The Little Libraries of Salt Lake City By Rachel Kho

Opening reception for The Little Libraries of Salt Lake City, photographs by Rachel Kho. Exhibit runs June 26–August 28.

Artist's Statement

Little libraries are modest structures, but they carry big meaning. Placed on sidewalks, in front yards, and along walking routes, they operate without hours, staff, or even rules—offering books freely and relying on trust to sustain them. This photography exhibit documents Little Libraries throughout Salt Lake City as a way of reading the city through its smallest public spaces.

Photographed while walking, each image reflects a slower approach to urban observation. I am drawn to how these libraries function as small public spaces: built by neighbors, stocked by strangers, and shaped by the neighborhoods around them. Their designs range from carefully painted to weather-worn, and their contents shift constantly, revealing traces of the people who pass through.

Rather than focusing on iconic landmarks, this work centers on everyday infrastructure that quietly supports community life. Little libraries exist between public and private space, offering access to literature while also signaling care, generosity, and shared responsibility. Together, these photographs form a portrait of Salt Lake City grounded in trust, attention, and reciprocity. They celebrate the small, shared experiences that hold neighborhoods together and invite viewers to notice the magic embedded in ordinary streets and sidewalks.

Artist's Bio

Rachel Kho is an artist, photographer, and content creator based in Salt Lake City whose work explores walkable cities, public transit, and public spaces—capturing the ordinary moments and rhythms of city life that shape everyday experience. In her project Stops, Steps & Sights, she documents the everyday spaces often passed by and overlooked—shopfronts, sidewalks, transit stops, and the quiet architecture of daily life—through walking and public transit. Her practice centers on human-scale environments and social spaces that foster connection beyond formal institutions, with particular attention to how community and design exist in unexpected places. Working primarily in Salt Lake City and nearby neighborhoods, Rachel's work reveals how cities are experienced at street level and how shared culture forms through small, common moments.