(upbeat music) - Visual Art Institute is a nonprofit art program in Utah offering high quality fine art and design classes for children, teens and adults.

And here to tell us more about a big event coming up is Adriana Vawdrey.

Hi Adriana.

So tell me a little more about the Visual Art Institute.

- So, like you said, we're a nonprofit fine arts program here on the Wasatch Front.

We've been around for 45 years.

We teach drawing, painting, figure drawing, ceramics, printmaking, illustration, and all kinds of other subjects to children, teens, and adults.

- Ah, wonderful, wonderful.

And I know you have a big event, the Family Fun Fair coming up.

So tell us about that one.

- Yeah, so we just moved into a new building and we were having a big grand opening celebration.

We're doing a Family Fun Fair.

So this is for everyone.

It's free admission at our new location at 2900 South 300 West in South Salt Lake.

There's going to be a whole bunch of fun activities, an artist market, food trucks, live music, bounce houses, mural painting.

And I may have said this, but admission is free to get into it.

- Ah, that is great.

So the new facility, that's pretty exciting for you to have that.

And I kind of wanna also ask you to focus on the impact of arts in a child's education and why that's so important.

- Yeah, so we are really excited about this new facility because it's giving us a chance to expand our programming and do a lot more outreach.

The reason we're so passionate about the outreach is because art is so important for everyone, especially for children.

I think that that's because art, it's really a form of open play and we learn so much when we play.

The opportunity to have all of these different materials to get working with, we learn problem solving skills, critical thinking, all kinds of other things like that.

- Wonderful.

Thank you for being here and thanks for what you're doing.

- Yeah, thank you.

- And if you'd like to know more about that upcoming Family Fun Fest with the Visual Art Institute, it's August 19th from 5 to 8:00 PM.

Go to visualartinstitute.org, visualartinstitute.org.

I'm Mary Dickson.

Thanks for watching Contact.

(upbeat music) - Local events, arts, culture.

It's what brings us together.

Hi, I'm Mary Dickson.

Here on Contact, we introduce you to local events and organizations that serve your neighborhood.

If you work for a nonprofit and would like to appear on our show, please visit pbsutah.org/contact.