Prior to being a community park and garden, this site was once home to a two-story, privately owned residential building. The home was scheduled for demolition in 2007. However, before being torn down, the property owner invited over 100 artists of various disciplines to fill the 25,000-square-foot structure with art. The building, full from floor to ceiling with paintings, murals, sculptures and installations, received thousands of visitors and became a visual arts hub before it was destroyed. Later the vacant lot was sold to Salt Lake City Corporation and in 2015 a portion of the land was developed into a community garden managed by Wasatch Community Gardens. In 2017, Salt Lake City Parks and Public Lands decided to create a pocket park to function as an inviting and engaging gathering place for the community.
As a nod to the site’s art-infused history, the fence that surrounds the perimeter of the park was designed to include 24 unique designs by local artists to carry on the tradition of displaying the work of Utah’s diverse art community. Sixteen artists were selected to design panels for the park fence: Rob Beishline, Shelley Beishline, Chris Brown, Trent Call, Josh Cisar, Karl Hale, Sarinda Jones, Beyza Kilic, Lenka Konopasek, Juan Luis Molero, Jared Neves, Traci O’Very Covey, Brook Robertson, Heidi Moller Somsen, Shannon White, and Maria Zielinska. All panels were fabricated in Corten steel in 2018.
From left to right:
Photo 1: Shannon White, Untitled // Juan Luis Molero, Untitled
Photo 2: Trent Call, Untitled // Shelley Beishline, Living Roots
Photo 3: Traci O’Very Covey, Veggie Garden // Rob Beishline, Blowing Leaves
Photo 4: Maria Zielinska, Untitled // Sarinda Jones, Substrate
Photo 5: Shelley Beishline, Living Leaves // Trent Call, Untitled
Photo 6: Heidi Moller Somsen, Untitled // Sarinda Jones, Buoyancy
Photo 7: Brook Robertson, Look! // Shelley Beishline, Living Blooms
Photo 8: Karl Hale, Untitled // Lenka Konopasek, Untitled
Photo 9: Trent Call, Untitled // Beyza Kilic, Untitled
Photo 10: Rob Beishline, Triangle Tree // Josh Cisar, Untitled
Photo 11: Lenka Konopasek, Untitled // Jared Neves, Ball
Photo 12: Chris Brown, Untitled // Lenka Konopasek, Untitled
Photos by Logan Sorenson.
Artwork featured in header: Through the Safety Lens by Alexander Tylevich