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Heritage Workshops

Heritage Workshops

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Photo: Ute moccasins. Image courtesy of Uintah County Heritage Museum.

Strengthen the Fabric of Utah's Collective Heritage!

We support nonprofit organizations that strengthen Utah's cultural sector. Our free regional workshops provide museums, historical societies, arts and cultural organizations with hands-on training in grant-writing, organizational readiness, best practice history research, collection stewardship, exhibit development, and interpretation techniques. Onsite mentored projects give participants the opportunity to apply their new knowledge and skills.

For more information, contact Megan van Frank at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 801.359.9670 x110.

StEPs-Utah Pilot

Work together to build on your organization’s strengths!

Utah Humanities (UH), the Utah Division of Arts & Museums (UDAM), and the Utah Division of State History (USH) are partnering to pilot a program based on the American Association for State & Local History’s (AASLH) Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations (StEPs) that will offer seven Utah history museums a two-year enrichment opportunity designed to help them achieve success in six areas of institutional practice. Space is limited and by competitive application - applications for the 2018-2020 program are now closed. Learn more about the program here and if you have questions, please contact Jennifer Ortiz at UDAM (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Megan van Frank at UH (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

“StEPs has helped our organization to achieve basic standards of practice in many areas. Without the program and the support of the other participants and our mentor, I am not sure this would have been possible. We have come together in an amazing way and have a renewed enthusiasm in the future.”  

- StEPs-CT program participant

Upcoming Workshops

The StEPS-Utah pilot project will commence with 4-month modules in July 2018 and continue through June 2020. Each module will be comprised of hands-on workshops, an onsite project, and mentor support. Monthly workshops will be held in Salt Lake City. During the course of the program, a cohort of participating organizations will complete all six modules (modules are not available separately). 

Cost & Registration

Participation in the pilot is by competitive application - please note that applications are now closed. Program fees are $150 per organization per module = $900 per organization for the 2-year program. See schedule, benefits, and requirements here. For more information, contact Megan van Frank at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Jennifer Ortiz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Presenters

Workshops will be taught by instructors who are experts in the designated area of focus. The program will pair participating organizations with an experienced mentor to help individualize content to the organization’s current needs.

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Museum Interpretation 

Tell the Stories of Your Collections & Communities!

Learn how to research, design, and create interpretive exhibits and educational activities. This series of five full-day linked workshops offers staff and volunteers working in Utah’s small museums hands-on learning in curatorial practice and exhibit development. Participants attend the entire series and complete a small exhibit project at their own museum. The program includes reading and project-related assignments, as well as a small stipend to support exhibit development. Museum Interpretation Workshops are presented in partnership with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums.

I appreciate the congenial atmosphere and encouragement, the sharing of ideas, and helping each other on actual projects and not just hypotheticals.

The workshops have been the most valuable thing we have ever participated in. The information was clear, well presented, and easy to understand and get excited about.

– Workshop Participants

Workshop Series - Check Back for 2019 Dates

This workshop series is held over five consecutive months. Participation in all five full-day workshops and completion of a small on-site exhibit project is required:

  • Month 1: Telling Our Stories: Introduction to Museum Interpretation
  • Month 2: Finding Our Stories: Researching Collections & Communities
  • Month 3: Designing Our Stories: Well Structured Exhibits
  • Month 4: Writing Our Stories: Exhibit Labels 
  • Month 5: Teaching Our Stories: Museum Education 

Participants can access Sample Workshop Materials here.

Cost & Registration 

Training and materials are free, but workshop space is limited and by competitive application. For details or questions, contact Megan van Frank at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 801.359.9670 x110.

Presenters

Megan van Frank (Utah Humanities), Lisa Thompson (Natural History Museum of Utah), and Virginia Catherall (Utah Museum of Fine Arts).

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Oral History

Interested in oral history? This workshop is a great place to begin!

Oral History is a powerful tool to understand your family stories and community history. This workshop will provide a focused introduction to the art and craft of oral history: to the philosophical underpinnings of the discipline — what it can, and cannot, tell us about the past — and to the nuts and bolts of executing successful oral history projects. Participants will find out more about funding sources for oral history projects. Oral History workshops are presented jointly by Utah Humanities and the Utah Division of State History.

Well organized, informative, upbeat, inspiring... Lots of great ideas and resources... A broad range of information presented in a very digestible way.... I feel prepared to apply this information!

– Workshop Attendees, Salt Lake City

Upcoming Workshops

To schedule a workshop in your community, please contact Megan van Frank at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 801.359.9670 x110.

Cost & Registration

These half-day workshops are free but registration is requested. 

Presenters

Jedediah Rogers is a Senior State Historian at the Utah Division of State History and co-managing editor of the Utah Historical Quarterly. Megan van Frank directs community history and museum programming for Utah Humanities.

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Grant Writing Workshops

Free hands-on help to improve your grant proposals!

Join the grants managers from the Utah Division of Arts & Museums and Utah Humanities for a free, hands-on workshop.  Learn best practices and tools for getting your message across, common budget errors, evaluation strategies, as well as general organizational readiness.

Current Workshops

If you would like to schedule a workshop in your community, please contact Megan van Frank at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 801.359.9670 x110. 

Cost & Registration

These workshops are free but registration is requested. 

Presenters

Grants managers from Utah Humanities and the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. 

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Heritage Workshops are supported in part by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums and the Utah Division of State History, with funding from the State of Utah. Additional funding is provided by the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation.

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