Salt Lake County program wins praises

An audit released this month examining Salt Lake County's art collection revealed a well-run program with few problems.

"These kinds of audits generally don't make the news, but there are many times where we go out and find very good compliance with policy procedure and state law," County Auditor Sean Thomas said.

Auditors found that, out of 436 county-owned paintings and pieces of artwork, all were properly handled and accounted for with a single exception.

The one missing piece was an oil painting worth $350, listed as being at Mick Riley Golf Course but not found. In the aggregate, the collection is worth $1.6 million.

The audit also found that a painting purchased from a gallery had been painted by a member of the Art Collection Committee, a problem that can be taken care of by filling out a conflict-of-interest form. In general, "the county art collection is effectively tracked, and each piece is accurately documented," audit division director Jim Wightman wrote in the audit report.

Much of the county's art resides at the government center at 2001 S. State, the Salt Palace, South Towne Expo Center and the various library branches. By dint of county ordinance, each piece must have some connection to Utah, either through the artist's residence or the art itself.