Carol Moss // Democrat // Utah House District 37

  • How have the arts, culture, and/or humanities impacted your life?
    • In every way—my college degrees, my profession, my personal life, my spirit, my joy has come from the humanities. I was a high school English teacher, played piano growing up, sang in school choirs, still sing in my church choir, season ticket holders for PTC. Attend symphonies, art exhibits, opera, arts festival. I can’t imagine life without the arts and humanities.
  • 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
  • Fiscally responsible government investment in the arts and humanities (including humanities and arts education) means to me:
    • That Utahns value the arts and humanities and what is says about us as humans. It also means that I understand the multiplier effect the arts have on ancillary businesses like caterers, rideshare services, and restaurants. It also enhances the ability to recruit businesses who want to reallocate to Utah. Many businesses know the importance of quality of life for their employees
  • 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
  • Anything else we should know about you?
    • I have always been a supporter of the arts and can’t imagine life without them. During this period, I social isolation, I long to go to a play, a museum, a concert. But I still have books and some excellent programming on cable networks with quality movies ad concerts.