2026 WINNING DESIGN
BY ELLE DONOVAN
Elle Donovan graduated from Park City High School in 2023, and is now a third year Computer Science student at the University of Utah. Kimball Art Center’s Young Artists’ Academy played a huge part in her artistic development. A student in this program for six years, she’s had the opportunity to feature in live painting exhibitions, been featured in a seasonal exhibit at Park City Library, and participated in Park City Nursery’s Art in the Garden Plein Air painting event the last four years. She began dipping her toes into the public artwork scene when several of her paintings were featured on Park City electrical boxes in 2024, and she was commissioned to build a holiday-themed sculpture on Main Street in 2025.
“This design features many symbols of Park City, from the Utah silhouette that immediately gives the viewer a sense of geographical place to the wildlife species native to the area that situate the viewer in natural space. It primarily features a sandhill crane holding a minnow in its beak and a lanky dragonfly arcing away from its jaws. Lush cattails frame the sides of this wetland scene, leaving an overall impression of vibrancy, connectedness, and playfulness (evident in the comical speech bubble of the fish and the festive ‘57th annual’ banner rippling in the wind).” – Elle Donovan
2nd PLACE DESIGN
BY BROOKE ELAYNE
Brooke Elayne is a Utah-based artist with a background in oil painting, drawing, and digital art. She is inspired by nature and patterns and uses those elements to tell stories viewers can connect to. We are all searching for somewhere to belong, and her art is an invitation to reflect on where we have been, where we are going, and where we are now.
“My work usually revolves around identity and community, and what my place in it is as an artist. In this design, the houses are a symbol of community and they sit on top of a group of thistles, showing their tenacity and rootedness. The hummingbird here represents the individual, someone dipping into this community for its life-giving nectar. I have always appreciated the Kimball Arts Center for the variety of ways it engages the community through its various arts events (poetry, stargazing, monster art event, and it’s rotating shows), it is a vital part of the Utah art scene, and have often, like this hummingbird, felt energized through its gifts in our artspace.” –Brooke Elayne