Craft Lake City, in partnership with Of Salt and Sand and Wake the Great Salt Lake, is proud to announce a powerful new public art installation, Local Voices: Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories. On view from January through February 2025, this free, streetside art installation showcases the valuable work of local nonprofit Of Salt and Sand through a compelling combination of striking visuals and immersive audio from their podcast and multimedia project, Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories. Spanning across 10 steel frames along Broadway (300 S), between 200 West and 200 East in downtown Salt Lake City, the installation invites viewers to explore the intricate connections between Utahns and the receding Great Salt Lake. 

Through powerful multimedia storytelling, the Local Voices: Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories installation highlights those affected by the lake’s decline, inviting reflection on the ecological, climate and public health crises tied to the lake’s receding waters. It also examines personal connections to the lake and poses critical questions: Why stay? How to stay? And who gets to stay or leave? The project’s stories connect these issues to the history of colonization, including water diversion and displacement of Indigenous peoples. 

The installation features a stirring collection of intimate stories, audio and visuals, with visitors able to scan QR codes to listen to or read podcast episodes in English and Spanish, which feature the individuals highlighted in the display. Through this immersive experience, the public is encouraged to explore their personal connections to the lake and consider ways to contribute to a sustainable future.

“This is how cultural change starts: listening to people from all paths of life and honoring the wisdom of their lived experience. If Great Salt Lake dries, everyone in the region will have to confront whether they can or should stay. We thank Salt Lake City Arts and our supporters for believing in the power of storytelling to ensure we can always call Utah home,” said Olivia Juarez, Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories Host and Of Salt and Sand Co-Founder.

Formed in 2022, Of Salt and Sand is a Utah-based collective of artists, writers, storytellers, journalists, multimedia producers and community organizers whose mission is to secure economic opportunity, honor our past and dreams, and repair for healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.. Driven by the belief that storytelling can help Utahns navigate economic and climate transitions together toward a more sustainable and equitable future, the collective produces multimedia projects like “Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories,” with, by, and for local communities that highlight the deep connections between Utahns and the places they call home.  

“Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories” is a podcast and multimedia storytelling project that highlights the often-overlooked experiences of Utahns connected to—and directly impacted by—the receding Great Salt Lake. This ongoing initiative explores the profound human connection to the lake, delving into the emotional, social and economic realities of those who live on its shores. Through storytelling, the project reveals what it means to stay in Utah amid an environmental and public health crisis, shedding light on the ecological and climate challenges tied to the lake’s decline. Today, “Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories” aims to tell the truth about the past while looking towards acts of repair, accountability and love to chart a new path forward.

“Local Voices: Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories” is one of 12 local projects selected to contribute to Wake the Great Salt Lake, a temporary art project supported by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. The project aims to raise awareness about the decline of the Great Salt Lake by showcasing several temporary public artworks created by a diverse group of local, regional and internationally recognized artists. These works are designed to engage and educate the public on the challenges facing the lake, inspiring both residents and visitors to take action. For more information about Wake the Great Salt Lake and the other artists involved, visit wakegsl.org or follow the project on Instagram @wakegsl.

“Craft Lake City is proud to collaborate with Of Salt and Sand and Wake the Great Salt Lake on this impactful installation,” says Tiana Young, Craft Lake City’s Artisan & Programs Manager. “Through the Local Voices program, we aim to connect the community with thought-provoking ideas that matter. This installation not only sheds light on the personal and environmental challenges tied to the Great Salt Lake but also demonstrates how storytelling can inspire action and foster deeper community connections.”

Craft Lake City and Of Salt and Sand invites the public to visit the Local Voices: Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories installation now until February 28, 2025, to view, scan, listen and learn more about Of Salt and Sand, their podcast Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories and their mission. 

To learn more about this installation, the public was also invited to join Craft Lake City for a virtual “Lunch & Learn” discussion. During this online event, attendees learned more about this installation directly from the team at Of Salt and Sand and Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories.

Let us know what you think! If you’ve interacted with “Local Voices: Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories,” please take  a few minutes to complete this survey. We value your input and would love to hear your thoughts on the project.

Local Voices: Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, free of charge. To learn more about Stay Salty’s mission and programs, visitors will have the opportunity to scan a QR code while viewing the artwork series on the streets of downtown Salt Lake City. Local Voices: Stay Salty: Lakefacing Stories will be on display in 10 frames on Broadway (300 S) from December 30 to February 28, 2025. 

With support from The Center for the Living City and The Temporary Museum of Permanent Change, Craft Lake City’s Local Voices installation series spotlights the inspiring work of Utah-based organizations in an effort to connect the community with ideas that matter. Craft Lake City curates this seasonal, rotating outdoor art exhibition for the Salt Lake community. The exhibits feature visually inspiring and interactive artwork meant to engage visitors and patrons. All Local Voices installations are displayed in fourteen metal frames along the sidewalks on the north and south sides of Broadway (300 South) between 200 West and 200 East in downtown Salt Lake City. 

For more information about Stay Salty, please visit: www.lakefacing.org