Each year for the last 7 years, our city plays host to Mural Fest, which “celebrates urban beautification and artistic talent using the powerful tool of public art.” Sprinkled around South Salt Lake, the event has grown substantially since it began, and this year, they purportedly sifted through nearly 900 applicants to find 14 that would paint new murals on assigned buildings.
It began when the South Salt Lake Arts Council decided in 2018 that they would add 100 murals to the city (over the course of the following 10 years or so). As of this year’s event, they’re officially at 66, and you’ll find pieces on a wide range of subject matter, from abstract works to jellyfish, rainbow trout, gnomes, Utah landscapes, and Native American leaders. The official event and mural walk took place on May 4th (head to this website to download a map and see them all for yourself), and it inspired us to take a casual Sunday drive to photograph a few of our favorite murals in and around Salt Lake City.
Given that our artistic landscape has grown so immensely over the last few years (we love it), it’s impossible to note all our favorites, but here’s a small handful of creative works that we think make our city’s structures infinitely more interesting…
El Mac & Retna, "Ave Maria"
Address: 158 E. 200 S.
Notable Details: Commissioned by FICE in 2009 and likely one of our city's larger murals at somewhere around 44 feet high, this stunning piece dons the east side of the historic Guthrie Building.
Trevor Dahl, unnamed
Address: 260 S. Main St.
Notable Details: A project for The Blocks SLC, Trevor completed this downtown mural in 3 days. According to the artist, he "Received a bunch of community feedback on SLC's growth and tried to channel it into this piece."
FEEBEE, unnamed
Address: 80 W. Robert Ave.
Notable Details: A colorful work by a pop-art muralist from Austin, TX, this one is deceptively large in scale, though it's tough to tell from the shot below. Just off of I-80 at about 300 E., the piece measures about 44 feet wide and 20 feet high.
Bill Louis, "For Our Loved Ones"
Address: 2260 S. West Temple
Notable Details: A former graffiti artist, Louis has several murals in and around the Salt Lake Valley that depict an amalgam of figures and bright, colorful, abstract shapes. In this piece, his son, Rocky, holds a handful of plumeria blossoms.
Phillip Adams, "Return of Pink Floyd"
Address: 350 E. 400 S.
Notable Details: If you don't already know the story of Pink Floyd, Salt Lake's "pet" flamingo, we suggest you look that up. This lenticular mural on the side of The Shop is an homage to that very bird, snow-capped mountains and all. We love the changing perspective (said by the artist to make Floyd appear to move/dance).
Jessica Sabogal, "Este Barrio No Se Vende"
Address: 708 W. North Temple
Notable Details: Standing roughly 40-ft. high on the Furst Construction building, this mural was intended to make a clear statement about the west side of Salt Lake City: "this neighborhood is not for sale." Featuring community activist Ella Mendoza, the artist was inspired to amplify the voices of those who are typically unheard.
Brooke Smart, "Look at What the Light Did Now"
Address: 133 W. Haven Ave.
Notable Details: Covering the Delvie's Plastics building, the artist for this mural added some dimension with colored plastic glasses (cut by Delvie's) for each figure. Smart is an illustrator who also created the murals for the Maven District, West, and Lofts.
Miles Toland, "Air and Aether"
Address: 2465 S West Temple
Notable Details: According to the artist's website, his surrealist work captures "the mysterious places we visit between sleeping and waking." This one dons the side of the Technical Service & Supply building and, he says, is "about holding space for someone or something important to you."
Brooklyn Ottens & Matt Monsoon, "Towards the Light"
Address: 43 W. Oakland Ave.
Notable Details: On the side of Bonwood Bowl, this collaborative piece is the work of two long-time street artists that represents the darkness and uncertainty that all humans encounter and the innate drive to search for light.
Atentatmente una fresa, "Juicy Flavorssss"
Address: 2245 S. West Temple
Notable Details: The work of a Mexican artist who deals in pop surrealism and low-brow art styles, Atentamenta una fresa (a name that translates to "Mindfully, a strawberry") added this whimsical piece to the side of Beehive Distilling in 2022. Says the artist, "I wanted to balance a colorful composition with sober elegant black and white and gray."
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