West Valley’s Utah Cultural Celebration Center hosting free educational activities

Art, culture activities open monthly for local school children

The Utah Cultural Celebration Center, located at 3100 South 1355 West in West Valley City, is offering free cultural activities for students throughout the school year.

The local cultural center is hosting ARTrageous Tuesdays, a monthly series of programs designed to teach children about local culture and other topics through art-based activities. All of the activities are open to public school students on field trips and to home-schooled children by reservation.

Utah Cultural Celebration ARTrageous Program Director Susan Klinker said each of the monthly programs connects with an art exhibit and offers students a chance to connect with artists to engage and learn more about the topics.

“We put together a unique program for each year. The program is available free of charge to student groups throughout West Valley City,” Klinker said.

This October, West Valley students attending Jackling Elementary participated in a program to educate the children about how to prevent bullying.

The anti-bullying activity, sponsored by the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in partnership with the Human Rights Education Center of Utah, featured a school bus equipped with 25 drums to help facilitate the conversation through music.

Klinker said playing the drums helped the children to get actively involved with the discussion in a fun environment.

“[The students] express their feelings through the drums,” Klinker said.

In addition, this month more than 200 students will visit the local cultural center to learn more about the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a Mexican celebration similar to Halloween, through art and education activities.

On Oct. 24 and 27, students attending the Dia de los Muertos exhibit at the Utah Cultural Center will meet with artist Rosio Mejia to learn more about the holiday and how it’s celebrated in Mexico.

The students will also spend time doing traditional holiday activities such as making paper flowers and painting sugar skulls.

On Nov. 2, the Dia de los Muertos exhibit will be open to the public.

Art programs at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center are supported by funding made available through West Valley City and Zoo, Arts and Parks grant money administered through Salt Lake County.

Each of the ARTrageous Tuesday programs are approximately 90 minutes long.

Schools from throughout the Salt Lake Valley are invited to bring student groups to attend the art programs.

In the coming months, ARTrageous Tuesday programs will include activities such as Capoeira, a Brazilian dance, in November; Trees of Diversity and Holiday Ornament making in December; and a cultural review of the music, dance and religious traditions of the Middle East in January.

Reservations are required in advance to attend ARTrageous Tuesday events.

For more information about cultural and art-based activities at the Utah Cultural Center, call 801-965-5100 or visit culturalcelebration.org.