Art in Transit is the public art component for TRAX, the light rail system that serves residents and visitors along the Wasatch Front. TRAX is built and operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). Recognizing the value that public art brings to the community, UTA, Salt Lake City Corporation, and the Salt Lake City Arts Council partnered in the Art in Transit program for twenty TRAX stations on four lines that serve Salt Lake City. Under the direction of the Salt Lake Art Design Board, the Salt Lake City Arts Council managed the artist selection process and subsequent projects for each of those stations on the light and commuter rail lines.
The first light rail line, Salt Lake to Sandy, opened in December 1999 with six stations in the downtown area – Arena, Temple Square, City Center, Gallivan Plaza, Courthouse, and Ballpark.
The University Line was the next to be built with four new stations – Library, Trolley, 900 East, and Stadium. This line served downtown to Rice-Eccles Stadium and opened just before the 2002 Winter Olympics. Shortly thereafter, an additional station brought artwork to another downtown TRAX station at 200 West 900 South.
In 2008, FrontRunner, the commuter rail system, opened to complement the light rail and bus systems and to provide multi-modal transit choices. The Intermodal Hub extension was completed in 2009 with the addition of three more stations and new artwork; the Intermodal Hub, Planetarium, and Old Greektown.
Most recently, the North Temple Airport line was completed in 2013 to connect downtown to the Salt Lake City International Airport. Six new stations with integrated artwork were installed including the North Temple Bridge Station which serves both FrontRunner and TRAX. The remaining five stations are on the line are Jackson-Euclid, Fairpark, Power, 1940 West, and Airport.