Exploring South Salt Lake City murals…
There’s something so visually thrilling about all of the Salt Lake City murals that have sprung up around the city over the past couple of decades. I moved away from Salt Lake in 2004, and returned in 2021, and the stark difference in the amount of murals and street art was absolutely mind blowing.
Salt Lake City, already hailed as an incredibly beautiful city along the Wasatch Mountains, has a strong art presence, with a mural movement fueled by local artists, community initiatives, and public art programs. One of those programs, Project 337, initiated in 2007, aimed to transform urban spaces into accessible works of art. It worked!
Certain neighborhoods are just splitting at the seams, seemingly stuffed with murals – bold murals, little tucked away murals, thoughtful, vibrant and colorful murals. Murals painted by teams, and by dedicated solo artists braving the scaffolding into the wee hours.
This post is all about one of those little stretches of street. This post is all about the South Salt Lake City murals along West Temple street between about 2100 south and 30th south. Nine inspiring little blocks. Nearly every one of these murals is visible from West Temple, although, there are a couple that are on side streets. I won’t be listing all of the exact addresses for each mural, but if you cruise down West Temple, these will certainly be familiar to you.
Salt Lake City murals between 2100 South and 3000 South along West Temple.
This mural of huge juicy desert blossoming cacti all vibrantly growing off of a gray building is actually just a little west of West Temple, on 2100 South. Ii consider it a must-see..
In the same parking lot as these desert flowers is this graphically satisfying comic style mural that tells a story through bubbly hand lettered word bubbles.
Meandering around the corner don’t be surprised when you run into this astute and beautiful wolf. It’s okay if you’re compelled to take a pause and howl at the everlastingly full moon. 🌕 It’s more than okay.
Though you may feel like you’re in a nature night sky with a wolf and a full moon, you’ll soon remember you’re in the heart of South SLC. And why have a boring, concrete parking structure when you can frame that parking structure with street art?
One of my favorite thing about murals is how they show up in areas that need them most; this jutting surreal bird mural is an awesome example. This building would be so easy to ignore if it wasn’t adorned with this beauty.
This mural below is another example of finding a work of art in such an unassuming place. This one is installed on an old abandoned office strip building. Rather than letting it stay dilapidated, it was turned into a work of art.
I love this mural below. Sometimes an artist’s vision is just incredible, and this one layers in this element f flowing water and lotus flowers in a composition that connects it all together.Â
Can’t you just taste the crisp hoppy beverage in this mural??
And what about this? It’s hard to properly show the scale of these murals, but you can see that it took me two verrrrry lonnnnng horizontal photos to show the full mural…
This one totally speaks to my heart. From the little children on the side made of stars in a cornfield, to the beautifully painted hand lettered Contento Cafe text, I am swooning. I haven’t had the chance to eat here, but I certainly will.
Not for the faint of heart, this mural pops out from a low wall and shows how impactful even a small space can be when it is transformed into a piece of art.
Across the street from this impactful and compact art piece is this huge gnome wall mural. It’s a real life immersion into perspectivee studies…
This one is breathtaking, especially in real life. It’s large, beautiful, and conveys reverence and emotion.
This mural has a very edgy street art feel with the dripping paint, but also highly detailed realistic tigers.
Sometimes you run onto a very different style and it’s surprising or edgy. This is one of those times.Â
And then there’s this guy – this supermassive, super intense, super cool one.. Check out that cool glowing orb.. I’m pretty sure this is the Saltfire Distillery mural..
It’s hard to miss FeeBee when driving north on West Temple. She’s bold, she’s colorful, and she’s relatively easy to find, right under this overpass.
Glad you’re still with me. Check out this lovely botanical bliss + geometric satisfaction just hanging out ready to be admired…
I love this one so much. I wish I remembered which brewery it was, but this GenX brain is as smooth as that pretty rainbow ribbon.. This one is another enormous wonder, and I had to capture it all..
I’m going to close with this South Salt Lake 80 Year celebration mural. In my small amount of research, I was pretty bummed to realize I’d missed South Salt Lake Mural Fest this year.. Maybe next year. 🥲
I know I have a childishly giddy sense of wonder when it comes to murals, flowers, and trees, but I think this is quite the mural hall for such a short stretch of street!
I really love this about Salt Lake City. Honestly, in so very many neighborhoods there are incredible murals, street art, and public art displays.Â
But I really enjoyed this little mural jaunt with big rewards.
In part 2 of this meandering mural series, I’ll feature the Salt Lake City murals of downtown, right around Harvey Milk Boulevard. This is another vibrant part of the city, and I was lucky enough to participate in one of these awesome works of art.Â
If you love urban art, I highly suggest a visit to Salt Lake; our Salt Lake City murals truly give this city such an energetic and youthful vibe. They brighten up drab areas, breathe life into neighborhoods in decline, and they just make people happy.Â
Have yourself a merry little mural meander. Let your heart be light ✨