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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City man walked for 74 days through three states, all in the name of art.
Adam Bateman, 40, is a very accomplished contemporary artist. His latest exhibition took him from Florence, Nebraska to Salt Lake City along the Mormon trail. He said he started in Florence because it was a Mormon "gathering place."
"It was kind of a main gathering place for about 56,000 Mormon pioneers to cross the plains," he said.
Equipped with a modern day handcart, with his rescue dog Hannah by his side, Bateman decided to take his work from the drawing board to the outdoors.
"I averaged somewhere between 15 and 18 miles a day," he said.
Bateman walked for 74 days following the Mormon Trail.
"I have 62 ancestors that crossed the plains as Mormon pioneers, so I have this personal connection to that particular trail," he said.
The ties to his heritage fueled each step forward. But for Bateman, it was also about taking another step in his art career.
"The more I thought about it, I thought, you know, I can do this," he said. "Walking this thing, I'm drawing a line along the landscape, me as a point moving across the map."
Bateman calls his long trek performance art.
There's nothing like walking through the landscape to experience it differently than you do driving down I-80.
–Adam Bateman
"I just did it because I'm interested as an artist. I'm interested in exploring the settlement of the west and the way we relate to the land," he explained.
He spent his time camping in nature, braving the elements and taking it all in.
"There's nothing like walking through the landscape to experience it differently than you do driving down I-80," he said.
Bateman calls his art project a success. He received a $25,000 grant for the art project to help cover some of the cost associated with the walk.
"If the art piece creates conversation then it's successful, and I feel like that's happened with this," he said.
Bateman also lost 25 pounds along the way as an added bonus. You can see more pictures from his journey by searching #AMTWalk on Instagram.
