How a mural project led youth-in-custody to express new hope South Salt Lake — “Stay Motivated” is the bold, inspiring message anchoring a new mural decorating the basketball gym at Salt Lake Valley Detention Center. It’s also a personal motto for graffiti artist Tracy Williams, who led scores of youth-in-custody to create the artwork splashed across three walls. “I’ve got …
Better Days 2020 Historian Katherine Kitterman on women’s suffrage history
Date: May 6, 2019 (Season 1, Episode 8 Part One; 28:07 & Part Two 24:57 minutes ). Click here for the Part One BuzzSprout version, Click here for the Part Two BuzzSprout version of this Speak Your Piece episode. In this engaging, and quick paced interview, Kitterman offers an introduction (a beginner’s primer) on the history of Utah’s women suffrage …
In three acts: Creating an opera by children
Crafting your own musical stories offers a little bit of everything, arts supporters say, but kids admit it’s a lot of work. By Ellen Fagg Weist | Photography by Todd Anderson Act 1 The first rule of the Opera by Children program is that students, not the adults, do the work. Over one school year, students work with teachers and …
Rediscovering cultural heritage, one seed at a time
By Ellen Fagg Weist | Photography by Todd Anderson First came the blessing of the seeds. On a dramatically overcast spring evening, Mayan artist Maria Elena Ku’lub Gomez offered a prayer in her native language, Tzeltzal. Her words were infused with the smoky scent of copal tree resin burning over a ceremonial corn-studded altar incorporating 13 seeds and flowers. Next …
Youth in Treatment Center Get New Library
Books that better reflect the life experiences of youth and address current issues have replaced many aging, outdated books at the Odyssey House in Salt Lake City.
Twenty years on, Spy Hop is growing up
How does a hip youth arts agency stay digitally relevant as it enters its third decade? By Ellen Fagg Weist | Photography by Keith Johnson In the grand tradition of indie bands, Sincerely, The Universe found inspiration for its name from graffiti scribbled on a bathroom stall. The name suited a band of musicians thrown together in Spy Hop’s after-school …
Can a play change the world? Or really, change the conversation about youth suicide in Utah?
Utah Shakespeare Festival has a ‘brilliant’ idea about using art to spark complicated conversations about what’s worth living for. By Ellen Fagg Weist The Utah Shakespeare Festival is skilled at producing shows for youth audiences, thanks to the theater company’s 25-year history of sending classic plays on the road. But with this fall’s Utah high school tour of “Every Brilliant …
WORLD WAR II MEMORIALS AND HISTORICAL SITES
During the next year, Utahns and the nation as a whole will be remembering and recognizing the 75th anniversary for the end of World War II (1939-1945). — By Brad Westwood, Senior Public Historian May 8, 2020 will be the anniversary date for the Allies (Great Britain, USA, France and Russia) victory in Europe over the Axis Powers: Italy, Germany …
Meet the Utah artist crocheting her way to a new life
Winning a state competition offered Carole Alden the hook for a life breakthrough. By Ellen Fagg Weist Last year, when Carole Alden heard an announcement over the prison loudspeaker that she had a phone call, she was worried. Something must have gone wrong, she assumed. In prison, few inmates receive phone calls unless something was terribly wrong. Alden began worrying …
Raising the Curtain on Utah’s historic theaters
By Laurel Cannon AlderAdditional reporting by Tracy Hansford When movie theaters popped up on main streets across America in the early 1900s, they opened the window to the world. Children spent Saturday mornings watching cartoons and short films, while adults caught a newsreel before the feature began. My grandparents used to host dinner parties and get dressed up before going …
When learning shines through
The art of making fused-glass tiles connects science lessons to real life By Ellen Fagg Weist Like any good art project, the fused-glass workshop at Montezuma Creek Elementary School was anchored in careful planning. Under the direction of glass artist Carrie Trenholm, students first worked out their design ideas on a small square of construction paper. Each class’s art assignments …
Utah Locomotive Atlas
By Michelle James | Illustrations by Kerry Shaw Visiting the Golden Spike National Historic Park is a great way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the meeting of the Union and Central Pacific railroads. It’s also a great launch pad for an exploration of Utah’s dynamic railroad history, which can include historic depots, exhibits of old streetcars, firsthand looks at …