Gathering Utah's heritage

Fourth-graders will be told a different story in school this year. It's not just a textbook account anymore. It's real life.

Arrowheads, pottery jars, encased certificates, framed photographs, Western American artwork — all are pieces that speak of lives lost and homelands found, pieces that tell Utah's story.

And telling Utah's story is what the Museum of Utah Art & History is all about.

By collecting the state's art, artifacts and records in one location, the museum's mission is to create excitement and improve awareness about Utah's heritage. By learning from the past, we find purpose in the future, as reads the museum's mission statement.

"(The museum) is a very special opportunity for the citizens of Utah to see the objects, artifacts and manuscripts that will tell the story of their people," said Tom Rugh, MUAH director. "We have a tremendous heritage and a unique collection of art and historical objects to tell these stories. They are really treasures of the state and deserved to be showcased at the museum."

The museum is gathering in one place the majority of its collections from the Utah Arts Council, the Utah State Historical Society and the Utah State Archives and Records Service. MUAH is also the first Utah museum affiliated with the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, which Rugh foresees as a possible supplier of future exhibits.

In preparation for the opening of the museum in the fall, a celebratory gala will be held this Friday as a MUAH fund-raising event. Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton will be the guest of honor at Friday's gala and will be presented with the Governor's Award for Devotion to the Arts by Gov. Olene Walker. The award honors Keaton's assistance to the museum and her lifelong contribution to art, photography and historical restoration.

During the gala, a short documentary will be shown about the coming of the museum. Produced by filmmaker Donna Poulton, the film will feature comments from local artists, Utah citizens, senators and other museum executives. Ken Brewer, Utah's poet laureate, will also read a piece he wrote in honor of the museum, "The Persistence of Memory."

The gala's reception/dinner will be held in the Grand America Hotel following a reception/collection preview at the museum. Keaton will be speaking at both receptions and will mingle with guests throughout the night. A small representative collection of art from the Utah Arts Council will be on display at the museum.