Wake the Great Salt Lake will address the lake's decline by increasing understanding of the crisis and motivating action toward solutions.
July 16, 2024 – Today, Salt Lake City Arts Council announced the artists and organizations selected to participate in Wake the Great Salt Lake, a temporary public art project that aims to educate and inspire residents and visitors to understand and prevent the further decline of the Great Salt Lake. Without action, the collapse of the Great Salt Lake would have major implications for the ecology and economy of the city, state, and region. The project is supported by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“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 over 120 proposals, 12 were selected based on their potential to inspire future action; their artistic innovation and originality; representation of artists of diverse backgrounds and experiences; and an embrace of a diverse range of artistic styles, genres, audiences, and cultural influences. All of the chosen applicants live, work, or have strong ties to Utah.
Residents and visitors across all City Council districts will be engaged through a wide range of artistic practices, including visual art, sound, dance, arts education, and more. The selected projects are:
Kellie Bornhoft
An interactive sculptural installation of illustrations printed on fabric banners that will celebrate the plants, animals, and other beings who live on and with our Great Salt Lake.
Nicholas Carpenter
A mobile phone booth and dial-in hotline will invite visitors to record their stories, fears, and hopes for the Lake.
Trevor Dahl
Dahl’s “cartoon surrealism” style will depict a colorful, detailed, and positive vision to inspire visitors of all ages to unite behind the cause of saving the Great Salt Lake.
Stefan Lesueur
A sound installation will play recordings of the valley’s streams and community stories about the Great Salt Lake watershed in the Seven Canyons Fountain at Liberty Park.
Nick Pedersen
Utilizing his signature digital collage style, Pedersen will depict two possible futures for the Great Salt Lake ecosystem on opposing billboards along a major thoroughfare in the Poplar Grove neighborhood.
Valene Peratrovich
A documentary film that highlights the importance of Native people and Tribal nations in local water restoration projects, while examining similar efforts across America and around the world.
Mitsu Salmon
A site-responsive outdoor dance and performance work will express the crucial role the Great Salt Lake ecosystem plays for millions of migratory birds and draw parallels to human experiences of migration, notions of home, and our shared need for belonging.
Mestizo Institute of Culture and Arts (MICA)
A group exhibition will combine visual art, performance art, and community conversation to increase awareness of the conditions of the Great Salt Lake and the communities affected by it.
Of Salt and Sand
A public exhibition of photography will tell stories of collective memories, grief, love, and possibility for Utah’s imperiled inland sea and all the human and more-than-human life that depends on it.
Plan-B Theatre Company
Two original productions for audiences of all ages will combine science, song, and theatrical performance to spark passion for protecting the Lake’s present and future.
Spy Hop Productions
Spy Hop, in partnership with the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, will harness youth creativity to create zines, videos, and audio-scapes that inspire action toward sustainability and conservation.
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA)
A projection artwork will illuminate the brick façade of Abravanel Hall, drawing the attention of community members and visitors to the rapidly receding shorelines of the Great Salt Lake.
“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,” said Felicia Baca, Salt Lake City Arts Council Executive Director. “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.”
Along with these projects by Utah-based artists, Wake the Great Salt Lake will commission a work of public art from an internationally renowned artist that inspires hope locally and brings a global lens to the region. Wake the Great Salt Lake is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, which brings together mayors, residents, and artists to develop innovative, temporary public art projects that address important civic issues in their communities. In 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies selected Salt Lake City as one of eight cities across the U.S. to receive a $1 million Public Art Challenge grant for Wake the Great Salt Lake.
To follow along, visit wakegsl.org and sign up for our mailing list for updates.
About Salt Lake City Arts Council
The mission of the Arts Council is to promote, present, and support artists, arts organizations, and arts activities in order to further the development of the arts community and to benefit the public by expanding awareness, access, and participation.
About the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge brings together mayors, residents, and artists to develop temporary public art projects that address important civic issues in their communities. In 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies invited mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more to apply for up to $1 million in funding to create temporary public art projects that address important civic issues and demonstrate an ability to generate public-private collaborations, celebrate creativity and urban identity, and strengthen local economies. More than 150 cities from 40 U.S. states applied. Bloomberg Philanthropies selected eight winning cities to develop projects focused on challenges related to climate change, equity, food insecurity, gun violence, homelessness, public health, and revitalization. Since launching in 2014, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge has spurred more than $100 million in economic benefits for participating cities and action across a range of civic issues. For more information, please visit publicartchallenge.bloomberg.org.
