The Independent
In an effort to support visual artists, Dixie State University, Kane County’s Center for Education, Business, and the Arts, and Zions Bank are working together to award six community art grants as part of the annual Business of Art seminar, and have announced this year’s winners.
Steve Brough, Zions Bank senior vice president of commercial lending for southern Utah, will award the grants at the 2014 Business of Art seminar, set for Nov. 7 and 8 in Kanab. The funding for the grants, totaling $15,000, was made possible by a generous donation from Zions Bank and its president and CEO, A. Scott Anderson. The annual grant program supports homegrown artists, small business owners, and art educators in Utah, northern Arizona and southern Nevada.
DSU Vice President of Institutional Advancement Christina Schultz commended the partnership among Zions Bank, DSU, and the Center for Education, Business, and the Arts, adding that thanks to the generosity of Anderson and Zions Bank, a number of artists, galleries, and educators will be given the opportunity to realize dreams and reach goals they may have thought were unattainable.
“Dixie State University’s mission is to provide educational and cultural opportunities, which in turn benefits our community and economy,” Schultz said. “This generous grant donation and Zions Bank’s support of the Business of Art seminar will help us fulfill those goals.”
All six grants are awarded to artists who attended the prior year’s Business of Art seminar and are based on an independent jurying process, with bonus points awarded to applicants from Kane or Washington counties.
The Art Education Content Award, which grants $2,500 to an artist to develop and deliver art education content, is being bestowed to Birgit McMullen of Cedar City for “Ceiling of Change.” This project encourages middle school students at the Gateway Preparatory Academy in Enoch to paint portraits of peaceful, influential people onto ceiling tiles that will be permanently installed in the school.
The Pre-Conference Workshop Grant for 2016, also worth $2,500, is awarded to an applicant willing to offer an art education presentation prior to next year’s Business of Art seminar. The awardee, photographer Deborah Ann Bice of St. George, will present “Achieving Emotional Impact Through the Illumination of Art” next year. Her presentation defines the importance of light and teaches artists, from novices to experts, how to see and use light to enhance their artistic goals.
The Healing Hands Exhibit grant of $2,500 is given to an artist to prepare and market an exhibit for Kane County Healing Arts. This year’s recipient is Kirsten Beitler of Washington City. Through displaying triple vision, ghosting, and haloing around light sources, paintings in Beitler’s exhibit “In the Eye of the Beholder” will show how people see with moderate keratoconus, a degenerative eye disease with which Beitler has been diagnosed.
The Purchase Prize Grant, worth $3,000, allows Business of Art to purchase a work of art that will be used to promote the seminar and become part of the permanent art collection owned by DSU. This year’s awardee is Aimee Bonham of St. George for her piece “Untitled P.1,” which was originally part of the 2010 exhibit “A Panel of Women” and has received additional layers of paint throughout the past four years as part of Bonham’s creative process.
The grant program also features a Gallery Award of $2,500 that is presented to an art gallery to develop and implement an exhibition featuring living, regional artists, or a related activity. This year’s award goes to the Olive Brooks Esplin Art Gallery at St. George’s DiFiore Center, which will host a student art exhibit titled “Art is What You Make It” in December, as well as a reception on opening night.
The Student Artist Grant provides an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing an art degree with $2,000 to be used for tuition, books, or fees. This year’s recipient is DSU student Stevie Vogel of Washington City, who seeks to deepen her love for photography and her knowledge of running an art business.
To meet this year’s grant recipients and qualify to apply for grants next year, the community is encouraged to attend the Business of Art seminar. This year’s event will kick off with a pre-conference presentation, in which Craig and Renon Hulet will teach artists how to create greater focus and success in their businesses. The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at 733 S. Cowboy Way in Kanab.
The Business of Art seminar will get underway Friday, Nov. 7 from 6:30-8 p.m. with a reception featuring the keynote address “Instagram: The Visual Social Network,” presented by award-winning journalist Brian Passey. The event continues Saturday, Nov. 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with breakout classes covering a variety of subjects and a midday keynote address from renowned professional sculptor Annette Everett on “From Beginning to End: Creating and Living with Art that You Love.” Events will be held at Kanab Middle School, 690 S. Cowboy Way in Kanab.
