The scholarship will aid students in the Writing Studies Scholars Program, which supports students transferring to the U from Salt Lake Community College. An advocate for the humanities, the foundation has already given the program $11,000 of proceeds from Pobils’ Art in Pilar’s Garden shows.

The nonprofit foundation’s mission is to perpetuate the legacy of local artist Pilar Pobil. It is committed to honoring Pobil’s contributions to the arts and humanities through educational programs and exhibitions for the community. To recognize Pobil’s impact, the Pilar Pobil Legacy Foundation has created this new annual scholarship to benefit first-generation college students.

“We are honored that the Pilar Pobil Legacy Foundation has set up a scholarship for some of our most deserving students,” said Hollis Robbins, dean of the College of Humanities.

“Her legacy will not only live through our talented students but through her artwork that is prominently displayed throughout our buildings.”

As a writer, painter and sculptor, Pobil has been devoted to promoting human rights through the humanities. Pobil has received many honors and awards, both locally and internationally. In 2019 she was named one of Utah’s 15 Most Influential Artists. In 2016 she was knighted by the King of Spain for her extraordinary contribution to Spanish culture. She projects a tremendous presence at the College of Humanities through her many vibrant paintings that grace its halls. The highlight in the Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building is Pobil’s masterwork painting in the lobby. It is an enormous depiction of philosophers, muses, scribes, readers, listeners, debaters and artists of all types from many eras and ethnic groups, inviting living scholars to participate and collaborate in their own creative work. 

Foundation president Monica Whalen notes, “Through the Pilar Pobil Humanities Scholarship, Pobil’s commitment to human rights and helping people elevate themselves through many forms of expression reaches a higher level of meaning.”

 About Writing Studies Scholars Program

Writing Studies Scholars is a program designed by Salt Lake Community College transfer students for Salt Lake Community College transfer students in Writing and Rhetoric Studies to help them get connected and reach their goals at the U. The program offers dedicated resources – such as a $2,000 scholarship during their first semester at the U – and a diverse, supportive community of fellow transfer students. Whether writing is their passion or a means of achieving other aspirations, the program aims to help students make the most of their time at the U.