Jocelyn Todd and Megan Culp arrived at the unveiling of the new look for the humpback whale bursting out of the 9th and 9th roundabout with a little hesitation.

After all, they had spent the past four years falling in love with the original design.

“The current whale is just iconic and it’s on everything,” Todd said. “You recognize what it is without it even being the whale.”

But when the new design was revealed Saturday during City Cast Salt Lake’s 801 Day celebration — an annual event celebrating the people, places and quirks that make the capital city unique — the two Salt Lakers quickly changed their minds.

“I feel like this still looks so fun, but is totally different and new,” Todd said, after the unveiling. “I love that it looks like it’s winking.”

The new mural, created by Salt Lake County artist Jiyoun Lee-Lodge, is called “Open Your Eyes.” Inspired by the Great Salt Lake, Utah’s expansive skies and the movement of water, the design layers gradients of pink and blue, flowing wave patterns and colorful dots to create a surface that shifts as people walk around the sculpture.

Lee-Lodge’s design was selected through a countywide call by the Salt Lake City Art Design Board, with input from community stakeholders. The mural incorporates ideas shared by more than 1,700 residents.

Proudly holding up a miniature version of the whale — which she will begin painting later this month — Lee-Lodge pointed out that one side has a closed eye while the other is open.

The contrasting eyes, she said, represent being “open to change” while also honoring the original design and the connection the community built with it.

When Lee-Lodge moved to Utah from New York about nine years ago, she said she was struck by how much “people care about community.” She wanted the mural to reflect that, using flowing waves to symbolize people moving in and out of the city and coming together to create “a singular community.”

The new mural, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a release, “reflects a city that can hold onto what it loves while continuing to grow, evolve, and see itself in new ways.”

The whale’s newest paint job marks the first refresh since the “Out of the Blue” sculpture was unveiled in 2022. Its debut mural, “Point of Reference,” was painted by artist Mike Murdock on the larger-than-life whale sculpture designed by Stephen Kesler.

The colorful design transformed the massive fiberglass whale into one of Salt Lake City’s most recognizable pieces of public art, attracting visitors, photographers and plenty of opinions.

Some loved the giant sea creature while others weren’t so sure it belonged on dry land.

Before it was installed, some critics launched an “anti-whale” campaign featuring lawn gnomes, including one holding a tiny protest sign that read, “Whales belong in the ocean.”

Over time, the whale won over many Salt Lakers.

Bryant Heath, who documents unusual Salt Lake City sights on Instagram as @SLsees, posted a “love letter” to the original sculpture set to “Goodbye My Lover” by James Blunt — the song featured in “The Office” during one of the show’s most memorable farewell moments.

The whale has developed something of a fan club over the years, with admirers leaving tributes at its base. Most recently, someone added a miniature replica beside the sculpture, creating the illusion that the giant humpback had welcomed a colorful calf.

Whether the little whale will receive the same fresh coat of paint remains to be seen.

But the whale was never meant to stay the same forever.

The Salt Lake City Arts Council envisioned the sculpture as a rotating canvas, with plans to give the whale a new look every three to five years and create “a dynamic and ever-changing visual centerpiece” in the 9th and 9th neighborhood.

Once the mural is complete, the community can gather again on Oct. 3 to celebrate the finished artwork.