Artists from across the country gather in Salt Lake City for the 49th annual Utah Arts Festival

The Utah Arts Festival, now 49 years old, features more than 800 artists, musicians and dancers

Published: June 20, 2025, 8:36 p.m. MDT

Artist Tai Taeoalii works on a piece of art while at the Utah Arts Festival at Library Square and the City and County Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 20, 2025. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Margaret is a staff writer for the Deseret News, where she covers entertainment, culture and trending topics.

While the Utah Arts Festival annually draws large crowds of excited fans, it’s the artists themselves who are happy to be back for the 49th edition of the event.

For the third year, artist Garett Loveless is displaying his bronze statues at the festival. The sculptor, who is from Draper, was awarded Best in Show for his work last year.

At the forefront of his 2025 booth, Loveless set out a sculpture titled, “Self-Reflection.” Inspiration for the piece came through a remark someone made about the artist.

“As soon as they said it, I realized it was true,” Loveless said. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, wait. How do they know something about me that I didn’t know?’”

He added, “This piece is all about perception. It’s about (how) the outsider will see things the individual does not know — there are gaps in the reflection ... they see things more clearly than the individual."

A piece by artist Garrett Loveless of Draper is shown at the Utah Arts Festival at Library Square and the City and County Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 20, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Artwork like Loveless’ bronze statues can be seen all weekend at the 49th annual Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City. The festival showcases more than 800 artists, dancers and musicians from around the country. More than 900 volunteers help bring the festival together.

In addition to visual art displays, the 2025 festival features a variety of food and beverage stations, an interactive kids zone, live graffiti art and film screenings.

It is Mandy Henebry’s first time showing her ceramics at the festival. She came from Boise, Idaho, to showcase her color clay pots — a medium she has been honing since junior high school.

“I’ve been making ceramics for about 35 years,” Henebry said. “I finally got to a point where I wanted to make sure my pots looked different from everyone else’s.”

Pottery pieces by artist Mandy Henebry of Meridian, Idaho, at the Utah Arts Festival at Library Square and the City and County Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 20, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

“Pottery is one of the oldest art forms in the world, and it’s hard to stand apart with such an old art form.”

Cory Ballis, an artist who specializes in blown glass, traveled from Fresno, California, to display his work at the event.

The unforgiving winds on Friday afternoon claimed “a bunch of glass” pieces he had previously set out, but he kept his shelves stocked with a range of dishware.

His dishware comes in colorful, swirled designs — some of which are inspired by images captured by space satellites.

“Everything starts as clear glass at 2,100 degrees, and then I hand mix all the colors myself. I have 15 different colors that I mix,” Ballis said.

Glass art by artist Cory Ballis of Fresno, California, is shown at the Utah Arts Festival at Library Square and the City and County Building in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 20, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Ballis has 20 years of experience blowing glass, a skill he picked up during a college elective course.

As a medium, blown glass is “very unforgiving,” Ballis said. “You have to be really precise with what you’re doing, and you have to pay attention all the time. It’s really hard to do, so it takes a lot of practice. It’s a challenge, and I enjoy that.”

How to get tickets for the Utah Arts Festival

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Tickets for the Utah Arts Festival are available now at uaf.org. Single tickets can be purchased as well as four-pack, 10-pack, family pack and VIP options.

Kids under 12 are admitted free of charge all weekend.

The event runs now through Sunday from noon to 11 p.m. daily at Library Square in Salt Lake City.

For more information about tickets, the schedule and festival layout, attendees can refer to either the festival website or app.