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Utah philanthropist Beverley Taylor Sorenson was among the four people honored Monday at the 2011 National Arts Awards in New York City.
Americans for the Arts chose Sorenson, widow of Utah inventor and entrepreneur James Sorenson, for this year's Eli and Edythe Broad Award for Philanthropy in the Arts because of her efforts to advance arts education in Utah. The Sorensons' foundation provided the naming gift that is paying for an arts and education building now under construction at the University of Utah.
Sorenson, who once played piano in Salt Lake City movie theaters, has been an effective advocate for creative expression, having persuaded the Utah Legislature to fund arts programs in elementary schools. She also founded Art Works for Kids, a nonprofit that brings teachers into public schools to engage students in the visual and performing arts.