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SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Arts Council hopes to restore arts and culture to the city, after the pandemic dramatically slowed things down.
The art agency was one of 66 nationwide and the only one in Utah to receive a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to aid in the recovery of the cultural sector.
The money will be used to fund artists, projects, programs or organizations through the City Arts Grants Program, which is part of Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall's budget. This year, the program has awarded approximately 100 grants totaling around $350,000.
The need for grants has grown since the onset of the pandemic, with the cultural sector being the second-hardest hit in the state.
"During the past two years of my administration, we have seen many crises unfold in our city. For so many Salt Lakers and visitors to our city, we turned to art to reflect, rebuild, and heal through these times," Mendenhall said in a statement.
"Many artists encountered hardships in sustaining their livelihoods during this time. I am excited to see how the Salt Lake City Arts Council can distribute these funds, helping our local creative economy recover for the benefit our local individual artists, nonprofit organizations, and residents alike."
While many organizations and venues within the arts and cultural sector began to pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the industry still suffers from its impact. Emerging variants and surges of the virus have led to cancellations of performances due to performers becoming sick, shifting protocols and guidelines, and additional COVID-19 related expenses.
"We were so so proud of the arts and culture industry for being able to be responsive and reflexive in responding to the needs of the community, but a lot of organizations were really struggling to have the resources to pivot to keep their doors open," Felicia Baca, executive director at the Salt Lake City Arts Council, said. "Many people in our industry lost their jobs."
The American Rescue Plan grant will allow for an overall annual increase in the City Arts Grant program of 50%, allowing more needs in the arts and cultural sector to be addressed, according to Baca. The additional funds will increase the number of artists and organizations the program is able to support for an "equitable recovery from the pandemic."
"It's really exciting to be able to support these artists and enable them to get back to work and contribute to a vibrant arts culture in our city. To be able to support endeavors that begin to lift the spirits of the community again and help people," Baca said. "Much of our industry is about gathering and belonging and celebrating life events and as we get back to those, it's so great for us to be able to play a role in that."
The Salt Lake City Arts Council anticipates an initial launch of two grant categories later this month, with applications closing the final week of March and money distributed in early June.
The grant categories include Artist Career Empowerment and Racial Equity. The Salt Lake City Arts Council Racial Equity grants launched last year, according to Baca.
"We know that (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities are some of the hardest-hit communities during the pandemic and they're disproportionately affected. So that is one reason that it's really critical to support these communities," Baca said. "It's really beneficial to assist not only individuals but organizations and the ability to address these issues socially in their organizations."
For more information on grants and how to apply, visit saltlakearts.org.
