Thrive125 Website

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Thrive125 Online Experience

How do you celebrate the complicated story of a state’s history?

The Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement in partnership with the Utah Governor's office, designed its year-long Thrive125 digital and live celebrations to honor the 125th anniversary of Utah's statehood. This celebration was envisioned as a way to amplify and broaden the lens of the state’s stories and to celebrate the diversity of the people within the beehive state.

Outsiders often think they know Utah’s story. Thrive125 made Utah’s history come alive in fresh and fascinating ways through its range of contemporary storytelling, new looks at ancient and modern history through in-person and digital exhibits, and contemporary, thoughtfully strategic design.

The Thrive125 website is a vessel which contained digital and live events, exhibits, educational videos, a literary chapbook of 125-word essays.

It brought together the Department of Cultural & Community Engagement’s six divisions, all of whom were involved in strategizing and contributing to the Thrive125 initiatives.

The variety of events, ranging from a Native American Winter Storytelling showcase to a physical exhibit at the Utah State Capitol focusing on early legislators, underscored the range of voices invited to tell different chapters of Utah’ statehood story. All of these initiatives were anchored on the successful Thrive125 website. One high-level measure of success: The Utah Legislature passed a resolution honoring Utah's First Statehood Legislators and their descendants.