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Join our community!
Utah Humanities empowers Utahns to improve their communities
through active engagement in the humanities
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Making the Executive Director Transition
On March 1, Cynthia Buckingham will retire as Executive Director, and Jodi Graham will officially take the helm of Utah Humanities. This change gives us an opportunity to review our history and prepare for the future of UH.
Cynthia and Jodi are working closely together to ensure a successful transition, and you can reach them at their respective emails:
[email protected]
and
[email protected]
.
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Speaking Volumes | Transforming Hate Opens in Springville
Speaking Volumes | Transforming Hate
opened on Wednesday, January 17, at the
Springville Museum of Art. Attended by an engaged and enthusiastic audience, the opening was an opportunity to explore challenging topics through art and informal discussion.
Springville Museum of Art chose to present this exhibition in partnership with Utah Humanities to help school children and other community members find ways to decrease bullying and other forms of discrimination in Utah County, an area of the state that is growing rapidly and continuing to diversify.
Other events in conjunction with the Springville exhibition stay include free tours for schools and the community, a teen night, an Evening for Educators featuring the show's curator Katie Knight, Open Studio art-making for children, and a writing workshop in partnership with the Springville Library.
Speaking Volumes | Transforming Hate
showcases the diverse work of more than thirty artists who have transformed thousands of hateful white supremacist books into uplifting works of art. This stunning exhibition challenges and moves visitors with its thought-provoking and occasionally light-hearted collection of artwork, and provides honest opportunities to address discrimination in our communities and racism in America.
Given the increased tension and rhetoric surrounding race and white nationalism in the United States, Utah Humanities sought an opportunity to bring the exhibition Speaking Volumes | Transforming Hate to
Utah and to work with local cultural organizations in addressing racism and other forms of
discrimination through a humanities lens.
After a stay at the Springville Museum of Art, the exhibition will move to the Ogden Union Station Museums later in 2018. We encourage you to visit this riveting exhibition at one or both of these locations.
Corrections from the radio interview: The ceramic artist mentioned is Richard Notkin, not Ernesto Chagoya as stated. Also, Chagoya's first name is Enrique.
Photos: Community members attending Speaking Volumes | Transforming Hate absorb the artwork and brief artist statements. Over 50 people attended the opening, visited the exhibition, and discussed the challenging topics of racism and discrimination.
Photos courtesy of Deena Pyle.
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"United We Read" Launches a County-Wide Book Club
Utah Humanities is partnering with Salt Lake County Library, The City Library, and Murray Library on the second annual United We Read SLC and a county-wide reading of
The Book of Unknown Americans
by Cristina Henriquez.
The Book of Unknown Americans
is a novel that gives voice to millions of Americans as it tells the story of the love between a Panamanian boy and a Mexican girl: teenagers living in an apartment block of immigrant families like their own.
"
The Book of Unknown Americans is a welcome contribution to a broadening literary conversation about Latino experience - a contribution that features immigrants from all across the Américas, and all walks of life,"
says Ashley Hope Perez, from the Texas Observer.
 The author, Cristina Henriquez, attended the launch of United We Read SLC at the Viridian Event Center on January 17th. She delighted attendees by speaking about the origins and purpose of her work, and signed books while visiting with the crowd.
Michael McLane, Director of Utah Humanities Center for the Book, felt compelled to partner with the libraries on such a timely topic and to help to organize events in support of reading and discussing the novel.
"These community reads have become more and more popular and I think the book is the perfect choice for this point in time,"
says McLane in a recent Deseret News article.
In addition, share your experience with others by hosting a book discussion, and by sharing posts and pictures of the book and your discussions on social media, using these hashtags:
#UnitedWeReadSLC
#ReadConnectShare
Photo 2:
Cristina Henríquez, author of "The Book of Unknown Americans," visited the County Library's Viridian Event Center on Jan. 17 to discuss her book, which is being featured in the second-annual United We Read SLC campaign this year. Photo credit: cristinahenríquez.com.
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The Way We Worked
Utah Work Stories Collections: Beehive Archive and UPR's Utah Works Series
Utah Stories from the Beehive Archive
Our year-long tour of The Way We Worked exhibition, which wrapped up at its final location in Park City earlier this month, examined the strength and spirit of American workers through archival images, compelling videos, and fascinating interviews. As the tour made its way through Utah, we were reminded that "we aren't the Beehive state for nothing!" and had a statewide chance to better understand how work is a key component of Utah's own identity.
In combination with the exhibition, our Beehive Archive radio show featured a new Utah work story each week. Throughout 2017, listeners could tune in to the two-minute broadcast on KCPW and Utah Public Radio to hear little-known nuggets of Utah work history.
Each story - meticulously researched, written, and recorded - also resides on our Beehive Archive website, complete with the audio recording, photos, and sources. The entire collection is searchable and its 280 episodes (and counting) serve as a fascinating, usable archive of Utah history.
Visit our Beehive Archive for a two-minute look at some of the most pivotal - and peculiar - events in Utah history! Or tune in to KCPW Radio (88.3 FM and 105.3 FM) Friday mornings at 8:30 am or to Utah Public Radio (on various statewide frequencies) on Monday afternoons at 4:30 pm, Tuesday mornings at 7:40 am, Thursdays at 11:35 am, and Saturday morning at 8:35 am.
With all of the history and none of the dust, the Beehive Archive is a fun way to catch up on Utah's past.
Beehive Archive is supported by a generous grant from the Lawrence T. and Janet T. Dee Foundation.
Also in combination with our tour of The Way We Worked, we collaborated with Utah Public Radio and three exhibition hosts to interview local residents about their work. The result is a collection of over 25 modern-day work stories from across Utah that range from an 81-year-old farmer to a professional viola player to a spinal surgeon.
The stories, told in participants' own words, explore highly personal accounts of path-changing events, the turns of life that led to their current work, and how their employment enriches them as individuals as well as strengthens their communities. This series honors the range of modern-day work that Utahns do and clearly shows how individual efforts help to weave a vibrant Utah.
Utah Public Radio broadcasted these Utah Works stories across the state four times per week and streamed them on the UPR website, where the entire collection resides. For more information, and to listen to Utah Works stories, visit Utah Public Radio.
Photo 1:
Young Women Deliver Ice, 1918. National Archives, Record of the War Department General and Special Staffs.
Photo Grid: Images of Utah Public Radio's Utah Works Series. From left to right: Glen Wall, Kami Deardon, Jesse Garcia. Photos credit: Utah Public Radio.
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Democracy and the Informed Citizen
We are thrilled to announce that we are the recipient of a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the "Democracy and the Informed Citizen" Initiative! The initiative seeks to deepen the public's knowledge and appreciation of the vital connections between democracy, the humanities, journalism, and an informed citizenry.
The genesis of "
Democracy and the Informed Citizen"
was inspired by the Federation's recent partnership with the Pulitzer Prizes on its centennial Campfires initiative and the more than
700 events commemorating the milestone hosted by state humanities organizations across the country. Utah Humanities participated in this celebration, and you can view a re-cap of the events we hosted in partnership with The Salt Lake Tribune and two of Utah's public radio stations, UPR and KCPW.
We now have an opportunity to examine what it means to be an informed citizen in a democracy. As with the Campfires programs, we will draw on Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, and Pulitzer Prize-winning works, to explore how the humanities and journalism help develop depth, perspective, and understanding of important issues affecting communities and the nation.
Our public programs will include community conversations, book discussions, and additional events starting early in 2018.
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Museum Feedback is Needed for StEPS Project
We need feedback from all of our museum friends!
Utah Humanities, Utah Arts & Museums' Office of Museum Services, and Utah Division of State History are partnering to pilot an American Association for State and Local History jumpstart StEPS project in Utah.
Please help us create targeted programming for our state's museums by participating in our survey.
Feedback is appreciated by February 19, 2018.
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Making a Gift Makes a Difference!
Utah Humanities would like to thank everyone who supports our work, which continues to thrive and grow each year because of your participation and generosity. We are able to empower Utahns to improve their communities through the humanities because of your help.
YOU can continue to make a difference by making a one-time gift, a gift in memory or in honor of someone special in your life, or a monthly sustaining gift to support our work through our secure website by clicking the gift box below!
For more information or to learn about other ways to give, contact Cristi Wetterberg at 801.359.9670 x108 or [email protected]. Your gift in any amount helps to change lives across the state and is 100% tax deductible.
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Click the State Icon to See Our Humanities Events Near You
Our events calendar is organized by month, date, and 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!
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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.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed on this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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