Lynette Wendel // Democrat // Utah House District 39 (A)

  • How have the arts, culture, and/or humanities impacted your life?
    • Though I am not an artist or performer myself, my life has been greatly enhanced by the Arts and Humanities. I have been a season ticket holder at various venues in Salt Lake County and enjoy many of our facilities. Equally important, I believe in supporting the talent in our community. I have seen first-hand that an individual’s identity, joy and purpose can be directly influenced with opportunity in the arts. Recently, I served on the art selection committee for the Midvalley Performing Arts Center being built in my community, Taylorsville. I was the only non-artist on the panel yet my contributions were significant and well-received. Understanding what the art needs to express and what the individual needs to experience while engaging with it was something I could offer. It was a phenomenal experience to be part of that process.
  • 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:
    • I spend a lot of time in our schools and am disappointed in the lack of resources and arts education for our young people. It is hard to preserve a culture that values our art community if it is not supported at a young age. I would like to see greater investment there. I also agree that partnering investment with multiple industries that can support each other is prudent like Tourism and Humanities. Fiscally responsible is “not spending a dime to save a nickel” and making appropriate, sensible investments.
  • 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.
    • 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 support the above-mentioned programs. I am concerned they are not enough. I also serve on the Salt Lake County Parks and Rec Advisory Board so I know budgetary priorities are tough to establish. I am committed to learning more about the Arts and Humanities budget to feel better qualified to answer questions regarding budgetary decisions. I also answered NA for the question regarding lessening regulation. I have not had the opportunity to review all regulation related to the arts community nor have conversations with affected parties. I appreciate the work UCA does. I look forward to meeting with you soon.