Celebrate Utah Wildlife
A grassroots arts, science, and community engagement initiative
to celebrate the diversity of wildlife in Utah
and install at least one monumental wildlife mural in each of Utah's 29 counties.
Wildlife has always been a vital part of Utah's cultural fabric.
Today, our generation enjoys opportunities for wildlife encounters that simply may not be available to the next generation. A rapidly changing climate, dwindling water resources, and shrinking habitats provide an unprecedented threat to many of our beloved wild animal populations.
As biologists, scientists and policymakers pursue solutions to these enormous challenges, the Utah Wildlife Walls project
is meant to celebrate and document the diversity of wildlife of Utah.
Photo Courtesy of Utah DWR
$10,500
Wildlife-inspired
cash prize contest
29+
Local wildlife murals statewide
29+
Community-based wildlife celebration events
We recognize Utah's rural residents have a valuable perspective on the local wild animal populations. Our approach to celebrate and document Utah’s wildlife is designed to engage Utahns of all ages from across the state. It includes five complementary wildlife-focused outreach programs:
Celebrate Utah Wildlife Contest (Spring 2023)
A statewide all-ages cash prize contest to crowd source an array of wild- life-oriented art, photos, video, writing/storytelling & sound/music. Highlights will be curated into a multi-media exhibit & program available for each celebration event.
Utah Wildlife Walls (2023-2026)
Monumental murals depicting local species installed prominently in each of Utah’s 29 counties.
Photo Courtesy of Holly Jones
Utah Wildlife Celebration Events (2023-2026)
In conjunction with each mural installation, we are seeking local partners in each county to collaborate; hosting family-friendly community events celebrating Utah’s diverse wildlife heritage. Events will include a storytelling event featuring wildlife experts, a traveling exhibit, and accompanying educational and experiential programming provided through key agency and nonprofit partners.
Celebrate Utah Wildlife Traveling Exhibit (2023-2026 )
The best of the submissions to the statewide crowdsourced wildlife contest in Spring 2023, will be curated into an traveling exhibit available later in 2023 . This exhibit will be available for touring the state in the coming years for celebration events and for other interested venues. In conjunction with the exhibit, we hope to facilitate community conversations around the role of wildlife in our lives and the stories of local species.
ARCHIVE
Celebrate Utah Wildlife Archive (2023- )
Documentation of the entire project, as well as the crowd-sourced collection of submissions will be archived as a record of this generation’s relationship to wildlife. It will also be the foundation for an oral history gathering project.
PROGRAM GOALS
Install 29+ monumental wildlife murals across Utah: one in each county
Organize and host 29+ local community wildlife celebrations
Use data and art to tell the stories of Utah's diverse wildlife species
Engage Utahns in
science-based
wildlife habitat connectivity efforts
Inspire Utahns to share wildlife-related creative & documentary content
Looking for Partners Statewide
We are working to identify potential mural sites and develop local partnerships in all Utah counties for 2024-2026 projects. Please let us know if you’d like to collaborate or get involved!
