- Jiyoun Lee-Lodge was selected to paint a new mural on SLC’s iconic whale sculpture (Stephen Kesler’s Out of the Blue)
- The mural, entitled Open Your Eyes, is inspired by Great Salt Lake, Utah’s sky, and the movement of water
- Painting takes place late August through September, 2026
If you've driven through the roundabout at 900 South and 1100 East lately, you know "Out of the Blue," the giant whale sculpture that's become one of the most photographed landmarks in the 9th & 9th neighborhood. This fall, the whale is getting a brand new look.
Local artist Jiyoun Lee-Lodge has been selected to create Open Your Eyes, the sculpture's newest mural. Inspired by Great Salt Lake, Utah's big open skies, and the movement of water, the design wraps the whale in gradients of pink and blue, flowing wave patterns, and playful dots of color. Because the mural wraps all the way around the sculpture in a continuous 360-degree design, it looks a little different depending on where you're standing, so it rewards a walk around the roundabout, not just a glance from the car. It is a concept that mirrors the way the City is experienced: dynamic, layered, and always in transition.
Keep an eye out for a fun detail: one of the whale's eyes is painted open, the other closed. It's a subtle wink that gives the mural its name, and a reminder that this landmark rewards a closer look.
How the artist was chosen
The mural came out of a public Request for Qualifications process open to artists based in Salt Lake County. Before the call even went out, the Public Art Program asked the community directly: what does this whale mean to you? Through "What's Next for the Whale?," an online engagement campaign run on shapeSLC, Salt Lake City's new public participation platform, more than 1,700 residents weighed in on what they love about the sculpture and the neighborhood around it. That input helped shape what the city was looking for and was shared with artists as they developed their proposals.
From 35 applications, four finalists presented their designs to the Salt Lake Art Design Board and neighborhood stakeholders, who unanimously chose Lee-Lodge's concept.
About the artist
Jiyoun Lee-Lodge is a Korean-born, Salt Lake City–based artist working across painting, drawing, installation, and public art. Her practice explores identity in flux, belonging, and mental health within the pressures of social influence, digital culture, and emerging technologies such as AI. Since 2018, her ongoing Waterman series has examined resilience and fragility during periods of transition, including immigration, relocation from New York to Utah, and the global pandemic. Through what she describes as “inside-out portraits,” Lee-Lodge reflects on shifting identities shaped by place, community, and technological mediation. Lee-Lodge earned her BFA from Chung-Ang University in Korea and her MFA from Brooklyn College and spent over a decade in New York before relocating to Utah. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and completed public art commissions, including The Arrival (PS 144 Addition, Queens, NYC) and The Crossing (600 South TRAX Station, Salt Lake City, UT).
A whale with a history
Out of the Blue was created by artist Stephen Kesler and installed in 2022. Its first mural, Point of Reference by Mike Murdock, captured the sunrises and sunsets of the neighborhood. True to the Public Art Program's plan to refresh the sculpture every few years, Open Your Eyes is its next chapter.
Mark your calendar
The new mural and artist were announced at 801 Day on Saturday, August 1, Salt Lake City's fourth annual celebration of all things SLC, hosted by City Cast Salt Lake.
Lee-Lodge will begin painting the mural on site in late August, with work continuing through September. Once it's complete, the community is invited to celebrate at Whale Fest on Saturday, October 3, marking the official unveiling of Open Your Eyes and the continued evolution of Out of the Blue. More details on Whale Fest to come.
