Dozens of people attend 'Whale Fest' to celebrate new whale design

SALT LAKE CITY— "Salt Lake City to date has never found the scientific evidence to verify, undisputedly, the connection between the installation of "Out of the Blue" and the snowfall that followed it. But I also know better than to question the whale," said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, surrounded by dozens of Utahns at Salt Lake City's Whale Fest on Saturday.

The mayor recalled a legend that has followed the 23-foot-tall whale sculpture leaping out of the roundabout at the intersection of 900 South and 1100 East, tying it to a record-breaking Winter in 2021.

Saturday's Whale Fest event launched the new era for the art piece, celebrating the new design called "Open Your Eyes."

Artist Jiyoun Lee-Lodge told KSL the design is meant to reflect the colors and experiences of the Great Salt Lake and also the state's vast skies. The waves, or moving water, reflect people coming in and out of the city, making "interesting waves" to make a shared community.

The eyes symbolize keeping an open eye on the 9th & 9th district and city, hoping that it inspires people to welcome others. It's topped with a rainbow of dots, a feature in many of her other works, that represent the many different groups gathered in the city.

Saturday's event also held a costume contest for the best-dressed whale, best whale call and had a parade.

"Ever since it became an institution here, we have just loved driving by it," said attendee Serah Schmit. She said she and her husband have loved seeing the whale over the last few years while attending local events in the 9th and 9th neighborhood, "I love the eye opening. It just reminds us to take time and enjoy art and our community."

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said not everyone was on board when the sculpture was first announced in 2019. "We had whales versus gnomes, if you will, and there were loyalties. There has been some concern about whether or not a giant humpback whale really belonged in the middle of our Salt Lake City roundabout."

The mayor said she has since seen the community embrace its presence.

"This sculpture has inspired so much community. It's inspired other artwork, marathons, churches, events; even a baby whale was born," Mendenhall said.

Painting of the new design began last month and was finished by the last week of September.

Lee-Lodge's piece, "Open Your Eyes," was selected by the Salt Lake City Arts Council to replace the original mural design, "Point of Reference," which artist Mike Murdock painted on the whale when it debuted in 2022. But it was never intended to be the whale's only look. From the beginning, the Salt Lake City Arts Council said it wanted to turn the whale into a canvas for local artists to paint it in different ways every three to five years.

Contributing: Carter Williams

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