http:\/\/uaf.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Utah Arts Festival<\/a> on the Festival Stage at Washington and Library Square.<\/p>\n<p>We want to give a special shout out to Laura Durham, an early champion of Artists of Utah, a one-time writer for 15 Bytes, the creator of our Utah&#8217;s 15 program recognizing the state&#8217;s most influential artists and currently a member of our board of directors. Durham is Director of Programming &amp; Community Engagement at PBS Utah where she is celebrated for her commitment to storytelling and her support of Utah\u2019s creative communities. With a 25-year career in arts administration, Durham is known for her behind-the-scenes work amplifying artists and fostering meaningful public engagement. Catch a glimpse of Durham at the beginning of her career in <a href=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/index.php\/laura-durham-joan-of-art\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this 2003 profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gretchen Dietrich, Executive Director of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts since 2009, is recognized for more than 35 years of leadership in the museum field, including roles at the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Under her direction, the UMFA has seen major increases in attendance, outreach, and national visibility. <a href=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/index.php\/gretchen-dietrich\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read our 2010 profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve watched a film that changed your vision of the world or reshaped your idea of what art can be, there&#8217;s a good chance you saw it at the Salt Lake Film Society. With a year-round festival model and stewardship of two landmark theaters, SLFS champions diverse storytelling and has generated more than $150 million in arts and economic impact over the past two decades.<\/p>\n<p>Hot House West, a Salt Lake City\u2013based nonprofit, is recognized for reinvigorating Utah\u2019s acoustic music scene. With over 380 events in 2024 alone, the organization creates spaces for joyful participation and nurtures the next generation of musicians through performance opportunities and educational programs.<\/p>\n<p>Oaxaca en Utah receives the award for its dedication to cultural preservation and celebration. Through events like La Guelaguetza and collaborative art programming, the organization shares the rich heritage of Oaxaca, Mexico, while promoting cross-cultural connection and pride in Indigenous traditions.<\/p>\n<p>Together, these honorees reflect the heart of Salt Lake\u2019s creative community \u2014 inclusive, innovative, and deeply engaged. Their recognition during the city\u2019s largest celebration of the arts underscores the vital role that art plays in building and sustaining a vibrant urban culture.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt alignleft wp-image-93657 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.13.21-AM-290x290.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.13.21-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.13.21-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.13.21-AM-360x360.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>6\/17 DESERET NEWS: The trail of Utah wildlife murals, where art and nature converge into adventure<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A new trail map, dubbed Wildlife Walls, links murals throughout the state to local wildlife viewing areas, encouraging people to explore Utah\u2019s biodiversity.<\/p>\n<p>Its creator, Chris Peterson, is a local artist with a knack for everything involving nature and the outdoors, particularly encounters with wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I try to communicate in my murals is the magic of wildlife encounters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/utah\/2025\/06\/17\/wildlife-mural-trail-contest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-93659\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.19.43-AM-290x290.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.19.43-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.19.43-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.19.43-AM-360x360.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>5\/29 SLTRIB: A former Utah dairy farmer acquired 1,000 artworks for this museum. See his top 10 gets.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-raw\">When the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art opened its doors in 1982, its galleries were nearly empty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-raw\">The earliest exhibitions at the Logan museum included the expected \u2014 Western landscapes, Navajo blankets and cowboy and Native American illustrations. But George Wanlass \u2014 the great-nephew of museum founder Nora Eccles Harrison \u2014 knew the space needed something more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-raw\" data-inc=\"1\">\u201cWe had a museum,\u201d Wanlass said, \u201cthat was mostly just devoid of any contents that suited the magnificence of its setting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/artsliving\/2025\/05\/29\/see-george-wanlasss-top-10\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-93658\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.17.32-AM-290x290.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"290\" height=\"290\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.17.32-AM-290x290.png 290w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.17.32-AM-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-19-at-8.17.32-AM-360x360.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>5\/24 SLTRIB: Mammoth painting is an Italian artist\u2019s valentine to southern Utah\u2019s flora and musical heritage<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-raw\">A renowned Italian artist whose large-scale murals adorn buildings in more than dozen countries, Pepe Gaka joined dignitaries in St. George Friday to debut his latest creation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-raw\">Dubbed \u201cThe Sound of St. George,\u201d the vivid 7,000-square-foot-plus mural covers the west- and south-facing walls of a downtown parking structure shared by the\u00a0Advenire Hotel\u00a0and City View Apartments, and pays homage to the desert flora and the area\u2019s orchestra of note, the\u00a0Southwest Symphony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-raw\" data-inc=\"1\">St. George City Council member Dannielle Larkin said the mural helps the city and private sector in their ongoing efforts to bolster the area\u2019s economy and beautify the municipal downtown.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/artsliving\/arts\/2025\/05\/24\/st-georges-largest-mural-debuts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has announced the recipients of the 2025 Mayor\u2019s Artists Awards, honoring individuals and organizations that have made lasting contributions to the city\u2019s cultural life. A few are such longstanding champions of our arts community\u2014pillars, if you will\u2014we were surprised to learn they [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mixed_media","category-recognized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/awardees-horizontal.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 21:09:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93666,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93656\/revisions\/93666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}