We inspire, engage and unify the community through the arts. Discover yourself in art!
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The Holladay Arts Council was formed in 2004 by a dedicated group of volunteers, and now operates as part of the City of Holladay with a part-time executive director (city staff member) and volunteers. The Council is charged with carrying out the city’s master plan goal of expanding and promoting arts opportunities for Holladay residents and the surrounding communities.
The Council has 11 voting members, in addition to up to 4 ex-officio members, who are formally interviewed and appointed by the city manager with the advice and consent of the City Council. Arts council members have staggered 3-year terms, with the option of a 3-year renewal. There is also a liaison from the City Council who is an ex-officio member of the Arts Council.
We design all of our programs to facilitate our core values (inspire, engage, unify, appreciate), thereby serving diverse groups of children, students, seniors, artists, non-artists, business owners, and families in Holladay and surrounding areas. We diversify our arts offerings to include theatre, music, visual art, and dance in order to engage the largest number of people in a participatory art experience. While we recognize that many residents enjoy a passive art experience (appreciation), we have worked hard to increase opportunities for direct participation (engage and inspire) with the overall goal of unifying our community through art.
All Arts Council members volunteer their time to plan and carry out events during the year. Arts Council members also regularly solicit help from friends, family, and community members to distribute the workload and to involve more residents in arts activities. The executive director, as a city staff member, is responsible for providing guidance to the Arts Council, supporting its activities and events, grant-writing, and assisting with fundraising. The director is an ex-officio member of the Arts Council.
Sheryl was hired in July 2017 as the Holladay Arts Council executive director and is excited to work with enthusiastic council members. She believes there is much potential for offering diverse arts opportunities for residents and visitors, including the summer concert series, Blue Moon Festival, and the fine art show. Prior to this position, Sheryl worked for 12 years at Art Access, the last five as the executive director.
All of the arts are important to Sheryl, and she has been a life-long enthusiast. She believes that storytelling through art is a powerful way to connect people of diverse backgrounds, and that sharing art makes it a joy to be human. She is an award-winning quilt artist and runs a quilting and sewing business. She is also an avid reader, knitter, and traveler.
Sheryl grew up in Salt Lake City, went to college and graduate school in Oregon and Pennsylvania, then returned home in 1985, where she has lived happily thereafter. She shares her life with her daughter, son, dog, cat, fish, and many friends.
A lifelong resident of the Salt Lake Valley, Natalie Bradley moved to Holladay in 2013. Natalie is a former English teacher with a Shakespeare obsession and is actively working through her life’s goal to see every Shakespeare play performed. She has a love for the performing arts and enjoys watching artists share their talents. In addition to her career in education, she has worked in marketing, public relations, sales, and children’s theater. As an educator and parent, she is a strong believer that children should have access to and participate in the arts. Natalie and her husband are raising five children ranging from teenagers to toddlers and a rambunctious dog.
Growing up in Millcreek, Ginger Gunn, graduated from Granite High School and the University of Utah. She served as a high school and junior high school teacher of dance and U.S. History for students designated as “gifted” in Granite District for over 20 years. During that time she choreographed and staged dozens of musicals and concerts. She received national and local awards for teaching excellence. Ginger also owned and operated her own dance studio for over 25 years where she gained experience in the public and private arts arenas. Ginger’s grandfather established the first dancing schools in Utah, beginning in 1918. She grew up watching him and her aunt develop a legacy of dance within the Salt Lake area, which she now hopes to promote in the Holladay community. Following her recent retirement from teaching, Ginger began looking for opportunities to share her enthusiasm for the arts and now thinks she has found the perfect fit in being a member of the Holladay Arts Council.
Kathy joined the Arts Council to help promote art in our community, to become a voice “within a choir” for the arts. She believes that it’s our calling to promote arts awareness and advocate its value. The essence of art is how we become ourselves. It has nothing to do with skill. It’s the true nature of experimentation without boundaries – trying out something and not worrying about being right or wrong. Kathy is a grandmother to her amazing 4 yr old granddaughter Andrea Sophia, and is also a Potter, and Master Gardener. She has lived and worked many years in both northern and southern California as well as Tucson, AZ. Kathy lives in Holladay with her husband Larry and three of her best friends-- dogs Molly, Madde and Sam.
Sheri Lyn Sohm is a life-long resident of Holladay. She was an Olympus High Titan, and studied education and art at the U of U. Sheri’s career as a Gifted-Ed. teacher in Salt Lake School District, provided opportunities to teach students how to make a difference in their community. Over the years, her “kids" saved Hidden Hollow Nature Park in Sugar House, and brought attention to the lowly Sego Lily. Sheri loves painting, drawing and art history. She enjoys taking classes, and sharing time with friends, family and her therapy dog, Buddy. Sheri is amazed at the broad array of local talent and is excited to be a member of the Holladay Arts Council. ve that includes what they do, how long they’ve been at it, and what got them to where they are.
Jennifer was raised with an appreciation for classical music and the performing arts. Her mother was a piano teacher and accompanist and their home was always filled with music.
Her husband Herald comes from a family of artists and art collectors, expanding her interest into fine art. She graduated with a B.A. in Art History from the University of Utah with an emphasis on early American and Utah art.
Currently, she works as a presenter for the National Energy Foundation. She enjoys playing music with her husband and children, skiing, boating, cycling and traveling. The Clark family moved to their home in Holladay in 1998. Jennifer is excited to be involved with the Holladay Arts Council and is grateful for this unique opportunity to serve in her community.
JC moved to Holladay from Akron, Ohio with his amazing wife and two kids to pursue his career as a creative.
He’s held a couple of cool jobs that’s allowed him to illustrate, write and design for products, games and movies.
He currently owns a creative branding agency called Peeko and a publishing company called Oople Made.
The youngest of eight children, Liz was born and raised in Millcreek, UT (though she happily spent her summers at her family cabin in Oakley, UT). Eventually her family moved to the east coast, bouncing around the region until they settled in New Hampshire. There, Liz met and married her husband Matthew.
Liz and Matthew raised three kids in a quaint New England town near the coast, but after 20+ years, the Rocky Mountains called them back to Utah, where they now reside.
In all that time, Liz never lost her love for the arts. As a child, she practiced dance at fellow Arts Council member Ginger Gunn's Dance School, later moving to Princeton Ballet.
In her teens she traded her toe shoes for soccer cleats and continued to play well into her adult years. She even started an over 40 women’s team back east.
Though she dedicated most of her time and energy toward raising her children, Liz always knew she would return to a creative outlet. That outlet came in the form of a local metalsmithing class—a class that gave Liz the push she needed to attend and graduate from B Golden Jewelry School.
Liz is now an instructor and class coordinator at that very same school. Between teaching new artists how to create their own art, Liz can usually be found in her home studio. There, she creates & sells her own jewelry under the name Sterling Perch Jewelry.
Liz is excited to be a part of the Holladay Arts Council and is looking forward to helping others pursue their own artistic endeavors.
Jon is a native of northern Utah, and was born into an energetic and artistic family. Inspired by his mother’s paintings and his father’s photography, he began painting as a child. He was fascinated by the natural world around him, and did everything he could to explore it. His life-long love of plants and flowers developed into work in gardens, greenhouses and landscaping.
Jon took a break from painting in order to complete other studies and begin a successful career as a software developer and IT professional. A college art class reawakened his creative passion, and he began painting again.
He began with a series of abstracts, and while showing them in a local gallery stroll, he met teacher and mentor Sydney Bowman. With her guidance, Jon began to study art in earnest, beginning with the fundamentals of drawing, painting, and portraiture. He expanded his experience using a variety of new mediums and subjects. Building on his rapidly widening skills, he achieved new focus and realism in his paintings. After mastering realism, Jon began to explore other styles. His painting styles include realism, impressionism, and abstract works.
When Jon isn't painting he enjoys spending time with his family, running, gardening, and traveling.
Chris and wife Leslie both were raised in neighboring East Millcreek. They decided to raise their family in Holladay, moving into their current home in 1987. The Knaphus’ have four Adult children (all currently living in the Holladay area). The Grandson of a prominent Utah Artist/Sculptor, Chris has always appreciated art. As a frequent business traveler, he takes the opportunity visit galleries, museums, concert halls, and performing art productions around the world.
Chris is Vice President of Knaphus Exterior Panel Co., a specialty construction company that designs, procures, and installs natural stonework for large commercial buildings. As a member of the Council, he hopes to bring some of his business and organizational skills to add strength to an already impressive organization. He is excited to assist in the planning and preparation of the many community events provided by the Holladay Arts Council.
Michaeljohn and his wife Barbara have been residents of Holladay for over thirty years. Michaeljohn born and raised in New York City, Barbara a Salt Lake native have raised their four children in Holladay. Michaeljohn began his career on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, received a BA degree from Texas A&M and is a Certified Financial Planner. His career has always involved rendering investment advice. Michaeljohn is a licensed securities representative, licensed real estate and insurance agent.
In the late eighties when the stock market tanked, Michaeljohn began developing an interest in Native American Art. He currently has a collection in his southern Utah home. In addition, Michaeljohn is passionate about music. As a council member Michaeljohn hopes to bring more community awareness to the already successful arts council and help attract more sponsors so the council can give more scholarships and grants along with increasing more music and art activities for the Holladay City and surrounding area residents.
Ilene Stowe is an enthusiastic artist and, in some ways, new to the lifestyle of a creator. Having spent 40 years in corporate America and raising nine children, she has been busy, to say the least. Now is her time as an artist, and all that waiting to create is finally paying off.
“I've just been doing it for three years now,” Stowe said of her watercolor paintings, which have the free-flowing, professional appearance of an artist who has worked much longer.
Stowe is unusually adept at capturing the essence of people’s pets, and she becomes emotional when discussing the subject.
“People have asked me to do pictures of pets that have passed, so I do those and it's so rewarding for me . . . because you know their pets are their baby,” she said. “I did a really lot of them at Christmas.”
Born in Modesto, California, and raised primarily in Millcreek, Stowe has lived all over Utah and has been in Holladay since 1983. She studied art at Utah State University, Southern Utah University and Salt Lake Community College.
Stowe wanted to create art since she can remember. She is also a master gardener, which influences her art.
She creates no prints and sells only originals. It’s as if she is making up for lost time. An enthusiastic student, Stowe studies with artist Harold Peterson.
Paul Fotheringham has been a resident of Holladay for 20+ years. He grew up just next door to Holladay in the Millcreek area, graduated from Olympus High back in the glory days, and subsequently graduated from the U with a BA in Accounting. Paul is currently Director of Treasury Management at First Utah Bank, a local Community Bank, headquartered just north of Olympus High School.
Paul was elected a City Council member in 2017, has previously served as Holladay's representative on Salt Lake County's Community & Economic Development Advisory Council (CEDAC), and also served on local school community councils. When a vacancy on the Arts Council opened for City Council Liaison, Paul jumped at the chance to join the group. Prior to joining the Arts Council in January 2020, Paul and his wife Lisa have been regular attendees and volunteers at Arts Council events.
Highlighting his interest in the arts, Paul enjoys attending his daughter Megan’s ballet performances. Megan has been featured as Holladay’s Artist of the Month. According to Paul, Megan, currently a Sophomore Dance major at Westminster College, is the finest, most accomplished, and most beautiful ballerina in the Intermountain West. She even invited Paul to see her perform on stage in St. Petersburg, Russia – (it’s advisable to avoid asking Paul about it unless you have a completely free hour).
Bonnie graduated from University of Utah with a Degree in Human Resource Management and Clinical Degree from Utah State University in Chemistry and Nutrition. She has served in many professional positions and volunteer positions with Department of veterans Affairs, Retail management positions and event planning. Nell is semi-Retired with a passion for Art and Serving my community. The Holladay Art Council is one of the Gems in our community and Bonnie is glad to be serving as a member.
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Love of the arts is genetic for Beckie. Her mother taught art in the Granite School Continuing Education Program and her sister, Bonnie Posselli, is a professional, working artist.
Her roots run deep in Holladay. She lives on third-generation property and has a great desire to see that Holladay keeps the intimate community atmosphere, that drew her family here, while the city continues to grow.
In addition to Holladay Arts.org and several artists' websites, Beckie also maintains art groups' websites which include the Plain Air Painters of Utah, and Plein Air Utah.
Sandy is a Utah native and lived in Holladay during her teen years. She spent 22 years in Scottsdale as a sales rep for Toys and Halloween products. She has been painting primarily in oils since 2005.
Sandy is excited to be a member of the Holladay Arts Council.
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