SALT LAKE CITY — The massive, iconic whale sculpture in Salt Lake City's 9th & 9th neighborhood will have a new look in the coming months.
City leaders unveiled the new design for the "Out of the Blue" sculpture, located in the roundabout on 900 South and 1100 East, on Saturday.
The new mural was designed by Utah artist Jiyoun Lee-Lodge. It's titled "Open Your Eyes" and features a blue, white and pink gradient as the base. It also has multicolored dots, a squiggly "flowing wave" pattern, and a large eye on one side.
The sculpture was built by Stephen Kessler in 2022. The city plans to give it a new mural every 3-5 years. The first and current design is called "Point of Reference" by Mike Murdock.
The new mural was chosen by the Salt Lake City Art Design Board after a county-wide call for submissions. The city said it also weighed input from 1,700 residents who shared ideas about what the whale and the 9th & 9th neighborhood mean to them.
Lee-Lodge will begin painting it later this month. It's expected to be done by Oct. 3, and the city plans to host an event called "Whale Fest" to celebrate on that day.
