Over the summer of 2025, the Ballpark neighborhood was transformed into a vibrant open-air gallery through the creation of ten new murals. Each mural emerged from a unique collaboration between a local business and a local artist selected from the Public Art Program’s Pre-Qualified Artist Pool. Business owners offered their walls as creative canvases, while artists designed site-specific works that captured the people, stories, and distinctive character of the neighborhood.

Funded by the Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency (CRA) and programmed by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the initiative infused the neighborhood with new energy, color, and creativity. The project celebrated and strengthened the artistic spirit already thriving in the community, uplifting small businesses, showcasing local talent, and cultivating a deeper sense of place. Together, these ten murals formed a cohesive and dynamic collection that reflects what makes the Ballpark neighborhood truly one of a kind.

Traci O’Very Covey is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose work spans painting, murals, mosaics, art glass, and metal sculpture. Inspired by nature, human connection, and “the grace and joy of everyday,” her art celebrates beauty in the familiar. Her work is featured in Salt Lake County’s permanent collection and in exhibitions at the Springville Museum of Art, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Traci’s large-scale murals and sculptures appear in public and corporate spaces, including the Eccles Theater, Salt Lake International Airport, and Asante Hospital in Oregon. A recipient of the University of Utah College of Fine Arts 2025 Distinguished Alumni Legacy Award, she is Artist in Residence at Huntsman Cancer Institute and maintains an active studio practice in Salt Lake City.

Photos by Logan Sorenson