Created in 2023, the fund supports the Utah Historical Society and the future Museum of Utah through sales of the iconic black plates. But HB324 threatens this. It caps funding for the Historical Society at just $300,000 a year, redirecting the rest to the Department of Transportation Fund. This could strip millions from programs, exhibitions, and outreach that support Utah’s cultural heritage.  

You can help by showing up at the Transportation Committee hearing to oppose HB324. The hearing is scheduled for either Wednesday, February 12th at 2 PM or Friday, February 14th at 8 AM. The exact date will be confirmed on Tuesday, February 11th. HB324 jeopardizes the future of the Utah Historical Society and Museum of Utah's ability to be the hub-and-spoke model providing much needed support and resources to the history and cultural community statewide.

SEE COMMITTEE AGENDAS

Tomorrow (Tuesday, February 11 at 10 am), the Public Education Subcommittee will vote on recommendations for budget prioritization. Please take five minutes TODAY to contact committee members to show your support!

Messaging is simple:

Dear_______________, “I support the iSEE (informal Science Education Enhancement) and POPS (Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools) collective request that both Line Item groups be added to the annual inflationary adjustment provided for certain public education programs as detailed in UT Code § 53F-2-208”

(Insert personal testimonial here if it applies)

Committee Information can be found here. Click names below for contact information

Sen. Heidi Balderree, Senate Chair

Rep. Stephen L. Whyte, House Chair

Rep. Matt MacPherson, House Vice Chair

Sen. J. Stuart Adams

Sen. Luz Escamilla

Sen. Lincoln Fillmore

Sen. David P. Hinkins

Sen. John D. Johnson

Sen. Ann Millner

Rep. Tiara Auxier

Rep. Walt Brooks

Rep. Steve Eliason

Rep. Tracy J. Miller

Rep. Carol S. Moss

Rep. Candice B. Pierucci

Rep. Jason E. Thompson

Advocacy is a challenge for me; it’s a lot of time and effort to build relationships that may or may not help my museum. It’s often not top of mind except during the general legislative session and the Cultural Industry Advocacy Day at the Utah State Capitol. Locally, I work more closely with city staff than city council members. This year has been a whirlwind of time spent in front of legislators. It began in mid-February 2023 when I learned that our city wanted to amend legislation regulating paleontological resources. I was asked by the City of St. George to testify in front of the House’s Political Subdivision, and later in front of the Senate Committee. It was a rather intense experience as I learned about political dynamics in the state, read and reread the regulations, and what the changes would mean for my museum.  

Fast forward to summer when I was contacted by Beth Mitchell from the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) requesting we partner with them to host a breakfast for the legislators during their interim session held in St. George in September 2023. I jumped at the opportunity to work with such knowledgeable colleagues and agreed immediately. 

Beth put in the long hours contacting the correct people, setting up catering, and updating us all on the logistics of the day. My major takeaway was remaining flexible as things changed several times as planning commenced. Thank goodness I had Beth to help guide me through the twists and turns! 

On the day of the event, we all arrived at the venue bright and early to share our collection objects with the legislators and their aides. My team and I showed off several fossils and talked about the work we do. As the legislators settled into their meetings, we went around to each group, introduced ourselves, and thanked them for their support of museums. In a flash, the event was done, and we were cleaning up. 

What a great opportunity it was to meet again with legislators, show them how much we care about our museums and the work we do, and work with colleagues to get it done. To continue this momentum, my museum is hosting a ribbon cutting and open house for our newest exhibit. It’s been a while since we did one of these and we are inviting our local legislators, county and city arts commissioners, city council, major, and anyone else we can think of!

I look forward to learning more ways to advocate for my museum and the work we all do.

President of UMA (2020-2024)
Executive Director – St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site
St. George, UT 84790
exec.director@utahdinosaurs.org 

Do you have an advocacy story to share? Please submit it here.

The 2023 General Legislative Session is completed and the governor will finish signing (or vetoing) bills this week. Thank you to everyone who took the effort to engage with legislators on behalf of museums. We especially appreciate the incredible work of Jill Love, Kat Potter, and Tenielle Young from the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement; Vicki Bourns from the Division of Arts & Museums (UA&M); and Crystal Young from the Utah Cultural Alliance on behalf of the entire cultural industry.

Unfortunately the UA&M grant program was reduced to $4 million (previously it held $6 million). The Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) received $2 million of one-time funds for art and cultural organizations. As we learn more about how these funds will be distributed we will pass it along. UMA plans to work closely with UA&M to continue building relationships with our state representatives and senators in hopes this funding can be restored in the future. This is an opportunity share how Utah museums strengthen and enhance our communities.

Of the 575 bills passed this session, here are a few relevant to the museum community:

HB 302 This bill does a number of things including establishing the Museum of Utah and renames the Division of State History as the Utah Historical Society.

HB 31 officially recognizes the newly designed Utah state flag as the state flag of Utah, with our current flag becoming the historical state flag.

SB 223 creates a Nonprofit Capacity Fund within CCE and allows taxpayers to contribute to this fund at the time they file tax returns. This fund will support a grant program for nonprofit organizations.

HB 119 allows nonprofit organizations to apply for state grants without holding a Charitable Solicitations Permit.

HB 482 creates an Archaeological and Historic Sites Grant within SHPO (funded one-time at $500,000).

We encourage you to attend the 2023 Session Wrap-Up hosted by the Utah Cultural Alliance on March 28 at 10 am to hear more about the session.

I have a confession to make: advocacy is hard for me. Perhaps this is not what you want to hear from UMA’s Vice President of Fundraising and Advocacy. But I value my honesty, and I hope you do too.  

On a regular basis, we, AAM, AASLH, Utah Humanities, and the list goes on, plead with you to write or call your congressman or senator to protest the newest out of Washington, slicing and dicing the budgets for NEH, NEA, IMLS, NHS, and so forth. Some part of me hopes that someday, after receiving hundreds of calls from museum professionals and our culture-loving friends, one of the men we’ve sent to D.C. will realize that, in fact, his constituents DO care about arts and culture and science. It may not be today, but someday. And that’s why we pass along the suggestions to contact your legislators on these important national issues. Not because we believe it will create meaningful change in the short term, but because we continue to hope. 

But advocacy on a local level is much easier for me. I know how valuable my museum is in our community. I know the impact we have. I know the priorities and concerns of my local government officials. I know they’re listening when I speak with them, even if they disagree. (And they return my calls!)

So I’m here today to tell you this: if you’re not sure where to start, or just not convinced that your efforts are doing much good, start local. Even if you’re an old hand at this, I invite you to join with museums throughout the state in redoubling our advocacy efforts. In making the case for museums. 

Here at the Utah Museums Association, it is our goal to help you be a better advocate for your museum, and for museums in general. To that end, we’ve planned a fantastic lineup of posts throughout the year to help you do just that. Look for a blog post each month with specific, actionable tasks. 

This week, find out who your local elected officials are, both for yourself, and your museum. Make a list that includes the name and contact information for your mayor, city council, and council commissioners. 

Other August Advocacy Tasks:

• Reach out to your local elected officials, and invite them to visit your museum. You can invite them individually, in smaller groups, or you could make an evening where you invite them all (and the press!). 
  
• Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum
  
• When your elected officials visit, be sure to get pictures! Pictures of them seeing exhibits! Pictures of them with board members! Pictures of them with staff! Make use of them on social media, in your annual report next time, your member newsletter, etc. 
  
• Send a post-visit thank you note to your elected officials. Mention something upcoming they might enjoy. 
  
• Add them, permanently, to your physical mailing list. Your local elected officials should get notices of exhibitions, special programs, your annual report, everything!

As you work your way through these tasks, I do want to ask a couple of favors of you:

• Share what you’re doing with your board and/or governing authority.
  
• Share what you’ve done with UMA! Email me at kaia@boxeldermuseum.org. As part of our efforts to improve museum advocacy throughout the state, we’d like to track what you’re doing, and what you’re finding success with! (And maybe share your story.)

Kaia Landon is Director of the Brigham City Museum of Art and History and the Box Elder Museum of Natural History. She also serves as the Utah Museums Association Vice President of Fundraising and Advocacy. 

Utah Museums Association President Lorie Millward made the following statement:

Now, more than at any time before, advocacy for museums is critical. The President's budget eliminates the agencies and funding for arts, history, humanities, libraries, archives, and museums. It is essential for us to understand the implications so that we can communicate to our representatives in Washington the impact that passing this budget will have on our communities and our ability to preserve, protect, and interpret the objects and places that are our collective heritage.

Advocacy matters and it can make a difference. Together, we've been a strong voice for Utah museums, let's continue to work for a secure future.

What's the big deal?

Several institutions, festivals, and communities in Utah have benefited directly from IMLS, NEA, and NEH. Between the three agencies, Utah has received well over $35,786,588 in funding in the last 20 years. Below is a breakdown from quickly-accessible data:

IMLS $8,796,121 (2012-2016)

NEA $21,990,467 (1998-2017)

NEH $5,000,000 (2008-2012)

UMA and many of its member museums receive support from Utah Division of Arts and Museums, which in turn receives funding from the organizations being suggested for closing. Utah Humanities frequently sponsors art and literature programming, oral history projects, and the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street program which puts high end traveling exhibitions in small rural communities. Utahns flock to institutions, events, and programs made possible by funding from IMLS, NEA, and NEH. They in turn contribute to growing local economies based around humanities. The closure of any of these agencies will have a real, noticeable affect on the average person in our state.

What can I do?

There are a number of ways to advocate on behalf of your communities, your institutions, and the agencies at risk by President Trump's recommendations:

• Contact Utah's representatives in Congress and remind them that continued funding of arts and humanities programs is crucial to our local, state, and national success. Please be sure to remind the people you contact that you are their constituent and not just someone sending letters to anyone whose addresses they can find. If you live in Rep. Chris Stewart's district, your work will be especially important as he sits on the subcommittee that determines NEH appropriations. Mention specific ways in which art and humanities have impacted your life and your community.
• Utah Humanities is collecting letters along with other state humanities councils to present to the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee chairs (the group of people who determine these appropriations). You may mail a letter to Utah Humanities, 202 W 300 N, Salt Lake City, UT 84103-1108.
• See the organizations that have received NEH funding in Utah, either directly or through Division of Arts and Museums grants. (UDAM / NEH).
• Use these templates from the American Alliance of Museums to guide your letters, or submit right from their web forms.
• Also from AAM, this economic impact statement template can help you make a business case for your museum and highlight the ways in which IMLS, NEA, or NEH funding allows you to help drive your local economy.
• Share this post with your friends via e-mail and social media. Cutting these agencies does not only affect artists, museum professionals, or festival promoters. Entire communities of individuals will experience the ramifications of following the President's proposal.

Is there any good news?

The President's budget proposal is just that: a proposal. He ultimately does not set the budget, although he may actively lobby to get his proposals through and could veto a bill that is not to his liking. As we have seen in recent years, the final federal budget often comes together at the last minute and looks incredibly different from what the President submits. In March of this year, when President Trump first suggested cutting funding to IMLS, NEA, and NEH, there was bipartisan backlash and support for the arts and humanities. These agencies are such a small portion of the federal budget and provide so much benefit that it is difficult to justify eliminating them. 

IMLS and NEA have both indicated that they will continue accepting grant applications for FY 2018 in anticipation of continued funding. NEH does not appear as optimistic, but their fate is not yet sealed either. All agencies will continue to honor commitments that they have made until they are completed, so any projects you have received that funding for can continue as planned.

By Maegan Wilberg, Director at the Museum of the San Rafael

This was my first experience of going to Museum Advocacy Day. I was so excited to go as I had been looking forward to it for some time and was finally able to go. I arrived early so I could help the Utah Museums Association (UMA) Board set up for this wonderful event. Once setting up was done, and the rest of my group arrived, we were swept to orientation. Talking about the blue and green sheets and what we were supposed to do with them.

I was excited the whole day, not just because I was there in a beautiful building, but because I was there to represent the Museum of the San Rafael and Pioneer Museum to our State Senator and Representatives and thank them for their support. After orientation, we headed off to the Senate. Talma Peacock, Dawnette Tuttle, and Kristi Maxwell (Board Members of the Museum of the San Rafael) and I talked about seeing our Senator, David Hinkins, who is a local of Emery County. Senator Hinkins stood outside the Senate door. Greeting us with hugs, he was smiling from ear to ear. “It is good to see friends from home.” He said then asked us if we would like to see where he sat. Senator Hinkins took us on the Senate floor before the meeting started. I felt like we got a little bit of a VIP Tour. He then told us he would come down and see our booth later, and we exited heading up to the gallery to be introduced to the Senate as part of the Utah museum community. After observing the Senate, we then rushed over to observe the House.

Once we finished in the House we had the privilege of sitting at our booth. It was great to have the opportunity to tell people about our area and our museum the whole day, often talking to people who had never heard of Emery County, or our museum. Toward the end of the day we had a highway patrolman come to our table and ask questions. We had a key gun artifact at the table. I was able to tell him about key guns and what they were used for. This fascinated him, he wanted to get a picture of it, as well as take a brochure about our museum. He said he wanted to bring his family down to see our museum. After he left, another highway patrolman came to the table telling us the last guy told him that he needed to come and ask about an artifact we had. Smiling at him, I told him about the key gun. Another pleased visitor, he also walked away with information about our museum. Just as I was about to sit down another highway patrolman came to our table and said, “I’ll bet you can’t guess what I want to know about.” This made me and my crew laugh. I told the story to the last highway patrolman, asking them if they would pass the word along to the others to bring their families to our museum.

This day was wonderful! I asked the ladies who were able to go with me from our board, and they said their favorite part was being there and mingling with other museum professionals, as well as meeting others and promoting our museum.

Maegan Wilberg is the Director of the Museum of the San Rafael and Pioneer Museum in Castle Dale, Utah.

By: Sara Keil Roach, Historic Preservation Manager, Wheeler Historic Farm & UMA Board Member

Museum Advocacy Day is coming February 23, 2016! This is a great time to get out and learn about what goes on in the Legislature and a chance to meet your Senator and Representative. Yes, it might sound elusive to go visit the Capitol, after all, it’s a big stretch for us to go from Wheeler Farm to the Hill. That being said, I’ve actually enjoyed my time at Museum Advocacy Day. I’m cruising in to my third year of attending and it feels more comfortable each time. My first year was probably the most thrilling, as I had no idea what to expect, what to bring, what to wear, where to go or who I would be meeting. That year, I met both our Senator and Representative who were both big fans of Wheeler Farm. I also got to spend time with my museum friends, new and old. I was surprised by how many school tour groups visited the museum exhibits and thought about how I might improve things for our table the next year. It’s a great opportunity to reach a broad audience. Last year, I also helped represent the Murray City Museum, which was quite educational, as their Representative was not familiar with them yet—which shows how important Museum Advocacy Day is for all of us!

In preparing for Museum Advocacy Day, here are my tips:

Who should attend: Museum staff, volunteers, board members, yes YOU! Need more convincing? AAM has some great arguments for advocacy: http://www.aam-us.org/advocacy/resources/advocacy-why-should-i-care-

What to take:

1.       Updated museum flyer that shows, on two pages, your programs, visitation and plans. Brush up on your elevator speech so you can speak easily and concisely about your organization. Here are a lot of Advocacy ideas from AAM: http://www.aam-us.org/docs/advocacy/75-minutes-baltimore.pdf?sfvrsn=2

2.       Gather up items you’d like on your table to help tell the story of your organization. I like to think about what is portable (especially if we get snow again!). This year, I thought for extra fun we’d attempt to bring our Flemish Giant Rabbit.

3.       Personal comfort: Water bottle, snacks or lunch, a rolling cart can be handy to bring your display in to the building if it’s going to be awkward.

What to wear: Dress for your museum, dress to be comfortable.

When: Tuesday, February 23, 7:30 – 2:30pm

Where: Utah State Capitol

How do I register? You can find an online form to register for Advocacy Day. It is free and only takes a few minutes. Today is the deadline especially if you want to bring animals, firearms, things like that. Go to the UMA’s website to find more details. http://www.utahmuseums.org/?page=EventsAdvocacyDay

Utah Museums Advocacy Day seemed like a perfect opportunity to meet my House and Senate Representatives as well as various museum staffers from around the State. 

After setting up my booth, I was quickly swept into a conference room for orientation.  The schedule for the day was reviewed as well as the protocol for meeting with our House and Senate Representatives.  We were provided green and blue sheets of paper that needed to be filled out in order to speak with our Representatives.  After orientation, we moved to the Senate gallery where our group was introduced, then to the House gallery for the same.  At the designated time, we turned in our green sheets to a “green coat” (there are men dressed in green coats who take your completed sheets and deliver them to your Representative). We mingled in the hall, waiting to talk our Representative.  A little later in the morning, the same protocol was followed with the blue sheet, to meet our Senator.

There was time during the day to visit other booths.  I met people from Green River to Ogden.  I watched a woman spin yarn at the booth next to me, held a worm and learned about spiders at another.  The booth across from me displayed delicately handcrafted flowers made of shells gathered in the west desert many years ago.  Many of us exchanged business cards, shared information and encouraged visits to our museums.    

I personally did not have much luck meeting my Representatives that day, though I am still encouraged.  The day provided me with the opportunity to deliver hand written messages thanking them for their continued support, reminding them of our museums existence. 

Heidi Smart has lived in Summit County since 1983 and is currently the Operations Manager at the Alf Engen Ski Museum located at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah.

But first, some things to keep in mind:

• Museums Advocacy Day is a great day to network with your colleagues. You might or might not see your legislators, but there are other opportunities to get a lot out of the experience. (Also, legislators who hear they've missed you often try to get in contact with you later, or are perhaps better at returning your phone calls.)
• Advocacy should be a year-round endeavor, with the "Day" being the culmination of your efforts.
• Don't worry if you haven't been excelling at advocacy up til now. Use this as a fresh start, whether or not you're attending.

Past Utah Museums Advocacy Blog posts

Advocacy Capacity Tool

This tool allows you to benchmark your advocacy skills, identify specific gaps and opportunities in your advocacy strategies, and efficiently focus resources to get the best results.

UK Museums Advocacy Flowchart (pdf)

Things to consider, common pitfalls, and how to focus your advocacy efforts.

Center For Nonprofit Excellentce (scroll down to Resources)

The American Alliance for Museums has some great resources, many of which are accessible whether or not you're a member.

Speak Up for Museums is a wonderful resource with lots of ideas for advocacy (and you can get a pdf free with your AAM membership).

Advocate From Anywhere includes a host of ideas for how you can, well, advocate from anywhere. Examples include writing Op-eds (with samples), find your legislators, and invite them to meet locally. If you're like me you may have some anxiety about what you would say if you DID meet your legislator. This resource covers some ideas for that too.

Advocate Materials (from this year's national museum advocacy day) includes many useful links, including issue briefs, samples for economic or education impact statements, rules for engagement, and more.

Have you given some thought to what you will say to your legislators this year?

Some suggestions:
Thank you for your support of the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, and Museum Project Grants! With grant money from the Division, at the ______ Museum we  . . . .

This year, we provided tours to ---- school children, providing them an opportunity to. . .

What resources have you found helpful?

I encourage you to send your legislator(s)—both personal and organizational—an email to let them know that you will be attending Museum Advocacy Day and would like to visit with them either during floor time or in the Rotunda.
Not sure who your legislators are? Go to www.le.utah.gov enter your address in the lower left hand corner. This will give you their contact information and you will be able to send them an email.
*We have 14 new Representatives and 3 new Senators so you may not have the ones you think you have!*

Practice your 90 second elevator speech that you will say when you meet with them. Keep in mind that some of you may be meeting with more than one organization, so it is imperative that you are brief and succinct. Also, if you have a handout, do NOT give it to the legislator until you, as a group, are done talking. Make sure any handouts are three hole punched, bigger text, lots of white space and either colors or photos.

Have fun talking with your legislators and connecting with other passionate museum folks!

As a follow up make sure to send them a thank you note when you are back home and invite them to come to your facility. Keep in touch with them throughout the year instead of once a year. 

See you on March 3rd!!!

Jayceen Craven Walker serves as the Past President of the the Utah Museums Association. She has worked with Utah nonprofit groups and government organizations for over 19 years and is an influential advocate for museums in the state.

"I first met Jayceen Craven Walker, President of the Utah Museums Association and a Government Relations and Advocacy Associate at Pathway Associates, at the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2013 Annual Meeting. We were both stuffing registration packets, and she really struck me with her vibrant personality and willingness to help out with all tasks. I am a novice to most things advocacy-related, and as WMA gears up for Museum Advocacy Day 2014, Jayceen was the first person I could think of to pick her brain about her 25 years worth of experience advocating for museums."

Continue reading. . .

Over 30 different museums from around the state attended and were able to meet with their Representatives and Senators.

This year there are 23 new Representatives in the House and four in the Senate. This provides lots of opportunity for museums to interact with and get to know their legislative leaders.

The museums that attended were recognized on the floor of the House and Senate by Representative Joel Briscoe and Senator Jim Dabakis.

Senator Dabakis is new and was not aware of the funding that museums receive through the Office of Museums grants program. I offered to work with him in the interim to see what we can do to increase the funding pool for museums.

It’s important to note that in 2011 nearly 7 million people attended Utah’s museums annually and generated more than $140 million in nonprofit arts, museums and arts related venues.* If you haven’t yet filled out the survey sent by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, please do so.

Many legislators wandered the exhibit tables in the Rotunda after the morning floor time and before the afternoon session.

I will be offering my Advocacy 101 in several areas of the state this spring so check the website for dates and locations.  Next up will be Moab, Logan and Cedar City in late March and April.

Don’t forget that this year’s conference will be in conjunction with the Western Museums Association (WMA) to be held in Salt Lake, October 9-12, 2013.

Next year’s Utah Museum Advocacy Day at the Capitol will be February 25, 2014.

*Data from the Creative Vitality Index commissioned by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums

Jayceen Craven Walker

UMA President

We had a very successful Museum Day on the Hill, February 1, 2010 in partnership with the Division of Arts and Museums (DAM) and the Office of Museum Services (OMS). Attendance from all involved was estimated to be 250. We had many new legislators visit with their constituency as well as peruse the tables in the rotunda. Special thanks to Wendi Hassan from the DAM for her hard work on that day. Museum Day on the hill has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 31, 2012 so mark your calendars.

Now for the details of the session. This information was compiled by the UCA and myself:

• Competitive Arts Grants (DAM) was cut by $141,800.
• Arts Acquisition was cut by $60,000 (elimination), however $10,000 in one-time funding was found to keep the line item alive.
• Office of Preservation (State History) will be cut by $154,300. Philip F. Notarianni, resigned his position as of April 1 after 34 years at the Division.
• Library funding was reduced by $244,200
• Zoos were reduced by $100,400
• The news from State Parks is that no state park or museum will close this year. The legislature provided intent language that the Division of Parks Recreation use the $4,000,000 one-time General Fund appropriation be used to keep state parks open during FY 2012. We need to encourage people to visit these parks and voice their support.

• Professional Outreach to Schools (POPS) was increased $213,000
• Informal Science Education Outreach Education (iSEE) was increased $304,500
• One time appropriations were allocated to the following from the Department of Community and Culture:
  - Living Planet Aquarium $2 million
  - Leonardo $200,000
  - Bear River Valley Historic Museum $50,000
  - Taylorsville War Memorial $100,000
  - Old Lyric Theater $50,000
  - Thanksgiving Point $1.5 million

HB51S1: School and Institutional Trust Lands was passed through both the Senate and House and was signed by the Governor on March 23.

HB287S2: Restructuring of the Department of Community and Culture, was passed through both the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor on March 29.

SB243S1: Historic Areas or Sites Amendments has passed both the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor on March 22.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Museum Day as well as talking with your elected officials about the importance of your Museum in their district. We could not do it without you.

Jayceen assists clients of Pathway Associates to create and implement comprehensive government relations strategies that address both immediate needs and long term goals. She has worked with Utah nonprofit groups and government organizations for over 19 years. Jayceen expertly navigates the complexities of State and Federal government, including rural regulatory agencies, county councils, State legislature and Federal Representation. She also has extensive experience in planning and executing educational program development and outreach, while securing community-wide support for these programs.