Utah Arts Festival Foundation records

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 2478

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Utah Arts Festival Foundation records consists of administrative, programming, production, and financial materials pertaining to the organization of the Utah Arts Festival from 1977 through 2009. The records also consists of memorabilia such as pins, cups, t-shirts, posters, and media kits.

Dates

1977-2016

Creator

Utah Arts Festival Foundation (Organization)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Organizational History

The Utah Arts Festival began as the Salt Lake Festival of the Arts in June 1977. For three days, Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City was closed while fifty-five visual artists, fourty-three performing arts groups and eight food artists participated in the creation of Salt Lake City's first major free arts event. In 1979 the Festival incorporated and changed its name to the Utah Arts Festival becoming the first state supported arts festival in the United States. The Bicentennial Arts Complex became the five-year home of the Festival and it grew to include a children's art yard and a film event. In 1984 the Festival moved to the Triad Center. Because of local site construction and activities, the Festival moved to the Utah State Fairpark in 2000. After two very poorly attended years at the Fairpark, the Festival moved again to the Gallivan Center in 2002, before settling in 2003 at Library and Washington Squares in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

Extent

105 Linear Feet (154 boxes, 1 map case folder)

Additional Description

Abstract

The Utah Arts Festival Foundation records (1977-2012) contain administrative, financial, production, and programming materials. The records also contain memorabilia such as cups and t-shirts. The Utah Art Festival began in 1976 as the Salt Lake Festival of the Arts held on a three block section of Main Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Festival is now a four day event, featuring around 130 visual artists, 100 or more performing arts groups, approximately 18 culinary artists and drawing 80,000 patrons each June to Library and Washington Squares in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into one chronological series with the same subjects arising in planning and producing each year’s festival.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Lisa Sewell in 2010 and 2013-2014.

Separated Materials

Photographs and audio-visual materials have been transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P1590). External hard drive transferred to the Digital Library.

Processing Information

Processed by Betsey Welland in 2010.

Addendum (boxes 85a, 102, 112-136) processed by Chelsea Olsen in 2015.

Addenda from 2013, 2017, and 2019 processed by Kristina Barksdale in 2024.

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