Rising Stars: Meet Steven Decker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Decker.

Hi Steven, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have always had an interest in the arts. Literary arts, performing arts, visual arts – it doesn’t matter. As a child, I used to play “library.” I would pull out all of my Little Golden Books and set up a library in the hallway of my home and my mom would come and check out books. As I grew, though, I read less and less. Though I hate to say it, public schools actually dissuaded me from reading. Having said that, you have to remember that it has been a long time since I was in public school and things may have changed drastically.

I would go to my elementary teachers and ask what things I should read. Often the suggestions were about sports figures or animals. I have never been a big sports fan and what about those animal books? The animals all die! Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, Charlotte’s Web. Dead. Dead. Dead. Of course, there’s always The Call of the Wild. It ends okay, but in the meantime, the dog is kidnapped, sold, and beaten. In high school, required reading included old books written with unfamiliar words and styles. It was there that we were forced through the worst book ever written (title withheld).

It was in high school, also, that I was introduced to visual art. Our teacher, Larry Hatch, was just the nicest guy. His classes were often asked to design the program covers for sporting events. With pen and ink, I spent hours drawing fearsome-looking rams. I never “won” the right to have my program cover used, but I loved the process. When the class was over, I laid down my pen and ink and moved on with high school.

I took music lessons from various teachers. Piano lessons were taken from several different teachers and I tried a little guitar, some drums, and clarinet in elementary and junior high. To this day, I cannot play any musical instrument with proficiency. My impatient nature just does not allow for it. If I cannot just sit down and play, I do not stay with it.

High school also introduced me to the dramatic arts. I never had a starring role and, certainly, never had a singing part. But the late Reed L. Turner helped instill a love of theater in a non-athletic kid who attended a school in which athletics ruled. So much so that, when I graduated and went off to college, I was determined to major in Theater Arts. I remember times when Reed and I would discuss my plans and future and I would say, “I can’t do that.” He would get right in my face, or as close as he could (being substantially shorter than me) and say, “Don’t you ever say you can’t.”

So I went off to college and signed up to major in Theater Arts. Things changed and I ended up majoring in Political Science. Subsequently, I received a Master’s Degree in Library Science (all those hours of playing library finally paid off), then returned as a very nontraditional student (in my 50s) and got a second bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. In the meantime, I have interned for Senator Jake Garn (during college), worked my way through college as an accountant and auditor for a private corporation, was employed as the City Recorder for my hometown of Parowan, became Library Director for Parowan City, worked at and eventually managed a branch of a bank, then returned to Libraryland as the Director of the Cedar City Library (for nearly 24 years).

At the library, I have, of course, been very involved in promoting the literary arts. Then, in 2015, the Heritage Theater, after being bounced around under some other departments for several years, was placed under the supervision of the Library Department. This fits well with my love of theater. Though I never completed a major in Theater Arts, I had spent a goodly portion of two or three decades acting, writing, adapting, and direction at Parowan’s community theater. The Library/Heritage Theater merger was a good fit.

Having been comfortable with the Heritage Theater coming under Library Department Supervision, two years later, in 2017, I pitched an idea to Mayor Maile Wilson (now former Mayor Maile Wilson-Edwards). It was simple. The Library Department had intimate involvement in the literary arts and, for two years, had supervised the performing arts venue, why not add some visual arts aspects to the Library Department. Mayor Wilson jumped at the chance. She even budgeted one-time spending for some display apparatus to facilitate the new move (though no operating monies were added to the budget).

Since then the Library has instituted a weekly drawing program called “Character Sketches.” This program, now in its fifth year, dresses live models as characters from books, movies, TV, video games, and iconic art pieces and participants draw or paint the models using materials provided by the participants. Materials range from pencil or charcoal to highly detailed digital applications. All participation in “Character Sketches” is free and the program is not mentored. (See: http://www.youseemore.com/cedarcity/contentpages.asp?loc=166).

More sporadic and now held on an as-called-for art event is “New Horizons.” This program is mentored and focuses on a single evening of assistance or introduction to a specific art form. “New Horizons” events have been held or wheel-thrown ceramics, hand-built ceramics, watercolor, portraiture, figure drawing (draped), digitally produced art, cell phone photography, bookmaking, fused glass, and embroidery. (See: http://www.youseemore.com/cedarcity/contentpages.asp?loc=146).

In 2018, the City moved to acquire a nearly 100 piece art collection for which the City had been a custodian for several decades. The collection was amassed by the now defunct Cedar City Art Committee (not to be confused with the current Cedar City Arts Council). At the behest of the Library, the City’s Legal Department, found means to bring the collection under the City’s ownership, rather than being simply the collection’s custodian.

Frankly, neither the City nor I had any idea of what we had acquired. In 2019, as a reasonable step in securing a statement of value for the collection as part of my Change Leader project sponsored by Utah Arts & Museums, I approached the RAP Tax Committee with a request for money to appraise the collection. After vigorous discussion, the Committee approved $6,000 for the appraisal. The collection appraised for $257,560.

The value of individual pieces ranged from $80 to $48,000. The collection is primarily displayed at Festival Hall, a convention and meeting facility. It is also displayed virtually. High resolution, digital photographs have been made available by Steve Yates, a photographer who donated his work for this purpose. (See: https://www.artworkarchive.com/rooms/cedar-city-library/7370ab).

The most current project in which I am involved is the formation of the Iron County Public Art Committee, of which I am a member. The committee was instigated largely through the efforts of Maria Twitchell, Executive Director of the Cedar City/Brian Head Tourism Bureau.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As usual, the greatest challenge to art programming and art creation and the display is the cutting loose of local dollars.

With the exception of one-time display apparatus funding (mentioned above), and the funding of an additional hourly employee to assist with the increased workload, no operational funding has been devoted to art. In 2021, I asked for money to be allocated for the repair of the art collection. Over the years frames have been damaged, plaster has chipped and cracked, glass has been broken.

The money was not allocated. At the last assessment, Cedar City Library spends only about 70% of what other libraries do, annually, for like-sized communities. Adding the visual art collection, much of which is in need of repair or restoration, without dollars for that care has been difficult.

As a general fund department of the City, meager funds must be shared with the Fire Department, the Police Department, City Administration, the City’s Legal Department, Building and Zoning, and other general operation departments.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work has been simple. It is three-fold.

1. To provide the best library service affordable on the budget that the department is given.
2. To provide access, means, creation opportunities, and venues to area residents in the areas of literary, performance, and visual art.
3. To repair, restore, and improve the city’s visual art collection and provide means whereby it may be shared both physically and virtually.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Mona Woolsey, mmw1942@gmail.com. Scott Phillips, sphillips@cedarcity.org. Steve Yates, artisansartgallery@gmail.com. Jason Bowcutt, jbowcutt@utah.gov. Maria Twitchell, mtwitchell@ironcounty.net.

Contact Info:

• Email: dsteve@cedarcity.org
• Website: cedarcitylibrary.org

Image Credits
Mayor Maile Wilson-Edwards, Council member: Craig Isom and Councilmember Ron Adams, Phil Jensen, “New Horizons” by Barbara Prestwich, Character Sketches Program, Sharrisa Turnbaugh & Gavin Barlow, Jim Shurtleff representing Santiago from “The Old Man and the Sea.”