Salt Lake City
– Adam Price, who has served as Executive Director at the Utah Museum
of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) since 2009, has announced that he will leave
the museum before the end of the year. “Adam’s departure is a real
loss for the museum,” said Board President Roy Jespersen. “He guided the
institution through a very turbulent period and we are grateful that he
left the museum in much better condition than he found it.”
Past
UMOCA President James Roberts agreed: “Adam had a remarkable impact on
the life of the organization, helping us all coalesce around an exciting
new vision while engaging a broad local audience in the world of
contemporary art.”
Price’s
tenure was marked by numerous accomplishments, including: the
transformation of the institution from the Salt Lake Art Center into the
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art; a nearly 50% increase in fundraising; a
500% increase in audience, bringing total attendance to over 100,000
annually; a series of external community events including Luke Jerram’s
piano-based Play Me, I’m Yours; the opening of two new galleries
in the museum, including one devoted to Utah artists year-round; the
launch of the Art Truck at UMOCA, a program that brings original
commissions of contemporary art to area schools free-of-charge; the
creation of a new national prize for contemporary painting; a reduction
in the museum’s operating overhead by nearly half; the reduction of the
museum’s cost per visitor from approximately $44.00 per head to
approximately $8.50 per head (“one of the lowest rates for an art museum
in the nation,” according to The Salt Lake Tribune); the hiring
of two curators—from Los Angeles and Berlin—who brought a host of
nationally- and internationally-recognized artists to the our state; and
the launch of a new artist-in-residence program intended to provide
long-term support to contemporary artists who wish to have a national
career while maintaining their homes in Utah.
Under
Price’s leadership, UMOCA was recognized as Best Museum in Utah for
2011 and 2012, and received a major national grant from The Hearst
Foundations and as well as a largest-in-nation support grant from the
Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. During Price’s tenure, UMOCA
also received first ever mentions in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, W Magazine, Sunset Magazine, The Huffington Post, Yahoo! Finance, Art Forum, and more.
“It
is not uncommon after periods of major activity to see the executive
directors of nonprofits move on to other engagements, and I just felt
that the time was right for me to go,” says Price. “UMOCA has an
outstanding Board of Trustees led by Roy Jespersen—and the staff members
who actually keep the institution running from day-to-day are among the
strongest I’ve ever seen. As a result, I’m able to look forward to a
brief sabbatical before starting my next cultural engagement knowing
that UMOCA will be in good hands.”
A
select committee of Board Trustees and community leaders will run the
search process for new museum leadership. The Board has asked Price to
stay on as a Special Advisor for a period of time in order to ensure
maximum organizational stability. Price has happily agreed. “I think
UMOCA has an important role to play in the community, and I want nothing
more than to see it get a strong start on the next phase of its
existence. I will remain forever grateful for the role I was allowed to
play there.”
About UMOCA
The award-winning Utah Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits groundbreaking artwork by local, national, and international artists. Five gallery spaces provide an opportunity for the community to explore the contemporary cultural landscape through UMOCA’s exhibitions, films, events, classes, and presentations.
The award-winning Utah Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits groundbreaking artwork by local, national, and international artists. Five gallery spaces provide an opportunity for the community to explore the contemporary cultural landscape through UMOCA’s exhibitions, films, events, classes, and presentations.
Located
at 20 S. West Temple; 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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