Contact: Danica Farley| danica.farley@utahmoca.org | 801.328.4201 x 115
www.utahmoca.org | 20 S West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
UMOCA awarded the largest two-year support grant in the nation
by the Andy Warhol Foundation
For Immediate Release:
March 29, 2012
March 29, 2012
Salt Lake City - The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has given $120,000 to the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA), the largest two-year program support grant given by the Warhol Foundation to any arts organization in the country in 2011. According to its website, the Warhol Foundation is the “pre-eminent national funder of innovative contemporary art.”
In making its award, the Warhol Foundation praised recent changes at the museum, noting that “UMOCA is at an exciting moment in its history; its new leaders are ambitious in their vision for its programs and exhibitions and committed to deepening connections with the local, national and international contemporary art community.”
“We are deeply honored and grateful for this support from the Warhol Foundation,” said UMOCA Executive Director Adam Price. “With these additional funds, we will be able to provide more and better opportunities for residents of and visitors to Utah to explore the contemporary cultural landscape.”
UMOCA has enjoyed a string of recent successes, with its audience growing from 19,000 in 2009 to 101,000 in 2011. Volunteer support from the community has also grown exponentially, with the museum’s annual volunteer hours increasing from approximately 150 in 2009 to 6,000 in 2011.
Much of the museum’s new energy has resulted from changes in its curatorial program, which now seeks to exhibit work by the very best local, national, and international contemporary artists within a context that speaks directly to the interests of Utahns and other residents of the Intermountain West.
According to Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, “Salt Lake Art Center’s metamorphosis into the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is a momentous event for our community. I am proud that UMOCA is resident in our County facilities, ensuring that our citizens have access to the best contemporary art from around the world all year long.”
Artists featured at UMOCA in the last 12 months have included: TED presenter Miwa Matreyek; MacArthur Genius Award recipient Bill T. Jones; Guggenheim Fellow Jennifer Nelson; Venice Biennale artist Daniela Comani; Rome Prize winner Mary Reid Kelley; recipient of the Leone d'Oro award for Lifetime Achievement, Barbara Kruger; recipient of the Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting, Kim Schoenstadt; Fulbright scholar Mirko Martin; AFA Young Artist Award recipient Kehinde Wiley; New York Prize recipients Eva & Marco Mattes; and Turner Prize recipient Mark Wallinger.
In April, UMOCA will feature an interactive performance, Let Them Eat Cupcakes, by Los Angeles artist Elizabeth Tobias, who will give home-made cupcakes to museum visitors willing to have their thoughts and memories of hunger included in the museum exhibition. In May, UMOCA opens a photographic exhibition, The Invincibility Fable, by Orem artist Mark Hedengren. And in June, three new exhibitions open at the museum, including: the United States museum premiere of new work by German artist Christian Jankowski; the internationally-acclaimed piano intervention by British artist Luke Jerram, Play Me I’m Yours; and the opening of Cantastoria, a new group exhibition organized by UMOCA Senior Curator Aaron Moulton that explores how artists communicate history and culture using languages, messengers, and witnesses as a creative material.
About the Warhol Foundation
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established in 1987. The Foundation's objective is to foster innovative artistic expression and the creative process by encouraging and supporting cultural organizations that in turn, directly or indirectly, support artists and their work.”
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established in 1987. The Foundation's objective is to foster innovative artistic expression and the creative process by encouraging and supporting cultural organizations that in turn, directly or indirectly, support artists and their work.”
About UMOCA
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art was recognized as Best Museum in the State of Utah for 2011. Founded in 1931 and now located in the heart of Salt Lake City, UMOCA exhibits groundbreaking work by leading local and international artists. UMOCA is currently exhibiting 2012 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier, FAX and Onomatopoeia by Constant Dullaart. The museum also offers a mix of award-winning educational programs, film screenings, panel discussions and events celebrating Salt Lake’s vibrant local art scene.
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art was recognized as Best Museum in the State of Utah for 2011. Founded in 1931 and now located in the heart of Salt Lake City, UMOCA exhibits groundbreaking work by leading local and international artists. UMOCA is currently exhibiting 2012 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier, FAX and Onomatopoeia by Constant Dullaart. The museum also offers a mix of award-winning educational programs, film screenings, panel discussions and events celebrating Salt Lake’s vibrant local art scene.
UMOCA is located at 20 S. West Temple and is open Tuesday-Thursday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is free. For more information call (801) 328-4201 or visit www.utahmoca.org.
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Danica Farley | Director of Communications | Utah Museum of Contemporary Art | 20 S. West Temple | Salt Lake City, UT 84101 | 801.328.4201 ext. 115
These are great awards. Congrats to those who one. Working as a foundation cracks expert, I hope UDOT gets an award for finishing the I-15 project 2 years early.
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