Photo gallery: Chalk artists bring Salt Lake City alive with Downtown Blooms
Art show adds color to Wasatch Wildflower Festival
Artist Brooke Keithley, above, and her assistant Everleigh Curran, below, paint a storefront on Main Street ahead of the Wasatch Wildflower Festival in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
Local artists transformed downtown Salt Lake City sidewalks and storefront windows into colorful works of art inspired on Monday as part of the inaugural Downtown Blooms public art activation.
Beginning early in the morning, artists created large-scale chalk murals and vibrant window paintings featuring lupine, paintbrush, columbine and other iconic Wasatch wildflowers. The artwork was designed to bring the beauty of the mountains into the heart of downtown while building excitement for the upcoming Wasatch Wildflower Festival.
Throughout the week, visitors can explore the installations, snap photos, and scan QR codes to learn more about the festival, native wildflowers, and responsible recreation in the Cottonwood Canyons. finish pieces.
View Comments
Deseret News photojournalists Rio Giancarlo and Lukas Katilius captured these images of the artists in action.
Tristan Valdez, a 26-year-old local artist, uses his fingers to blend in the colors of his chalk drawing on Main Street in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
Local artist Nicole Kleinman blends chalk as she works on a street mural of a Colorado columbine on Main Street in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
A box of chalk sit on the sidewalk on Main Street as artists work on street murals for the Wasatch Wildflower Festival in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Artist Brooke Keithley, right, and her assistant Everleigh Curran, left, paint a storefront on Main Street ahead of the Wasatch Wildflower Festival in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Chalk stains the pants of 26-year-old local artist Tristan Valdez as he works on a chalk mural on Main Street ahead of the Wasatch Wildflower Festival in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Artist Brooke Keithley, right, and her assistant Everleigh Curran, left, paint a storefront on Main Street ahead of the Wasatch Wildflower Festival in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Paints sit on the sidewalk as artist Brooke Keithley and her assistant Everleigh Curran paint a storefront on Main Street ahead the Wasatch Wildflower Festival in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Tristan Valdez, a 26-year-old local artist, uses his fingers to blend in the colors of his chalk drawing on Main Street in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
Tristan Valdez, a 26-year-old local artist, draws a desert four o’clock with chalk on Main Street in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 6, 2026. The flower received the unique name due to only blooming in late afternoon before closing up the next morning. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.
