This Is Her Place

Public art is more than simply art in a public setting. It says something about a place and its people, bringing meaning to shared spaces.

At a time of intense discussion of the community values reflected in public art, we take up the question of who and what are represented in public art through the lives of three muralists whose work has transformed the visual arts landscape in Utah:

Minerva Teichert, a 20th-century painter with Mormon pioneer roots who was the first woman to paint a mural in a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;

Ruby Chacon, a Chicana artist and teacher whose murals dot her native Salt Lake City and across the West; and

Jann Haworth, a pop artist and co-creator of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, who is working on a mural featuring Utah women that will be unveiled later this year.

Whether the issue is a pandemic, vaccinations, or any number of other public health issues, a major challenge for advocates is communicating crucial information in a way that builds trust and changes behavior.

This episode tells the stories of three women who rose to that challenge:

Dr. Angela Dunn, the current state epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health who is on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic;

Annie Dodge Wauneka, a tribal elder and public health advocate who worked in the Navajo Nation in the mid-twentienth century; and

Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, the first female state senator in the U.S. and driving force behind one of the country’s first state-sponsored boards of health.

Utah's first female sheriff, Rosie Rivera, got some good advice when she became an officer: "Don't try to be a man." More than a century earlier, Utah's first female deputy sheriff, Claire Ferguson, said to those who doubted her ability to handle danger, "Why should I fear more than the men?" Both women made history in the male-dominated sphere of law enforcement. Both also faced skepticism about whether they were fit for the job - and both women proved their skeptics wrong.

Welcome to THIS IS HER PLACE, the new podcast that tells the remarkable stories of Utah women, past and present, in all their diversity. Join hosts Naomi Watkins and Tom Williams as they explore the lives of Utah women- famous and forgotten, rich and poor, believers and skeptics, feminists and traditionalists, from all races and every part of the state. After getting to know these compelling women, you’ll be inspired by the unique ways each of them has made Utah her place.