Cropped budgets for theater and dance companies. Patrons and foundations keeping a tighter grip on their checkbooks. Economic scare stories everywhere you turn.
Not the easiest of environments in which to be an artist.
Then again, if the year just past is any indication, maybe the toughest of times push creative people to some of their best work. Utah artists continued to create amazing pieces of literature, theater, dance, film and visual art. They made us laugh, they lifted our spirits and they offered us new ways of seeing. And they did so during a challenging time when we probably needed it even more.
Much of the time, the act of creation is a leap with no guarantee that there will be a net to catch you. In this issue, we celebrate those who continue in their labors of love when it would be so much easier to do something safe. We encourage our readers to continue to support their enriching work—not just because it feeds the artist, but because it feeds us, too.
Contributors
Brandon Burt, Stephen Dark, Cara Despain, Bill Frost, Jesse Fruhwirth, Jamie Gadette, Jennifer Heaney, Josh Loftin, Eric Peterson, Jenny Poplar, Scott Renshaw, Brian Staker, Ted Scheffler, Jacob Stringer, Jerre Wroble
Watch a music slideshow featuring Artys nominees:
