Gov. Spencer Cox to present annual artists’ awards on Wednesday

The residence of Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox in downtown Salt Lake City will be the site for presentation of the 2022 Governor's Mansion Artist Awards on Wednesday, June 15. The annual awards go to three artists in both visual and performing arts (Image courtesy of Roland Lee on Facebook).

SALT LAKE CITY – Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox will honor Utahns who impact the arts and their communities with the 2022 Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards.

The awards will be presented in a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15.

“The arts can inspire us, uplift us and help us reflect on the complexities of the human condition as well as our common humanity,” Cox said.

This year’s honorees include performing artist Tabernacle Choir organist Dr. Richard Elliot; Utah Poet Laureate Paisley Rekdal; and Clytie Adams, the director of the Clytie Adams School of Ballet.

Honorees from the ranks of Utah’s visual artists include painter Paige Crosland Anderson; glass artist Carrie Trenholm; and sculptor Leroy Transfield.

Philanthropist Marcia Price will also receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for her many years of support for the arts in Utah.

Art speaks to us in a language everyone understands,” said Mrs. Cox. “It’s a connecting point. The Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards are a way for us to honor and celebrate exceptional artists in our community.”

Dr. Richard Elliot is the principal organist at the Tabernacle on Temple Square. He participates in the daily recital series there and accompanies the Tabernacle Choir on weekly radio and TV broadcasts of “Music & the Spoken Word.”

He has performed in many of the world’s great halls and appeared on numerous television/radio programs and recordings.

Dr. Elliot has also concertized extensively as a soloist in performances on five continents.

Paisley Rekdal recently completed her five-year term as Poet Laureate of Utah.

Her work has received numerous prizes, including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Rekdal is a distinguished professor at the University of Utah and creator of West: A Translation, a book to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

Clytie Adams served four years on the Utah Arts Council Dance Panel and three separate terms as president of the Utah Ballet Teachers Association.

Adams has trained tens of thousands of dancers, many of whom have gone on to appear in Ballet West performances of The Nutcracker and to train in college and repertory dance companies.

The Clytie Adams School of Ballet completed its 59th year in 2021-2022.

Paige Crosland Anderson’s abstract art explores the philosophical, spiritual and practical significance of patterns.

Drawing from the visual language of Latter-day Saint pioneer quilt-making, Anderson uses geometric shapes as a framework to explore themes of genealogy, spiritual yearning and personal struggle as a means of discovery.

Carrie Trenholm, an artist from Cedar City, finds exploring new techniques and methods exciting as she captures light and colors in fused glass.

Trenholm was influenced by her father’s stained glass craft and her own art education received in Oregon and Italy.

Much of her current work is inspired by observations while floating rivers and hiking in the beauty of the West.

Leroy Transfield has won numerous awards, but says his greatest satisfaction comes from creating sculptures that convey beauty, emotion and are pleasing to the eye.

Working from a studio in Orem, he strives for a high standard of excellence rather than catering exclusively to the commercial market.

Transfield has created monuments and memorials for many Utah cities and towns. His sculptures are also exhibited in private and corporate art collections.

Marcia Price is a champion of the arts whose passion has led her to a lifetime of service promoting and sustaining Utah’s art institutions.

Price and her husband John are major donors to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on the University of Utah campus.

She has served as a board member and chair of the Utah Arts Council; a member of the Salt Lake County Fine Arts Committee; and a member of the Utah College of Fine Arts Advisory Board.

In 2006, Price received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of Utah.

Each year, Utah’s chief executive presents the Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards to three outstanding artists in both the performing and visual arts.

Utah is so lucky to have such a rich tradition of artistic talent among us,” Cox said. “We are grateful to these artists for the joy and hope they contribute to our quality of life.”

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2 Comments

  • Danny Archuletta June 14, 2022 at 6:26 pm Reply

    Why is he always referred to as Governor Spencer Cox? Why not Governor Cox? I’ll bet his wife insists on it for some weird reason.

  • skeetr June 22, 2022 at 10:00 am Reply

    oh ya that guy who drains our subsidized water on his water hungry alfalfa crop then sells it to China. stand up representative, that.

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