January 15, 2015 – The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) at the University of Utah is pleased to announce that Jorge Rojas, a well-known artist and arts educator, is the new director of education and engagement at the UMFA.

Rojas has been active in the Salt Lake community as an educator, curator, multimedia artist and arts advocate for several years. Before joining the UMFA staff in January, he was the site director for the Venture Humanities Course, a free interdisciplinary program for low-income adults coordinated by Westminster College and the Utah Humanities Council. Rojas was a teaching artist-in-residence at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and teaches art history in the Clemente Course in the Humanities at East High School. His deep commitment to bringing art and education to diverse and under-served populations began in New York City, where he taught art and mural painting workshops to K-12 students throughout the public schools system before returning to Utah.

“Jorge is highly respected in our community as a dynamic and innovative arts leader, and we’re thrilled to welcome him as our new director of education and engagement,” said Gretchen Dietrich, UMFA executive director. “He will develop and lead exciting new initiatives for our already exemplary education and outreach programming. We are excited to add such a visionary leader in the field of art education to our staff.”

Rojas will lead a department of six professional arts educators who develop and coordinate nationally recognized museum education and outreach efforts that annually serve about 60,000 people, including more than 15,000 K-12 students in schools across Utah.

“I’ve been a huge fan and supporter of the UMFA for many years,” Rojas said. “I’m excited to be joining such a great team and to get the opportunity to contribute to the continued success and advancement of this important institution.”

Rojas, a native of Morelos, Mexico, studied painting and sculpture at the University of Utah and at Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. His multidisciplinary work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States and Mexico, and is included in numerous private and public collections. His curatorial projects have been presented in museums and galleries worldwide. In 2011 and 2012, Rojas brought “Low Lives,” an international, multi-venue online performance art event that he founded, to the UMFA’s G. W. Anderson Family Great Hall. He currently serves on the boards of several cultural organizations, including the Utah Cultural Alliance, Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts and Artes de Mexico en Utah.

For more information about the UMFA, please visit umfa.utah.edu/education.