But recently, in the wake of September's special legislative session, Hunt has been dialing the phone to share bad news: Cuts to the Arts Council's budget will affect programs statewide.
"Everything hurts," Hunt said of the $1.5 million annual operating budget shared by the Arts Council and the Division of Arts and Museums, which was cut by nearly $140,000.
In addition to internal administrative cuts, both the Arts Council and the arts and museum division will pass on cuts to their grantees. That translates to a $61,300 reduction in the amount of grants the agency distributes to arts groups throughout the state, and a $13,300 cut in museum grants.
The reductions "no matter how seemingly small, are cutting into muscle and bone, not fat," said Hunt, about arts organizations and artists whose resources are already lean.
Arts organizations will see a 3 percent reduction in arts grants in 2009 - unless even more budget cuts are made in the upcoming Legislative session.
Arts groups say those reductions will hurt. For example, West Valley City's Hale Centre Theatre is expected to see a $33,000 cut in 2009, and an additional cut of $30,000 in 2010. "We were, of course, disappointed," said Brent Lange, vice president and chief administrative officer, although the theater company understands the state faces difficult decisions in the current economic climate.
State funding for the semi-professional company already ranks among the lowest per patron in Utah, Lange said, making a comparison to the state's largest professional theater and arts groups. Hale will likely have to make changes in the "technical aspects" but not the overall quality of its shows, he said.
In St. George, the Southwest Symphony received word of a $1,200 cut from a promised Arts Council grant, which will affect its ability to pay newly hired orchestra members, said Cheryl Scott, executive director. "We're scrambling to cover," she said.
Hunt sees the state arts cuts as troubling, particularly in light of recent reductions of federal arts funding. Paradoxically, a recent study by National Endowment for the Arts points to western states as one of the fastest growing arts regions in the U.S., with Nevada and Utah in the lead - yet arts funding hasn't been keeping pace with that growth, Hunt said.
She's concerned about Utah funding trends, in a state that's historically been supportive of the arts. The Utah Arts Council, founded in 1899, was the first statewide arts agency in the nation.
In 2006, Hunt says, Utah ranked 16th in the country for state funding for the arts. The following year the state dropped to number 17 - and that was before the current budget cuts.
In addition, there's the fact that sales tax revenues are declining, which means that arts organizations in at least 16 Utah communities are reporting a reduction in their sales taxes contributions, similar to Salt Lake County's ZAP - Zoo, Arts and Parks - tax. "Some of our major arts organizations report that they are on life support," Hunt said. "These trends are a real concern."
Julie Checkoway writes about the arts. Contact her at jcheckoway@sltrib.com or 801-257-8611. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
