SALT LAKE CITY, Tuesday, April 9 – Craft Lake City was recognized for its continuing community and artistic endeavors last week, winning the Best Of State medal for “Fairs, Festivals and Events” in the Hospitality, Travel & Tourism category. On May 11, 2013 at The Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, the Best of State awards will hold their annual gala and ceremony honoring those who have won.
“Leading into our organization’s fifth year, I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our past and future success than receiving this Best Of State award for Craft Lake City’s annual DIY Festival,” says Angela Brown, Craft Lake City’s Festival Director. “Our dedicated staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to create a free DIY festival with quality programming for local residents. It feels great to be acknowledged for all of the late nights and weekends we’ve dedicated toward sustaining this passion.”
Founded in 2002 by Mark & Dana Layton, the Best Of State awards were created as a way to recognize outstanding businesses in Utah and bring the community together in celebration. The awards are judged on a variety of fields, including creativity and innovation, service, performance and contributions to the state of Utah. The awards cover hundreds of fields in 10 categories, including A&E, Business, Education, Dining, Sports, Tourism and Community Development.
About Craft Lake City: Craft Lake City is a 501-c3 charitable organization comprised of a dedicated group of community volunteers, art and craft enthusiasts, DIY engineers and local artisans. Founded in 2009 by Angela H. Brown, Editor and Publisher of SLUG (SaltLakeUnderGround) Magazine, the organization believes Utah’s unique crafting history and cultural background provides a fertile foundation for the local alternative arts community to grow and flourish, and seeks to strengthen and support it through various activities. Craft Lake City facilitates local arts and crafts throughout the year, providing artists of all mediums with the chance to promote themselves and their work, as well as educating the community on the local Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture through workshops, demonstrations, gallery shows, science and technology events, and fundraisers. We organize various monthly and annual events to keep the community active, educated and aware of local DIY culture. We promote regional spending and encourage the public to shop locally and support independent artisans whose crafts are handmade.
Craft Lake City strives to further define the term “Craft,” broadening the definition to encompass all things handmade. Crafters are represented in categories such as craft food, DIY engineers (electronic hackers), artisans and performers. Since 2009, Craft Lake City has hosted the largest DIY Festival in Utah. In 2012, over 15,000 people attended. 2013 marks the festival’s fifth year, and has expanded the annual DIY gathering into a two-day format on Friday, Aug. 9 and Saturday, Aug. 10 2013 at the Gallivan Center. Support the future of Salt Lake City’s thriving DIY community with your tax-deductible donation.
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