A Striking Addition to Park City's Quicksilver Gondola
As the Quicksilver Gondola starts its rhythmic ascent, linking the two sides of Park City Mountain, riders are met with a vibrant addition to one of its cabins: a masterpiece by local artist Lamont Joseph White titled "UPLIFTED." Comprising a four-panel mountainscape, the artwork prominently features three Black skiers and riders, challenging the traditional narrative of winter sports.
Commissioned by Vail Resorts for the 2023-2024 season, "UPLIFTED" is more than a striking visual; it's a powerful statement. Lamont Joseph White shares, "To help create a new norm - a new norm for me is just more diversity, a normalization of diversity in spaces like skiing and winter sports where you might not see as much of it. I like to promote that in my art, have those conversations."
The original painting finds its home in the Miners Camp lodge's dining room, resonating with White's broader "Skiing in Color" series. This collection showcases Black individuals and historical icons adorned in ski gear, fostering a representation often lacking in the mountain culture.
White's artistic process involves a unique blend of reality and imagination. "A lot of my work that I've done has sort of been like an amalgamation of images that I've captured myself or collected," he explains. In the case of "UPLIFTED," two of the figures on the gondola are actual individuals, while one is a composite creation, bridging the gap between reality and artistic expression.
The artist envisions a richer "mountain culture" that embraces diversity in all its forms. For 60-year-old skier Mike Schmidt from Kamas, this perspective aligns with the belief that winter sports, often perceived as cost-prohibitive, should be more accessible to diverse communities. "Skiing needs to be more diverse. It's a fabulous sport," Schmidt affirms. "Diversity is always good, so I'm very supportive."
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Art and Cultural Representation by Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts has taken steps to infuse art and cultural representation into the skiing experience. Beyond Lamont Joseph White's contribution to Park City's gondola, paraplegic artist Jim Harris crafted a gondola wrap for Stowe, Vermont. Moreover, artists from the Squamish and Lil'wat nations, indigenous to the land of Whistler Blackcomb, are set to unveil gondola wraps in the spring.
As Quicksilver Gondola ushers in a new era for Park City, with Canyons now connected via the Iron Mountain Express and Timberline lifts, the art becomes a testament to inclusivity. On the Mountain Village side, the gondola, originating at the bottom of Silverlode by Miners Camp, stands as a beacon of change, welcoming all to partake in the joy of winter sports.
In a world where ski slopes have often mirrored exclusive enclaves, Lamont Joseph White's "UPLIFTED" becomes a brushstroke in the evolving canvas of winter sports, inviting everyone to share in the thrill of the mountains. As the gondola glides, so does the narrative, painting a picture of a more diverse, inclusive, and interconnected mountain culture.
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