Women in the Arts

Educational leader and politician. Born in Provo, Ballif received a bachelor’s degree from BYU and married George S. Ballif, a local attorney who served as Provo City Attorney and later District Attorney. Ballif served for twenty-three years on the Provo Board of Education and helped to develop the dance program

Noted folklorist who, along with her husband Austin, chronicled the traditions of the Mormon communities of Utah and Idaho, providing a critical foundation for future folklore studies. The Fifes wrote five books as well as numerous articles, and although Alta Fife was the primary writer, it is impossible to separate

Distinguished soloist, voice teacher, and opera director. Bybee joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1977 as a mezzo-soprano and sang in every subsequent performance until 1995 –- over 450 performances. Additionally, Bybee performed for numerous Live from Lincoln Center telecasts and sang the role of Flora in Franco Zeffirelli’s motion picture version of La

In her formative years, a young Barbara kindled imagination and creativity in Spanish Fork, Utah. Because the city limits were still quite rural, she played outdoors and this allowed her to create her own entertainment. She observed her father collect unwanted materials to transform them into reusable objects. This upbringing

Doris Madsen Brunatti is a opera and Classical concert soloist. As a mezzo-contralto, she has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Temple Square, and Abravanel Hall. As a vocal teacher and mentor to her students, Brunatti adopts a classically legitimate teaching style that speaks to the integrity of a performance.

Painter who spent twenty-nine years in Spring City, Utah. Although her works were exhibited in several galleries in Utah and neighboring states and she received regional recognition and numerous prizes and awards, Peacock remained relatively unknown throughout her career. Modest and unassuming, Peacock was best known for her plein-air paintings

Illustrator, costume designer, interior designer, and muralist. Ware is perhaps best known for her paintings of landscapes and other works of nature. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah, Ware enrolled in the Chicago Art Institute, where she graduated top of her class with high honors. Upon

Pianist and educator who was instrumental in developing and fostering classical music in Utah. As a pianist, Rosenberg was asked to solo with the Utah Symphony on more than a dozen occasions. (She was a close friend of longtime Utah Symphony music director, Maurice Abravanel.) However, Rosenberg’s greatest contribution came

Founding director of Utah Regional Ballet. Colledge became a member of Ballet West while attending the University of Utah. During that time, she danced various solo roles and worked with numerous renowned choreographers and instructors, such as Lew Christensen, Jacques d’ Amboise, Michael Smuin, Dimitri Romanoff, and Francia Russell. In

Prolific songwriter and composer of more than 800 songs, sixty-three recorded albums and songbooks, two full-length musicals, eight sacred cantatas, and several albums in Spanish, Japanese, and Korean. Her music has been performed by such artists as Gladys Knight, Brooks & Dunn, and The Osmonds Second Generation. Perry has co-written

Notable dance teacher, choreographer, and co-founder (along with Shirley Ririe) of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. Over the course of her career, Woodbury has choreographed over ninety-five works for various dance and professional theater companies. She is a retired professor of modern dance from the University of Utah, where she taught

Kathie Debenham is a professor of dance at Utah Valley University, where she founded the Dance Department, served as dean of the School of the Arts, and associate academic vice president. As an artist-educator, she taught in the BYU Dance Department, and co-directed the Young Dance Makers for over 20

Notable sculptor presently residing in Provo, Utah. Born in California, Bradshaw moved to Utah at age nineteen to attend BYU, where she completed a BA and MA in Art. Bradshaw was recognized as one of Utah’s finest artists at the Lieutenant Governor’s Annual Invitation Art Exhibition. She also received honors

Leader and matriarch of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. An empathetic speaker and determined lobbyist, Parry was a tribal representative to the White House Conference on Indian Tribal Affairs where she petitioned the federal government to pass the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Parry is also

Prolific basket weaver considered primarily responsible for the preservation and renaissance of the art of Navajo basketry. Black is perhaps most famous for her “story baskets,” which are baskets depicting legends and beliefs in woven form. Among her many honors, Black has received the Utah Governor’s Folk Art Award (1995)

Impressionist artist who studied in Europe under Jules Simon and James MacNeil Whistler. Teasdel was the first woman from Utah to exhibit at the French Salon. Later, she served as president of the Utah Institute of Fine Arts (now the Utah Arts Institute) — the first state-supported arts organization in

Utah’s first lady of theater and physical education, Babcock founded the Department of Speech and the Department of Physical Education at the University of Utah, and she was also the first woman given full professorship at that university. During the course of her lifetime, Babcock produced and directed over 300

Noted actress, drama teacher, and inventor of the high-powered incandescent lamp (which made colored movies possible). A child star at age five, Adams would rise to even greater fame for such parts as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Duke of Reichstadt (the son of Napolean II) in L’Aiglon, and Peter in Peter Pan. Historian Anne Seagraves

Painter most famous for her artwork depicting Western and Mormon themes –- particularly her murals of scenes from the Book of Mormon. Born in Ogden, Utah, Teichert studied at the Art Institute of Chicago under John Vanderpoel and later in New York under George Bridgeman and Robert Henri. Later, Teichert moved with

Rising Utah artist most notable for her paintings of the Mexican family, particularly the stories and traditions of her multicultural background and — in Chacón’s words — her “experience as a Utahna, a Chicana, and an Artist.” A graduate of the University of Utah, Chacón has been featured in many

Ruth Hale, along with her husband, Nathan, founded Hale Centre Theatre, a thriving popular theater in the round still in existence. She was a successful playwright and actress, who had a profound influcence in the community with her positive and uplifting plays.

Notable dance teacher, choreographer, and co-founder (along with Joan Woodbury) of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. Over the course of her career, Ririe has choreographed over 100 works for various dance and professional theater companies. She also consulted for the National Endowment for the Arts and is a retired professor of

The most celebrated teacher of children’s dance of her time, Tanner studied dance with Doris Humphrey in New York City before returning to Salt Lake City in 1949 to organize the Children’s Dance Theater (CDT). Under her direction, the CDT presented numerous exhibitions, including five concerts in 1962 at the

Algie Eggertsen Ballif

Alta Fife

Ariel Bybee

Barbara Frazier

Doris Madsen Brunatti

Ella G. Peacock

Florence Ware

Gladys Gladstone Rosenberg

Jacqueline P. Colledge

Janice Kapp Perry

Joan Woodbury

Kathie Debenham

Laura Lee S. Bradshaw

Mae Timbimboo Parry

Mary Holiday Black

Mary Teasdel

Maud May Babcock

Maude Adams

Minerva Tiechert

Ruby Chacon

Ruth Hale

Shirley Ririe

Virginia Tanner