New Name. Better Alignment. The Utah Department of Heritage & Arts officially became the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement (CCE) on May 5, 2021. This name change better reflects who we are as a department, and it brings common goals to the forefront as it aligns us as a family of divisions. Just as the name Cultural and …
Exhibition Celebrates 125 Years of Utah Art
By Reneé Leta This month, the Utah Division of Arts & Museums celebrates its 125th anniversary with a reception launching a new exhibition in Cedar City. The traveling exhibition, 125 Years of Collecting, pays homage to Alice Merrill Horne, a state legislator who drafted and passed Utah’s “Art Bill” in 1899. The bill established a state art collection, which now …
Drawing upon the Power of Stories to Connect Utah
Magnify Utah is a website showcasing stories that aims to serve as a resource to invite Utahns to find unity and connection.
Play Women’s History Bingo This Month
By Reneé Leta For Women’s History Month, the Utah Women’s History Initiative, a program of the Utah Historical Society, has put together a slate of activities on a Bingo style-card to showcase women who make a difference in their communities. Utah has many unique connections to women’s history — from Paiute memory-keepers to Utah’s suffrage story and beyond. The commemoration …
Utah’s ‘Blackout’ License Plates
By Reneé Leta Utah’s new black-and-white specialty license plate has been in production for less than a year. With a six-to-eight week waitlist, the demand for the “blackout” plate has been remarkable. It’s a Utah phenomenon that’s part of a national trend, as more than 10 states are now offering similar plates. In 2018, state Sen. Lincoln Fillmore co-sponsored a bill …
Sarina V. Ehrgott: Seven Years of Beautifying and Branding CCE
Branding is more than colors and fonts. It’s about the underlying strategy of reaching the right audience at the right time. Building upon those ideas, designing the More Than A Flag campaign was about more than colors and symbols. Adopting a new flag was about the process of inviting public designs, and public feedback, working with teachers, students, voters, professional …
Utah’s Youth are Making Service Cool
By Ellen Fagg Weist Direct one-on-one service is meaningful, no matter what size or scope of project you participate in. But youth on UServeUtah’s high school and college councils also learn how to develop and execute a project that fills a need in their local community. They learn about project management and recruiting volunteers, and along the way, they’re also …
Up Close: Q&A with Donna Law
Appointed by Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, Donna Law leads the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement as the interim executive director. “Donna brings a wealth of experience in the arts, administration, government relations and communications — a full package of skills that will serve the state’s cultural and community engagement needs well,” said Gov. Cox in an announcing …
Why Utahns Serve: It’s Who We Are
Utahns don’t just talk about service. We jump in to volunteer in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our communities. And we join our colleagues in service, thanks to businesses who make volunteerism part of their corporate culture. Utah’s commitment to service has been confirmed for the past 18 years as part of Volunteering and Civic Life in America research. Last …
So Long, But Not Farewell: Celebrating Jill Love’s ‘Transformative’ Leadership
To say farewell to Jill Remington Love, we’ve compiled a timeline of her most significant accomplishments in managing the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement. “Transformative” is a word longtime staffers use to describe her leadership. Beyond her service as a member of Gov. Spencer Cox’s cabinet, Jill has built department morale with her ambitious retreat planning, regular staff …
A Closer Look: About Utah’s Arts Grants
By Renée Leta For nearly 60 years, Utah has been investing in the cultural sector through its support of arts and museum funding. Utah’s Division of Arts & Museums has the proud history of being the oldest arts agency in the nation, a signpost of how the state prioritizes our rich cultural heritage. Anchor nonprofits throughout the state include dance …
Giving Service with AmeriCorps Seniors
By Renée Leta Every week, Patty Cook provides eight hours of joy, companionship and support to other seniors in her community as part of Tooele’s AmeriCorps Seniors program. Established in 15 of Utah’s 29 counties, AmeriCorps Seniors are key volunteers providing services to those in need at both ends of the age spectrum. Through the Classroom Grandparent Program, AmeriCorps Seniors …
Utah’s Youth: The Multiplier Effect of Youth Volunteers
By Renée Leta 685 hours in a year – that’s the amount of volunteer service hours in one year that UServeUtah’s youth leaders invested in addressing local community needs. Those youth encouraged their friends and family to participate in their volunteer projects, which led a more-than-double multiplier effect of more than 1,444 total volunteer hours invested in community service projects. UServeUtah, …