Mayor's Artists Awards
Presented by the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office and the Utah Arts Festival
Since 1992, the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office has honored the contributions that artists and organizations make to the cultural life of our community. Awards are presented to recipients in the following categories: Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Literary Arts and Service to the Arts.
2009 Recipients
Visual Arts: Sam Wilson
A prolific painter and artist, Sam Wilson has had an enormous impact on the visual arts in Salt Lake City.
He is a Professor of Art at the University of Utah and is committed to the community in many ways. He has mentored talented adult students with disabilities for the Art Access Partners Program, has taught thousands of students in his college classes and has conducted an artist residency for the George Wahler Veterans Administration Medical Center.
One of his most lasting artistic contributions is his installations of the 14 Stations of the Cross at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, created in 1992-93.
Performing Arts: Keven Myhre
Keven Myhre has been a cultural asset to the Salt Lake community for more than 27 years.
He is a multifaceted theater artist with a depth of experience as a professional set designer, costume designer, director and producing director. He has worked on Salt Lake Acting Company productions since 1982.
His work “behind the scenes” stretches beyond direction, set and costume design in to theater operations and fiscal responsibilities. He worked hard to help reduce the deficit at SLAC in the 1990s. He has enjoyed sharing his breadth of theater knowledge with Washington Elementary School, Bad Dog Rediscovers America, Highland High School and several colleges.
Keven was recently awarded the 2008 City Weekly award for directing The Clean House and Moonlight and Magnolias at Salt Lake Acting Company.
Literary Arts: Joel Long
Joel Long defies any one label – poet, high school creative writing teacher, co-president of City Art, award-winning published poet.
In 1997 he founded the Lake Effect Writer’s Conference for High school Writers and Teachers, an annual creative writing conference that has grown to be one of the largest and most distinguished high school writer’s conferences in the country. His book, Winged Insects (1999) won the White Pine Press Poetry prize and has been widely reviewed and distributed.
He is highly regarded amongst his peers and by the greater literary community in Utah.
Service to the Arts by an Organization: Heart & Soul
Heart & Soul is a collection of musical performers who bring music to people in isolated circumstances, such as convalescent homes, rehabilitation centers, prisons, homeless shelters and more.
It was founded in 1994 to “heal the human spirit by bringing music and performing arts to isolated people.” Locally well-known musicians as well as newer up-and-coming talents are among the lineup of performing artists who share the common goal of providing musical and cultural performances to people who don’t normally have access to them.
More info at www.heartsoul.org.
Service to the Arts by an Organization: The 337 Project
The 337 Project is a community organization that creates art appreciation and art education programming in nontraditional and unexpected contexts.
Events presented by the 337 Project appeal to a divers audience, reminding them that art can be transcendent, accessible and fun.
Some of the 337 Project’s accomplishments since its founding in 2007 include the self-titled 337 Project Building, the Present Tense show at the Salt Lake Art Center, the Urban Gallery benefit for Neighborhood House, Art Truck and an educational outreach program operated in collaboration with the BYU Museum of Art.
Public Awards Ceremony
Mayor Becker will publicly honor this year’s recipients at the Festival on Friday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. on the Festival Stage.
Information and nomination forms for the 2010 Mayor’s Artist Awards will be available in November. For more information, contact the Utah Arts Festival at 801-322-2428.
Selection Process
Nominees for the MAYOR’S ARTISTS AWARDS are juried by a panel including representatives from the Office of the Mayor, the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Utah Arts Festival and past recipients of the Awards.
View a list of past recipients of the Mayor's Artists Awards.
