Ammon Gruwell // United Utah Party // Utah House District 15
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How have the arts, culture, and/or humanities impacted your life?
- I have loved good music and literature from a young age. I played in public school concert and marching bands from middle school to high school. I also sang in church choirs for many years and was a member of the BYU Men’s Chorus for a time as a college student. I also love reading good literature ranging from classic and historical fiction to modern fantasy and sci-fi. I also enjoy attending plays at the Hale Center Theater with my family.
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Utah's humanities and arts employ 123,000 Utahns, provide $4.4 billion in earnings, and $13.2 billion in sales. This is a larger economic impact than agriculture, mining, and real estate. Do you consider the arts and cultural sector an economic driver in Utah?
- Yes
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Fiscally responsible government investment in the arts and humanities (including humanities and arts education) means to me:
- I believe that Utah should increase funding for education in general, including funding for humanities and arts education. With the impending economic recession due to COVID-19, we cannot abandon arts and humanities which are so core to the lives of Utahns and to our economy in general.
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I support the following legislative items:
- Grants to be used for operations (jobs) as soon as possible
- Keeping emergency loans open to nonprofits
- Protecting the RAP taxes so that money granted to cultural organizations doesn't get repurposed
- Increasing availability of loans to cultural businesses (non-profit and for-profit)
- Fiscally responsible government investment in arts and humanities organizations.
- Development of cultural districts
- Facilitating partnerships between tourism and culture.
- Reducing regulations of creative businesses.
- Capital investment (in museums, performance/concert halls, studios, galleries, nonprofit office space, etc.).
- Percent for public art programs, which optionally designate 1% of government capital costs for public art
- Allowing municipalities to set design standards
- K-6 Students should have increased exposure to arts and humanities education
- 7-12 Students should have increased exposure to arts and humanities education
- I support the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program which puts one arts specialist in most elementary schools
- I support the POPS (Professional Outreach Program in the Schools) which sends 13 professional arts organizations to all UT school districts
- I support the iSEE (Informal Science Educational Enhancement) which sends 10 professional science, zoological, and natural history organizations to all UT school districts
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Anything else we should know about you?
- I am passionate about improving education in Utah, and I think arts and humanities education plays a pivotal role in a child's education. I believe education is less about teaching facts, and more about raising a generation of well-rounded citizens who can think critically and contribute to the general well-being of society.
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