Utah’s Powder Mountain Unveils Inaugural Suite of Outdoor Artworks
The 5,000-acre resort plans to become home to a skiable art museum
With ski mountains across the U.S. gearing up for opening day, Powder Mountain has unveiled the first phase of its plans to become a skiable outdoor art museum. The newly formed Powder Art Foundation, which has partnered with the Dia Art Foundation, curated a selection of historical and site-specific commissions placed mountain wide that combine wild nature and immersive art.
“At Powder Mountain, art is not just seen, but encountered through movement, immersion, and shared experience,” the Powder Art Foundation said in a statement. “It is a place where awe, adventure, and connection come together.” Powder Mountain, which has a projected opening date of December 13, is comprised of 5,000 skiable acres and 163 named runs. Skiers can expect to take in moving works by Nobuo Sekine, Nancy Holt, Madeline Hollander, EJ Hill, Kayode Ojo, and Davina Semo.
Among the selections are Holt’s Starfire (1986), which comprises eight ground-level fire pits arranged to mirror the Big Dipper and the North Star. “Nancy Holt’s Starfire invites us to consider our relationship of our planet with the surrounding universe through grounded and elemental means,” says Lisa Le Feuvre, Executive Director of Holt/Smithson Foundation. “We are delighted to see this significant earthwork find a permanent home with Powder Art Foundation, whose commitment to stewardship, public access, and deep engagement with art in landscape aligns beautifully with the Foundation’s unwavering commitment to the sustained legacy of Nancy Holt’s art and ideas.”
Elsewhere, alpine enthusiasts will encounter Sekine’s only permanent public work in the U.S., Nothingness—Stone Stack (1970-2025). The 20-foot-tall arc of eight boulders was originally drawn in the 1970s, but never realized at this size. Hill has transformed the mountain’s newest chairlifts, while Ojo’s faux-crystal chandeliers suspended by chains add to a tree run.
“Our long-term partnership with Dia Foundation marks a major milestone in our development as an emerging cultural institution celebrating the legacy of land art in Utah and beyond,” says Reed Hastings, founder of Powder Art Foundation.
