Opening reception for salt and silence, by Shanel Day. Exhibit runs from September 11–November 11.
Artist's Statement
Over 2.5 million people live within 20 miles of the Great Salt Lake. For a lake that so thoroughly defines our region — geographically and ecologically, at least — it is mostly disregarded by the population at large. The lake is famously home to brine shrimp, hundreds of billions of brine flies (which rarely stray more than a few feet from the water's edge), and is visited each year by millions of shore birds. Most people, however, avoid the lake — or simply ignore it.
We shouldn’t. In recent years, alarms have begun to sound: the Great Salt Lake is disappearing. In response, well-publicized efforts made legitimate progress. However, the attention and urgency seem to be drying up along with the lake. In 2023, a report by BYU ecologist Ben Abbott warned that the lake could run dry as soon as 2028. More optimistic projections push that date to 2045. Neither option is acceptable.
This place is unique and irreplaceable. The salt that renders the lake so stark and desolate also preserves. Out on the lake, the silence is like a blanket: the loudest sound is the susurration of bird wings. This is a surreal, desolate, incomprehensibly beautiful dreamscape.
This exhibit is a meditation on that silence. I hope you notice the lake, find your way to experience it, and act before the silence becomes permanent. It is worth saving.
Artist's Bio
Shanel Day grew up in Moab, Utah. She works primarily with ink and has published an adult coloring book focused on Portland, Oregon. In an attempt to learn watercolor, she has started teaching beginning watercolor classes in her community. Shanel is currently an elementary school art teacher in Layton, Utah, where she lives, hikes, and bikes with her husband and five kids.
For this project, Shanel approached the lake from every point that is accessible to the general public. She spent countless hours and miles walking through the ankle-deep lake that should be five feet deep, wandering the dried-out mudbeds that should be safely underwater, and startling birds.
AGE GROUP: | All Ages |
EVENT TYPE: | Exhibits | Arts & Creativity |
This beautiful facility was designed to complement the Rose Park neighborhood with sensitivity to its site on the Jordan River Parkway. An open space plan, with a large community meeting room and outside deck area, will accommodate this growing community for many years.
The south property of the Day-Riverside Branch is home to TreeUtah's EcoGarden, a "food forest" where all members of the community can learn about urban farming and organic gardening. The Day-Riverside Branch has a meeting room available for public use that features tables, chairs, a projector screen, and a piano.
Free parking is available to the west of the building, and free wi-fi access is provided throughout the library.
