A CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY EXPRESSION AND ART PLACE-BASED EDUCATION ARTISTS/SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of “The Declaration of Independence,” thirty (30) Salt Lake County high-school students will unveil “We Hold These Truths (WHTT),” a 90-minute, mixed-media program, which culminates their month-long, creative-writing and performance residency. The final performance will be on Friday, July 3, 7:00-9:00pm, at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center.

WHTT was designed for high-school-age youth who care deeply about today’s social issues but may lack the historical vantage to convey experiences in original ways. The residency created space for participants to slow down and connect personal experiences to a broad historical and cultural narrative. Guided by Samantha Briggs, Associate Prof., Univ. of Utah, Department of Theater, and poet/storyteller Dr. David Gonzalez, the residency explored founding documents like the “Declaration…”; writing by Tom Paine, Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, Fredrick Douglas, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc;, and poetry from Walt Whitman to Ada Limón in order to discover perspectives on American identity that shape our national ethos.

WHTT participants created found poetry from documents and emulated specific genres or tones. Using theatrical techniques, students built a final performance that wove participants’ writing with source materials. Whether the final work is a celebration or a dialogue with American history was left up to the participants. Come and discover the ensemble’s collective vision. 

WHTT’s generous supporters include: the National Endowment for the Arts; the Utah Division of Arts and Museum; the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks Program; the Salt Lake City Arts Council; XMISSION; and the Utah250 Commission.

CDEA Photograph by Kent Miles

Contacts:

Dr. Masha Shukovich, Assistant Director, Center for Documentary Expression and Art (https://cdeautah.org/), 979-739-6092, Leslie Kelen, Director, Center for Documentary Expression and Art (https://cdeautah.org/), 801-231-0235
Susan Klinker, Manager of Public Programs, Utah Cultural Celebration Center, https://www.culturalcelebration.org/meet-the-team 801-509-1972
Samantha Briggs, Associate Prof. Dept. of Theater, Univ. of Utah, 385-499-0383
Dr. David Gonzalez, Poet, Storyteller, Music-Therapist, 917-971-2370

Release
Date: June 29, 2026