Whether by accident or by design, the 2022 iteration of South Salt Lake’s The Mural Fest has created a metaphorical demarcation line for the ancestral lands of the Ute and the Shoshone: it’s Haven Ave. in South Salt Lake.
On the south side of the street, Rafael Blanco has created a mural honoring the Utes, whose land was located to the south, particularly Utah Valley.
On the north side of the street, Lindsay Huss has created a mural honoring the Northwestern Shoshone, whose land extended to the north, concentrated in northern Utah and southern Idaho.
Huss, who studied art at Weber State University, has been creating art her entire life. She received the Indie Ogden award for Best Ogden Artist, Nurture the Creative Mind award for Artist of the Year, and the Ogden Mayor’s award for Visual Arts in 2019. That was the year she created her first public mural, in her hometown. She’s been working on ladders and with buckets of paint ever since.
The South Salt Lake mural gave Huss the opportunity to honor a fellow Ogdenite, Courtney Mae Muir. “Courtney is a modern indigenous woman living in Ogden. She is a wonderful person who has devoted her life to a career in social work and helping those around her.”
The mural, on the south side of one of AMI Roofing’s buildings (they also own the building with Blanco’s mural), features a portrait of Muir surrounded by mountain roses, an iconic flower in her tribe frequently found in their beadwork. “The Mural Fest gave me the opportunity and privilege to tell a story I’ve been wanting to tell for awhile,” Huss says. “If you are not Indigenous, you live on stolen land. I personally live on Shoshone land and have wanted to show my respects with a mural. I am so thankful to have been able to work with the Northwestern Shoshone people to create this work.”
Muir has been just as enthusiastic about the mural: “What a great opportunity to be able to represent Native American people in this mural,” Huss quotes her as saying. “It’s the perfect opportunity to ensure we are recognized and remembered. I exist because my ancestors fought to survive. We’re still here and we exist in the modern day, and a lot of us look and live just like everyone else. My heritage has brought me some unbelievable opportunities that I will forever be grateful for and it’s a part of me that I will always be proud to show.”

Lindsay Huss stands with Courtney Mae Muir in front of the mural she created to honor her (photo courtesy the artist)
Huss has completed multiple murals in the Nine Rails Creative District in Ogden. She also created the new mural at the Salt Lake Running Company on 700 East. She is a founding member of Pando Art Collective, working with the other artists to have group shows at local businesses and galleries and create projects in their community. You’ll find more of her work below:
https://www.facebook.com/LindsayHussArt/
www.instagram.com/lindsayhussart
During the month of June we’ll be featuring articles on several murals and muralists in Utah. You can discover several for yourself by visiting our Art Lake City map.
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With our In Plain Site byline we feature publicly viewable art, both official and street art, throughout the state of Utah.
Categories: Art Lake City | In Plain Site | Visual Arts