🎨 Salt Lake’s best public art

Will Utah Pay With Gold?

There is $60 million of state-owned gold sitting in a vault on the west side of Salt Lake City. And a law that would allow the state to pay contractors in gold awaits Gov. Spencer Cox’s signature. What the 💰 is going on? [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

Food Bank Demand Surges

Demand at the Utah Food Bank is currently higher than during the pandemic, and anxiety about tariffs and potential cuts to federal programs forecast a frightening future. [Salt Lake Tribune]

New Hospital in West Valley

The University of Utah, with a $75 million gift from the Eccles Foundation, has announced plans to build a new hospital in West Valley City. [University of Utah Heath]

Recreational Marijuana Poll

New polling shows 52% of Utahns would vote to legalize recreational marijuana statewide. [FOX 13]

Salt Lake is full of public art that showcases the artistic community’s creative range. So when two notable Salt Lake public artworks — the Whale and Sphinx — were booted out of Axios’ best public art in the Mountain West bracket, we were shocked, nay, appalled!

So we’re sharing our favorite public art and celebrating how they inspire us and brighten up the city, especially as the Glendale neighborhood council seeks volunteers to paint two murals.

Out of the Blue

📍 900 S. and 1100 E.

Also known as the Whale, this colorful humpback sculpture stands 23 feet tall. Stephen Kesler is the artist behind this iconic sculpture that has drawn some surprise, and even some ire from Salt Lakers since it was unveiled in 2022. Kesler said his work represents a “community that bursts through expectations.”

Joseph Smith Sphinx

📍 749 E. and 500 S.

The sculpture body is that of the mythological creature prominent in Egyptian and Greek art and mythology, and the face carving is an ode to Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s located within the Gilgal Garden, which was once the backyard of Thomas Child, an LDS bishop and masonry contractor.

Glendale Gather Blocks

📍 Glendale Park

This interactive art installation features murals of 16 prominent advocates and leaders, plus colorful benches and sculptures. It was created by Chuck Landvatter, Jared Steffensen, and J. Dayton Crites and installed in 2021 to serve as a gathering place for the community and to facilitate play and interaction.