The Cottonwood Heights Arts Council is off to a booming start this 2024 year as they conclude a handful of events and prepare for even more, including their annual play. 

The Arts Council will be showing Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” for the July 2024 summer musical. They are currently searching for actors, wig/hair artists, makeup artists, stage crew volunteers, set builders and a stage manager. 

Actor auditions will be held on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. Initial auditions are by appointment or can be submitted by video by March 15. Callbacks are currently scheduled for March 23.

“Hopeful actors should prepare 30 seconds of a song that is in the style of the show or from the show. It’s best to choose something that showcases your vocal range,” said Culture Coordinator Katie Hoflich. 

There is only one child role for this show, the role of Chip, which could be played by an actor who can play the role of an 8 to 12 year old. Hoflich noted that the show will have dancing, so strong dancers are encouraged to audition as well.

“We will also be featuring some small moments en pointe, so dancers who have ballet experience in pointe shoes would be great to see,” Hoflich said. 

“Beauty and the Beast” will be directed by Brighton Sloan. 

The Arts Council has recently hosted a number of full celebrations and activities for Cottonwood Heights residents.  

Painters gathered at Cottonwood Heights City Hall (2277 Bengal Blvd.) on Friday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. for a Valentine’s Day Event called Sweetheart Paint Night. 

Whitney Horrocks, a Cottonwood Heights-based Smartest Artist guided painters through their own version of a mountain inspired image with trees and a sunset in the background. 

Tickets cost $12 for the full kit including supplies and refreshments. The event was sold out three weeks in advance. 

The Chinese New Year Celebration included musical performance and kung-fu demonstrations, along with a visit from current Miss Utah, Sarah Sun, the first Chinese American Miss Utah.

Registration for the the Chinese New Year Celebration quickly filled up but the Arts Council did allow additional people to show up the day of. 

“This event was a huge success!” said Hoflich. “Our estimate is that we had around 150 people there.” 

The most recent Art Exhibit to be showcased at Cottonwood Heights City Hall was the Artwork of the Asian Arts and Culture Association. The exhibition was first revealed on Feb. 2 and continued to show until Feb. 29. 

The exhibit featured a community of artists dedicated to traditional Chinese arts, particularly ink painting and calligraphy. Images of bamboo and lotus flowers, which represent strength, resilience, purity and spiritual enlightenment flowered the entrance of City Hall. Some of the artistry depicted the four seasons, using nature’s cycling rhythm as a metaphor for the ever-changing tone of life.

“As guardians of traditional Chinese arts, these artists aim to share cultural narratives and foster a deeper appreciation for Eastern arts,” detailed the Exhibit’s plaque. 

Their mission is to promote Eastern artistic expressions and preserve techniques that are firmly rooted in a rich cultural heritage.

Hoflich pointed to one of the Arts Council Instagram followers who mentioned, “Love to see cultural events being embraced in our neighborhood!”

The first Art Exhibit of 2024 on display at City Hall was titled “The Eyes Have It.”.It was unveiled on Jan. 2 and cycled down on Feb. 1. 

All of the artwork shown was digitally or analog captured to create images. Prints were designed by using silver gelatin traditional, alternative or digital/archival ink printing methods. 

“We were honored by a visit from the artists themselves who loved the exhibit and the beautiful natural light that fills our lobby at City Hall,” said Hoflich. 

The exhibit included work by photographers including: Brian Buroker, Laurel Casjens, P. Kent Fairbanks, Kathy Gardner, Hunter Jackson, Kent Miles, Steve Proctor and Ike Sanders.

The Arts Council is always looking for volunteers. They would like to emphasize that you do not need to be an artist to be on the Arts Council. As stated by the Art Council, “We are looking for folks that have a love for the arts and want to get involved in the community. There are a lot of non-artist skills that are needed if you served on the council such as event planning, social media and other skills.” 

If you would like to be involved, visit the Arts Council page on the Cottonwood Heights City website (ch.utah.gov) or reach out to Culture Coordinator Kate Hoflich, [email protected]. λ