Taking in the artwork: Springville unveils walkable art loops downtown
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- Sculptor Gary Lee Price cuts the ribbon on the Springville Art Loops Monday, July 8, 2026.
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- People attend the Springville Art Loops kickoff event Monday, June 8, 2026.
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- People attend the Springville Art Loops kickoff event Monday, June 8, 2026.
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- People attend the Springville Art Loops kickoff event Monday, June 8, 2026.
Springville leaned into its “Art City” moniker Monday night with the unveiling of a new citywide activity.
City officials and artists cut a ribbon to officially open the Springville Art Loops, three designated public walking routes located in an eight-block section of downtown intended to promote the city’s art culture.
On the 1.8-mile Rep Loop, or 1.6-mile yellow loop (round trip) and 1.4-mile blue loop (round trip) pedestrians can walk the city’s sidewalks and explore murals, sculptures, landmarks and other forms of art throughout the city. Each route starts at the Springville Museum of Art.
“I hope it brings joy to people, I hope it brings them together,” museum director Emily Larsen said. “It’s really fun and accessible, and I hope it makes people explore downtown more, visit the museum more, and just makes people love Springville even more than they already do.”
Larsen said the project is about a 50-50 split between existing art in the city and new features. Among the new features is a 20,000-square-foot street mural on 100 North painted by more than 200 volunteers in May and storm drain manhole covers turned into art.
Larsen’s favorite new items are a mural on the NAPA Auto Parts building called “Driving through History,” and various fire hydrants decorated into various characters, such the Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz.”
“The fire hydrants turned out really fun,” Larsen said. “Those were the ideas of our fire chief, Chief Henry Clinton, how he wanted to amplify our city. I think those turned out so cute with illustrator Brooke Smart making them each into a different character.”
A staple of the loops is the city’s existing sculptures that dot Main Street, many of which were commissioned by Gary Lee Price. He was selected to cut the ribbon on the project because he has the most art in Springville — he estimated he has five or six sculptures in town.
Price was happy to have his art recognized in a creative way.
“It’s a great honor, because I believe in art, in that I think it can be very uplifting for people,” he said. “My motto has been lifting the human spirit through sculpture, and I think that art heals. A lot of times people won’t go to the art museum, but when we have art in public places, they come and sit with it.”
The project was supported by $49,000 from T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant Program, a grant from the city’s parks, arts and recreation tax and money from the city’s public art fund, according to Larsen.
Mayor Matt Packard said at Monday’s ceremony that the project was a “great way to use public funds,” and that it represents what Springville is about.
“Art is an expression of what’s going on inside you. It’s who we are. It makes Springville distinct and unique among all cities around,” Packard said. “We love art. We love the expression of art. And we want to support art.”
