UMFA News and Press Releases | The Utah Museum of Fine Arts

A colorful image of a buddha surrounded by smaller figures in different action scenes.

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts Presents “Gateway to Himalayan Art,” a traveling exhibition from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

New exhibition on view February 15–July 27, 2025.

A landscape painting depicting California's coastline in vivid colors and expressive brush strokes.

Blue Grass, Green Skies: American Impressionism and Realism Opens August 24 at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Two new exhibitions on view August 24 - December 29, 2024.

A portrait painting of a woman with blue hair and a white dress.

Pictures of Belonging: Miki Hayakawa, Hisako Hibi, and Miné Okubo (Re)Introduces Three Japanese American Artists into Art History Cannon

New exhibition on view February 24 – June 30, 2024

Two little girls sit on a bench in a museum gallery pretending to take a picture with a toy camera

UMFA Receives Art Bridges Foundation Funding Through Nationwide ‘Access for All’ Initiative

New initiative provides $40 million to 64 museums nationwide.

gallery wall with ten photos of people with tatau hung salon style

Tatau Shares a Living Legacy with UMFA Visitors this August

New Exhibition On View August 12-December 30

Large line drawing of two horses running

UMFA Receives Bank of America Conservation Grant

Funds will be used to conserve underdrawings for Chiura Obata's Two Running Horses.

Nancy Rivera Joins UMFA Staff in Key Director Role

The UMFA is pleased to announce Nancy Rivera as the UMFA’s new director of planning and program.

Katie Seastrand stands in a class room surrounded by children working at round tables

UMFA Educator Honored with NAEA Award

Katie Seastrand, UMFA’s manager of school and teacher programs, has been awarded the 2023 Pacific Region Museum Education Art Educator Award by the National Art Education Association.

Emily Lawhead portrait she had long light brown hair, blue eyes and is wearing a simple black shirt. She is smiling directly at the camera

UMFA Announces New Modern and Contemporary Curator

Emily Lawhead brings to the UMFA an impressive depth of knowledge about global modern and contemporary art and valuable experience in scholarly and museum publishing.

Gretchen Dietrich, Marcia Price, and John Price outside the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Price Family Establishes Major Endowment at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

The UMFA is happy to announce a $5 million gift from longtime benefactors, the Price Family, establishing an endowment to support The UMFA executive director position.

an oil painting of a woman with short hair wearing a fancy off the shoulder balck dress her arms are folded across her chest and is looking slightly down towards the viewer with a stern gaze there is a red cloudy sky behind her

Many Wests Offers More Inclusive View

A groundbreaking, nationally touring exhibition re-examining the American West through modern and contemporary art is coming to Salt Lake City in early 2023.

Marcia Price with Utah First Lady Abby Cox (left) and Governor Spencer J. Cox

UMFA Board Chair Honored with Governor's Mansion Artist Award

Marcia Price received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her many years of support for the arts in Utah.

UMFA Announces New Senior Curator

The UMFA is delighted to announce that Alisa McCusker has joined the UMFA staff as senior curator.

Two older women look at and discuss a work of at the UMFA

UMFA Receives Major Grant to join Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

The UMFA is one of nine American art museums chosen to launch a new series of arts programs aimed at museum audiences who are 55 years of age and older.

Whitney Tassie and exhibition designer Sarah Palmer work together to prepare two prairie bonnets covered in pearl-headed pins for display

Senior Curator Concludes Ten Years of Excellent Work at the UMFA

A Fond Farewell to Whitney Tassie

Heartfelt thanks and bittersweet farewell to Whitney Tassie as she wraps up a high-impact ten-year curatorial career at the UMFA this summer 2022. Whitney’s thoughtful leadership and collaborative practice have helped evolve our ways of working and led directly to increased community engagement and a greater diversity of artists in collections and exhibitions.

A tall Japanese style screen made of four panels with two large horses, one black one brown painted in large, gestural strokes arcoss the panels. Kimi Hill stands in from on the screen gesturing to a detail for the crowd of people looking on.

UMFA Awarded Major Grant to Conserve New Acquisition

Bank of America award will support conservation of Chiura Obata screen

Gretchen Dietrich receiving an award at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute

UMFA Executive Director Honored with Informed Decision Maker Award

The award recognizes individuals and entities that work, often behind the scenes and with little fanfare, to help our community prosper.

Katie Seastrand teaches a class though an iPad in the UMFA Modern and Contemporary gallery

UMFA Staffer Named Utah’s Top Museum Educator

Katie Seastrand, manager of school and teacher programs, has been named Utah Museum Educator of the Year. Seastrand received the award Saturday, March 26, at the Utah Art Education Association (UAEA)’s Spring Conference held online.

UMFA Announces Major Endowment from Tozer Family

The Elizabeth Farran Tozer and W. James Tozer, Jr. Endowment for the Utah Museum of Fine Arts will provide funding in perpetuity to support special exhibitions consistent with the mission, vision and core values of the UMFA.

a watercolor of night at the Topaz Internment Camp

UMFA Acquires Works by Major Japanese American Artist

Thirty-five works by Chiura Obata, one of the most significant Japanese American artists of the twentieth century, are now in the permanent collection of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) at the University of Utah—thanks to a generous gift from the Obata estate.