In 2025, with support from the Wake the Great Salt Lake project, more than a dozen artists and arts organizations created work that educated and inspired our community to imagine a better future for the lake and commit to the actions necessary to restore it to a healthy and thriving ecosystem.
We are grateful for everyone involved — the artists, the community, and all of our partners! As we reflect on what has been accomplished, we are also mindful that there's so much work ahead to reverse the lake's decline.
Here are some of the highlights from our year of Wake the Great Salt Lake:
- Great Salt Lake Hopeline’s glowing pink phone booth appeared at Kilby Block Party, UMOCA, Fisher Brewing Co, SLC Airport, and beyond, giving people unexpected and inspiring encounters.
- The Poplar Grove community enjoyed Nick Pedersen’s dual billboard installation, “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow,” which depicted two possible futures for Great Salt Lake — with or without water. The Billboard Bash enlivened the prominent intersection with art, performance, and community engagement.
- Stefan Lesueur’s “Watershed Stories” reawakened the Seven Canyons Refuge in Liberty Park with sounds from the creeks that flow through Salt Lake City and the voices of the community.
- Kellie Bornhoft’s “By a Thread” installation appeared at the Utah State Capitol building, UMOCA, and the Eccles Wildlife Center.
- Trevor Dahl’s “Watchers of the Shore” mural on the Don Daniels building brings a colorful and moving call to action to the Rose Park neighborhood. Visit it any time at 935 West 1000 North.
- Mitsu Salmon’s dance and performance work in the Miller Bird Refuge, “Feathered Tides,” educated us about migratory birds who depend on Great Salt Lake for their survival and drew parallels to human experiences of migration and notions of home.
- Spy Hop’s apprentices, inspired by experts from the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, produced videos, songs, and zines to share their creative perspectives on the many issues connected to the Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem.
- Plan-B Theatre’s Great Salt Lake Plays, “Just Add Water” and “Eb & Flo,” combined science, song, and theatrical performance to spark passion for protecting the Lake’s present and future.
- MICA’s “Vanishing Waters, Rising Voices” exhibition showcased work by more than a dozen artists across mediums including photography, sculpture, printmaking, and performance.
- Of Salt and Sand’s street-side gallery, “Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories,” brought images and stories of people affected by the lake’s decline.
- The documentary film “Diverted: Indigenous Stewardship and Saving Great Salt Lake,” directed by Valene Peratrovich, screened to packed houses at Fisher Brewing Co. and Utah Film Center.
- UMOCA’s commission of Oscar Tuazon’s “Salt Lake Water School” brought quotes about the lake’s importance and urgency to an open architectural touchpoint in downtown’s Abravanel Plaza.
- Wake the Great Salt Lake was featured on PBS NewsHour, bringing the story of Great Lake City and the art community’s response to its decline to viewers across the nation.
- Inspired by the work of Wake the Great Salt Lake artists, mixologist April Long of Post Office Place developed the “What Remains” cocktail for Salt Lake Magazine’s Farm-to-Glass Cocktail Contest, earning the honor of Best Cocktail for a Cause from the jury.
- Preparations for Olafur Eliasson’s “A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake” are underway. Coming in the spring of 2026, the sound and light installation from the Berlin-based artist will draw global attention. Stay tuned for announcements.
Beyond showcasing local and international creativity, we are also measuring the impact that art has on pressing community issues like the decline of Great Salt Lake. We’ve asked attendees questions like, “What role do you think art can play in addressing local civic issues?” Here are a few of your responses:
- Art is vital to effecting change! Facts help change minds, art changes hearts!
- I think it can help provide a different entry way for folks that might not have engaged in this conversation. Art can seem less intimidating than political conversations or direct activism if someone isn’t sure how to get involved. Art can also allow for expression of emotions around atopic, create community, and spark conversation.
- I heard some say that they wish artists were sent to space because scientists have not really done well at describing the experience. I feel this is the same. Science can tell us what is happening, why, and how we might fix it. Artists can tell us what’s really at stake.
Add your voice to the conversation! Please take five minutes to fill out our survey and share with us how Wake the Great Salt Lake impacted you in 2025. Responses from the survey help us amplify the message and pursue funding for more inspiring arts projects in the future.
After a busy year, there’s still one big installation to come in 2026 — Olafur Eliasson’s “A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake.” This sound and light installation will be placed in a Salt Lake City park for a short period in this coming spring. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more details!
