SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 1, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City’s arts program is ready to install artistic flourishes to four locations along the Jordan River Parkway.
“The Salt Lake City Arts Council’s Public Art Program is now accepting qualifications from Utah-based artists and artist-led teams for the Jordan River Parkway Mural Program,” the council announced online.
The city’s public art collection currently numbers more than 130 permanent works of art, according to saltlakearts.org.
They include the steel dinosaur sculpture “Kosmo” at 700 S. 1000 West, the multiple murals on the “Whimsy Walls” at the Salt Lake International Airport, and Memory Grove’s giant light and audio globe honoring the Great Salt Lake. That’s in addition to some 120 paintings, prints and photographs as well as sculptures in the City and County Building.
The new public art initiative will commission four original, site-specific murals along the Jordan River Parkway in the Rose Park neighborhood, the council said.
“This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeks artists to create murals that celebrate the character of the community, highlight the importance of the river corridor, and strengthen connections between people, place, and the natural environment.”
In partnership with the city’s public lands and public utilities divisions, the project will “activate” four locations along the parkway between 600 North and 1500 North: the Backman Elementary Pedestrian Bridge, Cornell Wetlands pumping station, Riverside Park restroom, and Rose Park Golf Course’s large and small pump houses.
The Canyon, by Gordon Huether, at North Temple Airport line.
“The Jordan River Parkway is the longest paved urban trail in the United States,” according to the council, “serving as a vital recreational, ecological, and community resource that connects neighborhoods, parks, wildlife habitat, and cultural destinations throughout the region.”
The mural program supports a vision for a river corridor “centered on nature, culture, and care. Selected artists will create works that contribute to this vision by transforming key sites into welcoming and engaging public spaces that reflect the identity of Rose Park while promoting environmental stewardship and community pride.”
This call (deadline 11:59 p.m. July 5) is open to all professional artists and artist-led teams currently residing in Utah. Four commissions are available, with artists or teams eligible to receive one commission each. Project budgets range from $8,000 to $16,000 depending on the size and scope of the assigned mural site.
“A Symphony of Disappearing Sounds for the Great Salt Lake,” by Olafur Eliasson, appeared at Memory Grove
