July 28, 2020

THE SALT LAKE CITY ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES HOLD ON ALL LARGE-SCALE PUBLIC PROGRAMMING FOR REMAINDER OF 2020

SALT LAKE CITY – Over the last three months the Salt Lake City Arts Council has closely monitored the development of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the tremendous social and economic impact it has had within our community. While we would love nothing more than to come together and celebrate in-person, we will instead continue virtual offerings, small socially distanced pop-ups that follow state guidelines for the “general public”, and look to support the community in innovative and necessary ways as we monitor public health guidelines.

“Our largest gatherings of the year, Living Traditions and the Twilight Concert Series have been incredibly challenging to postpone. These gatherings provide a space to connect with our neighbors and friends, but we are looking forward to the coming alternatives that support these communities in new ways,” says Arts Council Director Felicia Baca.

Since March the Arts Council has hosted virtual Public Art tours on Instagram, presented the Finch Lane Gallery exhibitions as virtual tours and hosted sales of artwork online; reimagined the Busker Festival as the Cultural Caravan a traveling pop up busking event throughout Salt Lake City; partnered with Utah Division of Arts & Museums and Utah Cultural Alliance to present weekly cultural sector updates; worked alongside Economic Development to facilitate 1 million dollars in loans available to artists and maker small businesses and nonprofits; and even used the Art Barn building as a site for the Salt Lake Education Foundation’s emergency food distribution. Additionally, the Arts Council partnered with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums to create an Emergency Artist Relief fund to support individual artists during the COVID pandemic.

“This has been a challenging year for everyone and we felt our large in-person events and festivals would not be able to responsibly maintain social distancing.” Felicia Baca, Executive Director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council said. “Our team has shifted their focus to supporting the community with safety and support in mind.”

This year we are happy to announce the Living Legacy video series. The series collaborates with local artists and community members to share their languages, food, art, dance and traditions through thoughtful conversations on how they preserve cultural traditions into the future. The videos will be aired on the Living Traditions website and social media platforms.

The Twilight Concert Series will also announce a shift in its focus this year that continues its support to the music community with a local first mission.