Exhibit runs from July 3&mdash\;August 1\n
ARTIST STATEMENT
\nThrough Toil and Labo r: The Forgotten History of Utah&rsquo\;s Chinese Railroad Worker s \;will provide insight to the daily lives and culture of these laborers as they brought the Central Pacific railroad over the Sierra Neva da mountains and across the Great Basin desert. \;
\nWith the ce remonial completion of the United States&rsquo\; first Transcontinental Ra ilroad on May 10\, 1869\, the nation entered a new age of commerce and tra vel. The momentous meeting of the rails at Promontory Summit\, Utah\, mean t goods and services could now move across the country in quantities and a t speeds previously unknown. Key to this massive effort to connect the nat ion were the contributions of thousands of immigrant workers from around t he globe.
\nChinese immigrants composed over 75 percent of the Trans continental Railroad workforce between 1865 and 1869\, numbering more than 11\,000 by its completion. These Chinese laborers\, mostly young men ages 15-25\, left their families and homes in China to seek new economic oppor tunities. The contributions of these Chinese railroad workers to Utah and the United States are slowly becoming better known.
\nThrough photog raphs\, historical documents\, and excavated fragments of imported Chinese ceramics\, this exhibition shows the unique history of the Transcontinent al Railroad&rsquo\;s Chinese workers in Utah and share what&rsquo\;s been learned from the artifacts they left behind.
\nARTIST BIO
\nUtah Arts &\; Museums seeks to advance the quality of li fe for all through arts and museum experiences and cultural opportunities. The Division provides more than 500 outreach services\, including arts ed ucation\, professional development\, exhibitions\, community outreach\, an d direct matching grants to schools\, local arts agencies\, organizations\ , community centers\, performing groups\, museums\, and individuals across Utah.
\nThe Division acts as a state coordinator and advisor on top ics of importance to arts and museums communities. The Division also manag es the state&rsquo\;s art assets for fine art\, folk art\, public art\, an d traveling exhibitions\, reaching every county in the state. Utah Arts &a mp\; Museums is the primary agency in Utah that distributes state and fede ral funds to stimulate and encourage growth in the creative industries. Th e funds are appropriated directly for arts and museums by both the Utah St ate Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. We are a division of the Department of Heritage and Arts (DHA)\, within the state governmen t of Utah\, responsible for the promotion of the arts and Utah museums. We include the Arts &\; Culture Business Alliance\, Utah Office of Museum Services Board and the Utah Arts Council Board. Our goals are to:
\n\nThe Utah Division of Ar ts &\; Museums is a state agency involved in public funding for arts an d museums. As a public entity\, it reserves the right to make final decisi ons on the use of public funds for projects\, programs\, acquisitions\, co mmissions\, or other activities as deemed appropriate by the Division and/ or Board.
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