The concept in Jacob Brooks’ most recent artwork is extremely straightforward; in fact, it is so straightforward that his 3-year-old son can comprehend it.
Utah’s state bird and flower, the sego lily, is depicted as a California gull splayed across the canvas. The bird is obviously upset because it is crying next to the words “Save Our Great Salt Lake.” Even a 3-year-old child may easily understand that the weeping bird indicates that something is wrong with the Great Salt Lake because it is purposefully made to be so obvious.
The artist from Provo, Brooks, said, “The simplicities that I made it around were honestly oriented for the younger generation.” It starts a conversation about the reasons the bird is depressed, which leads to talking about our shrinking Great Salt Lake.”
A little more than a dozen paintings with the Great Salt Lake as their subject matter are currently on view throughout a four-block stretch of downtown Salt Lake City. They are the most recent focus of a public art show that is constantly changing and was produced by the nonprofit organization Craft Lake City.
The group installed the 14 brand-new works of art in downtown Salt Lake City over the Fourth of July holiday. Each one emphasizes the lake’s significance, history, or the impending environmental crisis that its drying would bring about. According to Angela Brown, executive director of the art and culture charity Craft Lake City, the purpose is to increase awareness about why the lake is important, especially for individuals who don’t really think about it too much.
The collection’s artworks are all a part of Craft Lake City’s Celebration of the Hand series, which was started a few years ago to offer 300 South visitors a thought-provoking experience. Every few months or so, this exhibition features new artwork with a variety of subjects and concepts. Local artists produced each piece of artwork.
On 300 South, you may find every piece of freshly added art. The Temporary Museum of Permanent Change, which put the big metal platforms on the street where the art is exhibited, coordinates Craft Lake City’s public art programme with them. While they can be found from 200 West to 200 East.
These works emphasize the lake’s numerous features, including the fauna that Brooks alluded to in his picture. In “Safe Passage” by Courtney Leigh Johnson, pelicans, shorebirds, and raptors are among the numerous birds that depend on the lake ecology.
Other artwork depicts the effects the drying lake is having on people and animals, as well as the changes the lake is making from its former state.
