V. Kim Martinez has transformed both public spaces and individual lives as a renowned muralist and painter. Martinez is co-developing the YAP (Youth Arts Program), which, along with Urban Arts class, is giving U art majors and high school students alike the opportunity to create murals that beautify public spaces throughout the Salt Lake Valley. For the young artists, these opportunities expose them to community service and give them an early college experience, while art majors at the U gain artistic and teaching skills through mentoring youth.
Over the past decade, Martinez has worked with more than 250 U students and 1,500 community members on 36 community-based murals, including a series for the Murray School District. She has exhibited her art in numerous galleries, from Ephraim, Utah, to Los Angeles to Odesa, Ukraine, and Sarajevo, Bosnia. Martinez also has presented more than four dozen workshops and public lectures on topics such as community-engaged learning, leadership and community murals.
University of Utah President Taylor Randall names five faculty members as 2024-25 Presidential Societal Impact Scholars for exemplary public engagement.
Art majors may start out thinking they just want to learn how to make art. When they study with Kim Martinez, they learn a lot more: how to work collaboratively, how to build community, how to secure grant money, and how to invest their art with meaning. Within […]