Salt Lake City Public Art Program

Connecting people to place and place to stories since 1984

The Crossing

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The Crossing is inspired by the fluidity of water and the evolving nature of public transportation, its users, and the central neighborhood in which this artwork is located. According to the artist, The Crossing “illustrates water spreading out, so people can pass through.” The portal created by the breach between the two sculptures invites people to immerse themselves into the artwork and reflect upon the ever-changing nature of Salt Lake City – a place inhabited by individuals who, like water, are constantly changing and evolving. Throughout the steel panels, the artist integrates colorful floating pearls and egg-shaped spheres, indicating new, exciting, and unknown possibilities. The Crossing asks viewers to consider the ways in which people—as individuals and as members of a community—move like water, with waves that carry new futures and opportunities.

Jiyoun Lee-Lodge creates art that is influenced by social media and is inspired by the intersectionality of her own shifting identity: as woman, as an immigrant, and as an individual existing in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world.

This project is made possible through the Salt Lake City Public Art Program, a service of the Salt Lake City Arts Council, and with support from the Salt Lake Art Design Board, Patrinely Group, PEG Companies, Lowe Property Group, Sinclair Real Estate Company, Utah Transit Authority, and the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City.

Point of Reference

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Out of the Blue reflects the dynamism of the 9th and 9th community by hosting a rotating mural that changes every several years. This allows the artwork to be transformed and be re-interpreted over time.

Point of Refence, Out of the Blue’s inaugural by Mike Murdock, is an abstract interpretation of the changing and awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets experienced from the 9th and 9th neighborhood.

“A large chunk of my life has been spent in the 9th and 9th neighborhood,” writes the artist, “I literally stood in this corner of the neighborhood for over a decade, staring at the intersection where Out of the Blue will be constructed.” For over 11 years, Murdock worked at Caffé Expresso, an iconic neighborhood drive-thru coffee shop directly across the street from the roundabout. Additionally, Murdock called the neighborhood home for most of those 11 years; the artist lived just a few houses down the street from the roundabout. Much like the unexpected nature of Out of the Blue, Murdock describes this commission as the “universe dropping a huge whale out of the sky and into my lap. I am very excited about the possibility of contributing something to this special neighborhood.”

Every 3-5 years, a new artist or artist-led team will be commissioned to repaint the sculpture, allowing Out of the Blue to remain current with the neighborhood and the artwork be reinterpreted through time.

Out of the Blue

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This full-size sculpture of a humpback whale breaching out from the roundabout is designed to complement and augment the unique and welcoming identity of the 9th and 9th area.

Kesler, who was introduced to the neighborhood as a teenager and spent nearly two decades in this community working on art, music, and starting a family, describes 9th and 9th as “unexpected and out of the blue. A community where people from all backgrounds, beliefs and ideas migrate and feel a sense of belonging. A community that bursts through expectations; that commands respect for nature, and varied ideas and identities…” Out of the Blue is a symbol of community, resilience, and harmony.

This project is made possible through the Salt Lake City Public Art Program, a service of the Salt Lake City Arts Council, and with support from the Salt Lake Art Design Board, Salt Lake City’s Engineering and Transportation divisions, the East Liberty Park Community Organization, and the 9th and 9th community.

To learn more about the current mural on Out of the Blue, click here.

Glendale Gather Blocks

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Glendale Gather Blocks was created by an artist-led team consisting of Chuck Landvatter, Jared Steffensen, and J. Dayton Crites. The process began in 2019 with a ‘request for qualifications’ from artists and/or artist-led teams based in the United States. The Salt Lake City Public Art Program received a total of 135 applications for the project. After a careful review of the applicants, the Salt Lake City Art Design Board recommended Landvatter, Steffensen, and Crites to the Mayor for commission.

“We wanted to create a place for people to gather together,” said artist Jared Steffensen, who designed the sculptural elements of this public art project. “Each of the sculptures have been fabricated differently so they provide unique opportunities for play and interaction within the park: they can be used as a playground, a picnic table, or for seating. These sculptures are for a place, not about a place.” In speaking about the colorful color palette found in this public art installation, commissioned artist Chuck Landvatter mentioned how “they evoke a bright and optimistic feeling, much like Glendale is as a community. These colors come together beautifully and create a synergy that compliments the whole project.”

One of the most impactful elements of Glendale Gather Blocks is the way in which it has incorporated the portraits of several Glendale individuals throughout the park. These serve as a celebration of their work, lives, and advocacy and enrich our City as a whole. “Getting to know these people,” says Chuck Landvatter, “has been so fulfilling. When I initiated this project, I didn’t expect that part of the process to be so rewarding. I’ve gained many friends along the way and got to know Glendale in a much more intimate way.” Each individual tells a unique story – some are immigrants, some have lived in Glendale for many years, and their ages vary. In all, it is unique individuals like these who, together, make Glendale the incredible place it is today.

List of community members pictured in murals:

  • Kim Khuu
  • Gilberto “Juan” Rejón Magaña
  • Roxanne Langi
  • Abdullah “Tuna” Mberwa
  • Charlotte Fife-Jepperson
  • Janet Ramirez
  • Ifa Motuliki
  • Esperance Iradukunda
  • Karen Sanchez
  • Elizabeth Montoya
  • Abdulkhaliq Barbaar
  • ‘Inoke Hafoka
  • Simon Larson
  • Laurent Ntakarutimana
  • Dane Hess
  • Ailine Lao

A Prayer for My Brother

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In September of 2020, a donor who requested anonymity delivered A Prayer for My Brother by William S. Phillips to Salt Lake City Fire Station #1. The 2001 painting depicts two firefighters among the rubble of the terror attacks on 9/11/2001. The painting is approximately 3’5” by 4’4” on canvas and is framed.

The donor provided a note along with the work, articulating the intention of the donation. It reads: “Dear Salt Lake City Fire Department, Station #1 – I have been the custodian of this portrait A Prayer for my Brother since 2002. Now I would like to pass it on to the SLC firefighters who selflessly commit their lives to keep our city safe. Thank you for your service, Anonymous.”

Salt Lake City sent first responders to ground zero in 2001, so there is connection between the A Prayer for my Brother and the Salt Lake City fire Department.

Whimsy Walls

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The creation of the New Salt Lake City International Airport provided the opportunity for the inclusion of 24 large scale murals in restrooms throughout the airport. These vinyl wrap murals are nine feet tall and range from about sixteen to forty feet wide. The images on each of these unique vinyl wraps come from original artwork by 18 different artists working in a variety of mediums, from photography to painting. The murals are intended to create immersive and engaging experiences for travelers. Many of the selected designs, which were chosen from nearly 500 proposals, reflect the spirit, culture, landscape, and community of Salt Lake City.

Nine local and nine national artists who were recommended by the Salt Lake Art Design Board for the Whimsy Wall project. They are: David Adams, Kelly Baisley, Lynn Basa, Adam, Bateman, Laura Bender, Brianna Bennion, Nancy Bradach, Trent Call, Amy Cheng, Stephanie Dunn, Janet Tarjan Erl, Dan Ray Everett, Thom Holzer, Levi Jackson, Traci O’Very Covey, Whitni Parry, Victoria Primicias, and Kerri Warner. Twenty whimsy walls are currently installed throughout terminals one and two, with four additional whimsy walls scheduled for installation upon the completion of terminal three.

Click here for additional information on the Whimsy Walls public art project, and other artwork in the airport.

Photos courtesy New SLC Airport.

Three Creeks Confluence Park

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Three Creeks Confluence Park is the site where Red Butte Creek, Emigration Creek, and Parley’s Creek join together and empty into the Jordan River. Previously a paved-over dead end, the confluence has been day-lighted and transformed into a site for community gathering, recreation, education, and restored riparian habitat. Each of the twenty laser cut steel panels that comprise the fence on this pedestrian bridge was design by a different Utah artist. These one-of-a-kind public artworks were selected by Salt Lake City’s Art Design Board from over 160 proposals and were created specifically for the Three Creeks Site. Many of the designs are by artists with a connection to the Glendale neighborhood, where the park is located, or to the unique hydrology of Salt Lake City. Themes include Salt Lake City’s waterways, the natural life they support, and the communities that live in the Glendale. These laser cut designs were created using only negative space (the holes cut away by the laser) and positive space (the remaining steel); each part of the designs is connected to the whole.

  • Photo 1: Tooza Design, Hope
  • Photo 2: Al Denyer, Mapping the Source; Three Creeks
  • Photo 3: Cara Jean Hall, Salt
  • Photo 4: Ann Chen, Winged Gathering
  • Photo 5: Reihanah Noori, Transparent Flow
  • Photo 6: Rosa Bandeirinha, Urbe
  • Photo 7: Joshua Graham, Colliding Eddies
  • Photo 8: Joseph Toney, Fluidity
  • Photo 9: Matt Monsoon, Re:Union
  • Photo 10: Lola Reyes, The Confluence of Resiliency
  • Photo 11: Karl Hale, Flight
  • Photo 12: Beto Conejo, Sombras del 104
  • Photo 13: Jonathan Hale and Jennifer Hale, Cottonwood Snow
  • Photo 14: Hank Mattson, Cartwhell
  • Photo 15: Graham Rich, Horizon
  • Photo 16: Elisabeth Bunker, Russian Sage
  • Photo 17:  Gyorge Ann Yawn, Family
  • Photo 18: Claire Taylor, ­River Snakes
  • Photo 19: Chanté Burch, Pride
  • Photo 20: biltslouisart, ­Hibiscus

 

This project was made possible through the Salt Lake City Arts Council’s Public Art Program, with support from Salt Lake City’s Department of Parks and Public Lands; Metal Arts Foundry, which fabricated the artwork; and Trevor Dahl, who provided technical assistance on the project. Photos by Logan Sorenson.

Near Distance

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Near Distance celebrates natural Utah. The installation, which is thirty feet wide and eleven feet tall, offers a calming focal point near the high-traffic security screening area of the New SLC International Airport.

Utah artists Hannah Vaughn, Soonju Kwon, and Reihaneh Noori used local materials – embedding layers of charcoal, Great Salt Lake salt, and flecks of copper into plaster panels. These panels frame a dark horizon punctuated by several small voids in the installation. The artwork expresses humanity’s shared horizons and our home between earth and sky, while evoking Utah’s stark and sublime landscapes.

The artists write, “Its 3-dimensional presence aims to give layers to the experience and emphasize movement with subtle vertical shifts between the panels. The work ties into the greater narrative of the airport and marks a moment of calmness, gravity, and groundedness before the traveler emerges into the luminous main concourse.”

This project was made possible through collaboration between the New SLC International Airport and the Salt Lake City Arts Council Public Art Program.

 

Photos Courtesy of New SLC Airport and Hannah Vaughn, Reihaneh Noori, and Soonju Kwon