State-owned art may get inventoried

Utah is a step closer to having a state owned art inventory after the House Workforce Services committee gave a unanimous nod to a measure to track the state's collections Friday morning.

"We have some great and valuable art that's been loaned out to our various departments and schools," said Rep. James Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, the House sponsor of SB33. "There's no inventory of it. We have art out there, we don't really know where it is."

The bill would create a statewide system for tracking collections within the state and the Division of Arts and Museums would oversee the inventory and provide advice on care and maintenance of pieces within the museum, said Ally Isom, deputy director of the Department of Community and Culture. The bill's fiscal note of $33,000 in the first year and $24,000 ongoing would provide for a part-time contractor to create and maintain the inventory, she said.

"It's just wise to inventory this artwork and to have a feel for not only where it is or what it is," said Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan. "Too often, government agencies get into situations where they don't understand the value of what they're working with."

The bill now moves to the full House for further discussion.