Summit for the Visual Arts
How can we better support our visual artists? How do the visual arts impact the economy? How do the visual arts create community? How can we maximize the impact of the visual arts? How can we expand innovation in the visual arts?
March 25-26, 2027
The 2027 Visual Arts Summit brings together artists, arts leaders, educators, and creative professionals to address the opportunities and challenges shaping Utah’s growing creative economy.
Through panels, presentations, break-out sessions, and networking, the summit seeks to develop actionable strategies that foster a healthy, sustainable future for Utah’s skilled artists while uniting and educating our community.
The two-day summit, which will be held on the University of Utah campus, will start with breakfast each morning and include panels and featured speakers each day with a break for lunch. There will also be the option of a tour of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on Friday afternoon. The full itinerary will be announced on December 1.
Our featured speakers will address a variety of topics that are broadly relevant to the current cultural climate and to how the visual arts can both mesh with and transform the space we find ourselves in. Our panelists, drawn from the local community, will address issues that are more specific to Utah and the Intermountain West.
Summit highlights:
March 25 | 7:30 PM
An evening with award-winning multidisciplinary artist and cultural innovator, Cannupa, at Kingsbury for Gardner lecture (Kingsbury Hall)
March 26 | 5 PM
Keynote address by Arlene Goldbard, a New Mexico-based writer, painter, consultant, and cultural activist who speaks to the importance of the arts in building a sense of community as well as to the value of the arts in a culturally connected world. Her books include Community, Culture, and Globalization (2002); New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development (2006); Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art (2012); and The Culture of Possibility: Art, Artists, and the Future (2013).
Planning Committee:
- Dr. Temma Balducci, Professor of Art History and Mary Lois Wheatley Presidential Chair, Department of Art & Art History, University of Utah
- Felicia Baca, Executive Director, Salt Lake City Arts Council
- Laura Boardman, Boardman Art & Design, Rabbit Studios
- Marina Gomberg, Director of Marketing Communications, College of Fine Arts, University of Utah
- Peter Hay, Visual Arts Manager, Utah Arts & Museums
- Britney Helmers, Executive Director, South Salt Lake Arts Council
- Dr. Sarah Hollenberg, Professor Lecturer of Art History and Associate Chair, Department of Art & Art History, University of Utah
- Kate Ithurralde, Art in Public Places Manager, Salt Lake County Arts & Culture
- Chloe Jones, Assistant Dean for Art & Creative Engagement, College of Fine Arts, and Executive Director, UtahPresents, University of Utah
- Dr. Beth Krensky, Distinguished Professor of Art Teaching, Department of Art & Art History, University of Utah
- Dr. Elena Shtromberg, Professor of Art History, University of Utah, Department of Art & Art History
- Carol Sogard, Professor of Graphic Design, Department of Art & Art History, University of Utah
Partner organizations:
UtahPresents
DoubleTree by Hilton