Sarah Pearce, former Sundance Institute managing director, to manage Salt Lake County's arts venues

Sarah Pearce, who stepped down in March as managing director of the Sundance Institute, has landed a new job: she will head the Center for the Arts for Salt Lake County.

County officials announced Pearce's appointment Thursday.

The Center for the Arts manages the county's performing arts venues, all in downtown Salt Lake City: Abravanel Hall, the Capitol Theatre, the new Eccles Theater, and the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. The Center also manages the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, the ArtTix ticketing service, and the county's public art program.

Pearce will start in her new job on Monday. She takes over from Phil Jordan, who left the CFA job to become the county's cultural planning and project director.

"Sarah's work is synonymous with excellence and a passion for all things artistic, from community theatre to independent film," Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams said in a statement. "She'll lead our team into the next era of arts and culture development and support."

Pearce, who lives in Holladay, worked at Sundance for 17 years, rising through the ranks from Sundance Film Festival volunteer to running the festival's music cafe. She then was in charge of the move of the institute's Utah offices from Salt Lake City to Park City. She spent several years as Sundance's director of operations, and was managing director for four years.