SALT LAKE CITY — Police are investigating a “criminal mischief” incident after someone spray-painted a political message on “Out of the Blue,” the massive whale sculpture leaping out of a roundabout in Salt Lake City’s 9th and 9th neighborhood.
Residents noticed the graffiti Wednesday morning, which depicts two Nazi S.S. officers at a door where another person appears to be sitting on a toilet. The message “Did you vote?” is spray-painted next to it.
The exact cost of the damage was not clear. Salt Lake City police told KSL.com they are aware of the case but had no “investigative updates” or arrests. Salt Lake City crews also responded to the scene Wednesday to begin cleaning up the graffiti.
It’s the first major vandalism incident since “Out of the Blue” was installed in the 9th and 9th neighborhood in April 2022, instantly becoming an attraction. Utah artist Stephen Kesler designed the 23-foot-tall whale after the Salt Lake City Art Design Board picked his design to place atop a roundabout located at 900 South and 1100 East.
Mike Murdock, another local artist, was chosen to design its multi-color mural pattern. The whole project cost a little over $100,000 from the city’s Public Art Program.
Since its installation, people have dressed the whale up for Halloween, left offerings at its base and held “whaleathons” along the roundabout loop. Gov. Spencer Cox even name-dropped the whale during a State of the State address when discussing Utah’s robust 2022-23 snowpack.
City officials said in 2022 they intended to have a rotating mural design for the whale, but its current scheme hasn’t changed yet. Felicia Baca, director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council, said late last year the whale was still scheduled to have a new mural sometime over the next three years.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Salt Lake City police at 801-799-3000.
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