{"id":2815,"date":"2026-06-25T08:36:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2815"},"modified":"2026-06-25T08:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:36:58","slug":"utahs-first-state-museum-focuses-on-the-people-not-the-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2815","title":{"rendered":"Utah\u2019s first state museum focuses on the people, not the industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mormon Meteor III once raced across the Bonneville Salt Flats with Ab Jenkins at the wheel, setting a 24-hour land-speed record of 161.180 miles per hour in 1940 \u2014 a record that stood unbroken for 50 years.<\/p>\n

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Today, the historic vehicle has a permanent home, sitting stationary on Capitol Hill inside the brand-new Museum of Utah. <\/p>\n

Uniquely integrated with the Capitol Hill Complex, Utah\u2019s first state museum focuses on people and their stories rather than an industrial timeline or a strict chronological list of events. While timelines are woven throughout the exhibits, thematic outlines and personal story take center stage to ensure every visitor can see themselves reflected in the state\u2019s history, Utah Historical Society Director Jennifer Ortiz told reporters during a recent gallery walk-through. <\/p>\n

Admission to the 17,000-square-foot facility is free, earning its nickname among museum staff as \u201cthe Smithsonian of Utah.\u201d <\/p>\n

Fostering a sense of belonging for visitors<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe hierarchy of a thematic space is that we start with a giant theme and then we work down to a case level and individual stories,\u201d said Museum Director Tim Glenn regarding the layout.<\/p>\n

The facility is divided into four permanent thematic galleries: Building Utah, Inspiring Utah, Becoming Utah and Connecting Utah. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur galleries are split into four thematic galleries; that was a decision that was made very intentionally, in part because of the space allocation that we had to work with,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cSeventeen thousand square feet is a good size of space to work with, but kind of tight for telling a whole state history.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ortiz noted the framework allows the museum to stay dynamic. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe thematic approach also allows us to tell stories from multiple different angles,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cWe can switch out objects, switch out stories, as time progresses. As we want to tell different stories, we\u2019ll be able to do that through the thematic approach instead of chronological.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ultimately, staff members hope this layout fosters a sense of belonging for all visitors. <\/p>\n

Building Utah <\/h4>\n

This gallery highlights the labor history of the state and how the concept of labor has evolved. Instead of focusing purely on industry machinery, curators centered the exhibits on the individuals driving the work. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason we organized this space this way is because we wanted workers to sort of identify,\u201d Glenn said. \u201cWe all work up somewhere. So, we took that quite literally \u2014 outside, inside, in our communities. There\u2019s artifacts on display that relate to all sorts of different types of work within these spaces.\u201d <\/p>\n

Featured artifacts in this gallery include: <\/p>\n