Salt Lake City Public Art Program

Connecting people to place and place to stories since 1984

Flying Objects 3.0 (2012-2014)

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The Flying Objects temporary public art project began in 2005 during a time when downtown Salt Lake City was under considerable construction for the City Creek Center, one of the nation’s largest mixed-use downtown redevelopment projects. The project was designed to stage a series of sculptures, installed in three locations, that added color, shape, interest, whimsy, and vitality to the streetscape through a curated series of twelve sculptures in a range of styles and materials.

Since then, four series’ of Flying Objects have been accomplished with great support from the artists and the community; each series being installed for a period of 2 to 2½ years. The Flying Objects project has offered both established and emerging Utah artists an opportunity to participate in a temporary public art project and create sculptures on a smaller scale using a variety of materials and subject matter. Each selected artist/team is paid an honorarium for the loan of their work. At the end of the project period their artwork is returned to the artists.

The three installation sites were selected for their proximity to cultural facilities: 10 South West Temple, in front of Abravanel Hall and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art; 15 West 200 South, across the street from Capitol Theatre near Hotel Monaco; and 125 West 300 South in the median in front of the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

Flying Objects is funded by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City and managed by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

Flying Objects 2.0 (2009-2012)

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The Flying Objects temporary public art project began in 2005 during a time when downtown Salt Lake City was under considerable construction for the City Creek Center, one of the nation’s largest mixed-use downtown redevelopment projects. The project was designed to stage a series of sculptures, installed in three locations, that added color, shape, interest, whimsy, and vitality to the streetscape through a curated series of twelve sculptures in a range of styles and materials.

Since then, four series’ of Flying Objects have been accomplished with great support from the artists and the community; each series being installed for a period of 2 to 2½ years. The Flying Objects project has offered both established and emerging Utah artists an opportunity to participate in a temporary public art project and create sculptures on a smaller scale using a variety of materials and subject matter. Each selected artist/team is paid an honorarium for the loan of their work. At the end of the project period their artwork is returned to the artists.

The three installation sites were selected for their proximity to cultural facilities: 10 South West Temple, in front of Abravanel Hall and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art; 15 West 200 South, across the street from Capitol Theatre near Hotel Monaco; and 125 West 300 South in the median in front of the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

Flying Objects is funded by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City and managed by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

Flying Objects (2006-2009)

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The Flying Objects temporary public art project began in 2005 during a time when downtown Salt Lake City was under considerable construction for the City Creek Center, one of the nation’s largest mixed-use downtown redevelopment projects. The project was designed to stage a series of sculptures, installed in three locations, that added color, shape, interest, whimsy, and vitality to the streetscape through a curated series of twelve sculptures in a range of styles and materials.

Since then, four series’ of Flying Objects have been accomplished with great support from the artists and the community; each series being installed for a period of 2 to 2½ years. The Flying Objects project has offered both established and emerging Utah artists an opportunity to participate in a temporary public art project and create sculptures on a smaller scale using a variety of materials and subject matter. Each selected artist/team is paid an honorarium for the loan of their work. At the end of the project period their artwork is returned to the artists.

The three installation sites were selected for their proximity to cultural facilities: 10 South West Temple, in front of Abravanel Hall and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art; 15 West 200 South, across the street from Capitol Theatre near Hotel Monaco; and 125 West 300 South in the median in front of the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

Flying Objects is funded by the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City and managed by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

Anagrams – 106

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Anagrams, by artists William R. Littig and Bernardo Flores-Sahagun, is a series of partial crossword puzzles placed at more than two dozen street corners throughout the Sugar House business district. The puzzles are integrated into the recently completed sidewalk and intersection upgrade, with the same type pavers used throughout the project. The words selected by the artists represent the rich history of Sugar House by naming people, places, stores and other features of the area. The artists interviewed long-time residents of Sugar House and visited the Utah State Historical Society to gather the information used in the project.

Citywalk: A Horizontal Gallery – 72

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The bronze and ceramic paver project was created by Los Angeles artist Roberto Delgado, with the assistance of sculptor Doug Warnock of Pocatello, ID and ceramist Susan Gamble of Tucson, AZ.

Designed to provide a “horizontal gallery” in the sidewalk, approximately thirty of these pavers will replace, in a random pattern, thirty of the two-foot square granite pavers around the corner of Main Street and 200 South by the One Utah Center.

Salt Lake teenagers, with direction from Salt Lake City artist Ed Dolinger, devised the images incorporated into the ceramic tiles, fabricated at the Santa Theresa Tile Works in Tucson.  Doug Warnock who teaches at Idaho State University was responsible for the casting and fabrication of the bronze collars.  Warnock is also leading the installation team.

Sugar House Benches – 42

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In response to a national call for proposals, artist Eric Thelander of Albuquerque, New Mexico, designed and fabricated the benches for the sidewalks of the Sugar House Business District. Thelander’s work addresses both creativity and comfort, in a fine example of craftsmanship, with the fabricated metal framework and the detail and finish of the concrete “cushions.”  Thelander designed these outdoor “sofas” as a tribute to the history of furniture sales – both new and second-hand – that are an integral component of the character of Sugar House.

No Salt Just Pepper, Three Peas in a Pod, Starters – 44

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In an urban setting, community gardens contribute to and encourage the preservation of open space; provide food; strengthen neighborhood bonds; and create recreational, educational, and therapeutic opportunities for the participants. The Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City temporarily transformed a vacant lot in an urban location near the TRAX Station into “The People’s Portable Garden.”

Utah-based artist Greg Ragland was commissioned for the project and responded to the spirit in which the garden was created by adding color, scale, shape, and levity with his sculptures. The large-scale work enhanced the garden, even in dormant seasons, and brought a sense of place and identity to this once vacant lot.

The artwork and garden have since been relocated as it was in a temporary location. Greg Ragland’s sculptures can be found at the 9 Line Community Garden continuing to add vibrancy in an urban location.