Mountain West Arts Conference
Mark Your Calendar:
7th Annual Mountain West Arts Conference
May 2, 2013
Thanks for joining us to celebrate the arts, see old friends, network with new friends, attend workshops, build sculptures, make pictures with tape, learn from Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, and so much more.
Help us improve next year's conference by taking a few minutes to fill out our evaluation survey.
Click here to start the survey!
Send your MWAC photos to kdarrington@utah.gov
Post Conference Resources
Do You Want the Good News, Bad News, or the Truth: Using Arts and Culture Data on the Front Lines
Presenters: Bryce Merrill and Michael Hansen
- Utah's Creative Vitality Index 2010
- Four-state Arts Education Study
- Social Impact of the Arts
- Gifts of the Muse
- See additional resources below for more on economic impact studies
Everyone is Welcome...Including You! Accessibility Demystified
Presenters: Sheryl Gillilan and Jenny Woods
Art in the Circle of Life: Integrating Art, Life and Business
Presenters: Joe Bennion, Lee Bennion and Kate MacLeod
Barbie Legs, Bottle Caps, Buttons & Book Bits: Found-Object Sculpture
Presenter: Beverly Mangham
- 10 reasons to make found object art (handout)
- Found object artists (handout)
- Beverly Mangham artist statement (handout)
So You've Been Hit by the Bus...Now What? Long & Short Term Succession Planning
Presenter: Chriss Sharer
Culture Connects All: Rethinking Audiences in Times of Demographic Change
Presenter: Robert McNulty
Intersection of Artist Media, Science and Interpretation
Presenters: Andrea Polli and Aaron Moulton
Presenting 101
Presenters: Wally Bloss, Greg Geilmann and Diane Stern
Embodied Brains, Social Minds
Keynote Speaker: Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
Other resources
Additional readings on Economic Impact Studies
- "Do Economic Impact Studies Misrepresent the Benefits of Arts and Cultural Organizations?" by Arthur Sterngold
- "Twenty Years of Economic Impact Studies of the Arts: A Review" by Anthony Radich
- "Economic Impact of the Arts" by Bruce A. Seaman
- "Using Economic Impact Studies in Arts and Cultural Advocacy: A Cautionary Note" by Christopher Madden
- "How the Arts Impact Communities: An Introduction to the Literature on Arts Impact Studies" by Joshua Guetzkov
- "New Engines of Growth: Five Roles for Arts, Culture, and Design" report by the National Governors Association (NGA)
Keynote Speaker: Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
Embodied brains, social minds: Neurobiological and developmental perspectives on the emotional origins of creativity
From moments after birth, people develop within social relationships—we come to the world biologically ready to engage with other people, and the emotions we feel in social contexts shape how we feel about ourselves, how we experience our own lives, and how we create art that reflects and represents these experiences. In this talk, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang will discuss the neurobiology of social emotions like compassion, admiration, inspiration and gratitude, including their deep visceral roots in the feeling and regulation of the body and consciousness, and their propensity to heighten one’s own subjective sense of self awareness. By examining neuroimaging data from adults alongside creative works by children, she will argue that creative thinking is grounded in the feeling of emotions that foster social connectedness and self reflection, and is driven by an inherent desire to make culturally appropriate meaning of one’s experiences in the world.
Resources of Interest
- Article: "Musings on the Neurobiological and Evolutionary Origins of Creativity via a Developmental Analysis of One Child’s Poetry" by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
- TED Talk: Rethinking the Divided Brain
- Video: Ode to the Brain! by Symphony of Science
- Video: Actor Fiona Shaw in an MRI
Governor's Leadership in the Arts Awards
The 2012 Governor's Leadership in the Arts Awards were presented by Governor Gary R. Herbert at the luncheon concurrent with the 2012 Mountain West Arts Conference. Click on the link below to view videos about each awardee:
- Community Leadership in the Arts - City of Ogden
- Education Leadership in the Arts - Chris Roberts
- Organization Leadership in the Arts - Artspace
- Individual Leadership in the Arts - Teri Orr
The Governor's Awards were created in 1980 to honor individuals and organizations who encourage and support arts and culture in Utah.
2012 Table Sponsors
Arts Benefactor - $1,000
Art Works for KidsDiane Stewart
Utah State University
Caine College of the Arts
Park City Performing Arts Foundation
Weber State University
Telitha E. Lindquist College
of Arts & Humanities
University of Utah College of Fine Arts
City of Ogden
Arts Patron - $500City of Ogden - Hale Centre Theatre - Kimball Art Center
Legacy Music Alliance - Nebo School District - Salt Lake Acting Company
Utah Chamber Artists - Utah Museum of Fine Art
Utah Shakespeare Festival - Utah Valley University School of the Arts
Arts Supporter - $250Art Access/VSA Utah - Judge L. A. Dever
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company - Salt Lake County Center for the Arts
The Leonardo - The Nonprofit Academy for Excellence
Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre - Utah Symphony|Utah OperaMedia Sponsors
Questions?Contact Jason Bowcutt or call 801.236.7554.
2011 Mountain West Conference
Remember the 2011 conference by revisiting the audio recordings of several sessions.