Utah’s Powder Mountain Will Soon Double as a Skiable Outdoor Art Museum
Utah’s Powder Mountain is best known for its skiing, but the resort is pushing its way into the art world, too.
The mountain will soon become home to an open-air sculpture and art park, the resort announced on Friday. The addition of an outdoor museum is just one of many developments the former Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is making since he took over the mountain last year. Select works will be on view during the coming ski season, while a grand opening is slated for 2026.
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“At Powder, we want every experience—from the ski resort to the residential community to the outdoor art museum—to be intentional, and the integration of art into the mountain is a manifestation of that consideration,” Hastings said in a statement. “We aim to transform Powder into a multi-season destination that blends recreation, art, and meaningful connection for our entire community.”
The outdoor museum is being envisioned by the landscape architect Reed Hilderbrand (who also designed New York’s Storm King Art Center), while the visitor center is under the reins of Johnston Marklee (the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago). The curator Matthew Thompson is serving as the director of the mountain’s arts program, and he teamed up with a few others to develop the inaugural plan for the outdoor museum.
At first, just a few works will be on display, including a site-specific commission from the artist EJ Hill. But over the next couple of years, more and more pieces will be added to the mountain: Big-name artists like James Turrell and Jenny Holzer will be represented, along with Nancy Holt and Paul McCarthy. The latter is working on an immersive artwork that takes inspiration from the mythology of the American West.
“I grew up in Utah, and the influence of Utah and its mountains has been a critical part of my work. A core subject, sitting in both my subconscious and conscious mind,” McCarthy said in a statement. “I am excited to have the opportunity to realize a work in that landscape and to be a part of building something special at Powder Mountain.”
After Hastings took over the mountain, he announced plans to turn half of the resort into a members-only ski club, with lots starting at $2 million. He also implemented higher prices for public ski passes, but the mountain will be free and open to the public during the summer and fall, as will the museum. Along with the world-class skiing, Powder Mountain visitors will now get to take in world-class art as well.
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