Salt Lake City Arts Council has unveiled the artists and organizations chosen to participate in “Wake the Great Salt Lake,” a public art project designed to raise awareness and inspire action to address the decline of the Great Salt Lake.

Supported by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the project aims to educate and motivate residents and visitors about the urgent need to preserve the Great Salt Lake. Without intervention, the lake’s collapse could significantly impact the region’s ecology and economy.

“The arts have always played a pivotal role in improving the quality of life in Salt Lake City and driving sustainable development,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “By sparking our neighbors’ imaginations through these creative installations, performances, and educational experiences, ‘Wake the Great Salt Lake’ will build the inspiration, trust, hope, and passion needed to address this critical issue for our future.”

Out of more than 120 proposals, 12 were selected for their potential to inspire future action, artistic innovation, originality and diverse representation. The chosen projects span various artistic practices, including visual art, sound, dance, and arts education, and involve artists with strong ties to Utah. The selected projects are:

• Kellie Bornhoft: An interactive sculptural installation of illustrations on fabric banners celebrating the plants, animals, and beings living around the Great Salt Lake.
• Nicholas Carpenter: A mobile phone booth and dial-in hotline for visitors to record their stories, fears, and hopes for the lake.
• Trevor Dahl: Using his “cartoon surrealism” style, Dahl will create a colorful, detailed vision to inspire visitors of all ages to unite behind the cause of saving the Great Salt Lake.
• Stefan Lesueur: A sound installation at Liberty Park’s Seven Canyons Fountain, featuring recordings of the valley’s streams and community stories about the lake.
• Nick Pedersen: Digital collages on billboards depicting two possible futures for the Great Salt Lake ecosystem.
• Valene Peratrovich: A documentary film highlighting Native people’s and Tribal nations’ roles in local water restoration projects.
• Mitsu Salmon: A site-responsive outdoor dance and performance work focusing on the lake’s role for migratory birds and drawing parallels to human experiences of migration.
• Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts (MICA): A group exhibition combining visual art, performance art, and community conversation to raise awareness of the lake’s conditions.
• Of Salt and Sand: A public photography exhibition telling stories of collective memories, grief, love, and possibilities for Utah’s imperiled inland sea.
• Plan-B Theatre Company: Two original productions combining science, song, and theatrical performance to spark passion for protecting the lake.
• Spy Hop Productions: In partnership with the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, youth will create zines, videos, and audio-scapes that inspire action towards sustainability.
• Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA): A projection artwork illuminating Abravanel Hall’s brick façade to draw attention to the lake’s receding shorelines.

Felicia Baca, Salt Lake City Arts Council Executive Director, noted, “As we expected, Salt Lake City’s thriving artistic community approached the ‘Wake the Great Salt Lake’ call for artists with a great deal of passion and creativity. The selected projects will engage audiences of all ages across the city and bring diverse perspectives to the issues, science, and solutions surrounding the decline of Great Salt Lake.”

In addition to the local projects, “Wake the Great Salt Lake” will commission a work of public art from an internationally renowned artist, providing a global perspective on the issue. This initiative is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, which awarded Salt Lake City a $1 million grant in 2023 as one of eight U.S. cities selected for their innovative public art projects addressing critical civic issues.

For more information and updates, visit wakegsl.org.

15 Bytes

UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.