Presenting 'The Gondola Gallery by Epic': Outdoor Art and Film Series Celebrates Diversity in Ski and Snowboard Culture

See the slopes through the eyes of artists at Park City Mountain, Stowe Mountain Resort, and Whistler Blackcomb this winter season

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Nov. 2, 2023 /CNW/ -- Epic for Everyone will come to life in a new way this winter with the launch of The Gondola Gallery by Epic: an outdoor art installation and film series that celebrates the unique backgrounds of skiers and snowboarders. To mark the start of the 2023/24 winter season, Vail Resorts commissioned visual artists, Lamont Joseph White, Jim Harris, Levi Nelson, and Chief Janice George and Buddy Joseph, to create original artwork that wraps four total gondola cabins across Park City Mountain in Utah, Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont, and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, respectively.

Debuting today at Park City Mountain and Stowe Mountain Resort, the art-wrapped gondola cabins are a visual representation of the different ways skiers and snowboarders experience the mountains. These one-of-a-kind art installations are an invitation and a message of inclusion to all. An engaging film series spotlighting each artist's personal journey and artwork from concept to creation is now streaming on epicpass.com/gondolagallery. The next art installation and film series at Whistler Blackcomb will be released in the spring of next year.

"It is important for the future of this sport to create meaningful conversation around barriers to entry and inclusion," said Kenny Thompson, Chief Public Affairs Officer for Vail Resorts. "Every skier and snowboarder has their own unique story of how they came to the slopes. These artists have made it their mission to share their experience with the world through deeply personal artistic expressions, and we are grateful for the opportunity to display their work at three of our mountain resorts this season."

UPLIFTED by Lamont Joseph White in Park City

As an artist and painter, Lamont Joseph White uses his canvas to broaden outlooks and initiate discourse to effect change. Born in Manhattan and raised in Queens, skiing was not a natural part of his upbringing. It wasn't until his mid-twenties that White finally took to the slopes and began his relationship with the mountains. With each visit, he saw a blank canvas that inspired him to dedicate his art to amplifying representation and inclusion in ski and outdoor spaces. Now a Park City resident, Lamont launched his painting collection, "Skiing in Color," in 2020 and aims to spark conversation about representation with the debut of UPLIFTED for The Gondola Gallery.

Wrapping cabin #1 on Park City's Quicksilver Gondola, UPLIFTED is inspired by the concept of joy and community, featuring fantasy-like yet cohesive deconstructed design and pop art hints. As a seeker and expressionist, and knowing that representation and inclusion would factor strongly on the gondola, Lamont's painted subjects will be boldly projected from the gondola as it floats across the mountainscape throughout Park City Mountain this winter. The piece is polyptych, with four individual paintings coming together to form one continuous scene wrapping the gondola.

"My art represents a goal, which is the normalization of Black and Brown faces in ski and mountain spaces. That goal is my inspiration for this piece. These are the spaces I live and recreate in," said White. "My hope is that viewers and riders feel uplifted by my work, whether that's feelings of joy, challenge, inclusion, or other emotions."

Lamont's artwork will also adorn the walls of Miner's Camp, one of Park City Mountain's on-mountain dining venues, this winter season. Additionally, there will be posters of Lamont's artwork on sale throughout Park City Mountain retail shops for guests to take home.

CREATING YOUR LINE by Jim Harris in Stowe

Jim Harris is an accomplished printmaker known for his rhythmic and expressive linework prints. A former ski photographer and writer, Harris met a life-altering challenge during a snowkiting excursion in Patagonia, which led to his paralysis. After the accident, it took over a week to reach definitive medical care back in the United States, where Harris underwent spinal fusion surgery that resulted in a gradual but promising recovery. Starting with the return of motion in a single toe and later the activation of leg muscles, Harris has pushed toward a remarkable recovery as a walking paraplegic able to ski again while finding new opportunities to be involved in adventure storytelling as a printmaker.

With "CREATING YOUR LINE," Harris has transformed the sit ski and wheelchair-accessible cabin of Stowe's Mansfield Gondola into an invitation for people of all abilities to create their own lines on the mountain. Harris created this print by carving the reverse image into a wood panel, coating the surface in ink, and passing the panel through a hand-cranked printing press, which transfers the ink from the surface of the wood onto the paper. His artwork beautifully depicts the landscapes of Stowe Mountain Resort and the surrounding landscape.

Harris shared his intention behind this artwork, stating, "My hope is that the gondola sparks curiosity towards discovering something new and welcoming in a familiar place. Any way that we can invite more people in, I think is a positive change."

There will be posters, postcards and additional merchandise of Harris' artwork on sale throughout Stowe Mountain Resort's retail shops for guests to take home.

WINGS OF THUNDER by Chief Janice George and Buddy Joseph at Whistler Blackcomb

Chepximiya Siyam' Janice George and Skwetsimeltxw Willard 'Buddy' Joseph are accomplished weavers and teachers from the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) in British Columbia. A trained museum curator, Chief Janice George is a hereditary chief and co-organized the first Canada Northwest Coast Weavers Gathering. Joseph is the former director of Squamish Housing and Capital Projects and currently consults on similar work for First Nations communities. The duo co-founded L'hen Awtxw Weaving House to share the teachings and practice of traditional Coast Salish wool weaving.

Whistler Blackcomb is located on the shared unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and Lilwat7úl (Lil'wat Nation). In celebration and appreciation of the history, art and culture of the Squamish people, WINGS OF THUNDER will wrap one of the cabins of Whistler Blackcomb's Peak 2 Peak Gondola.

"The art is an original design and uses geometric motifs from our Salish Weavings," said Chief Janice. "The colors represent the power of the Thunderbird, a grandfather figure who cares for the Squamish people, and spirituality of the ancestors. Our hope is that guests feel inspired by the Squamish history, art and design that is alive and well today."

Images of the final artwork and the film series at Whistler Blackcomb will be released in the spring of 2024.

RED by Levi Nelson at Whistler Blackcomb

Hailing from the Lil'wat Nation, Levi Nelson is an artist whose work explores traditional motifs from Indigenous culture within a Western understanding of art. Nelson's work can be best described as Contemporary Indigenous Art, with his preferred mediums being oil paint and mixed media works on canvas. Most recently he has exhibited work in the "Reconcile This" group show at Arts Whistler, and his work can be found in numerous prominent art collections across Canada and the U.S.

Whistler Blackcomb is located on the shared unceded territory of the Lilwat7úl (Lil'wat Nation) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) in British Columbia. Nelson's piece, RED, will be featured on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola and represents traditional elements of the Northwest Coast and Coast Salish in Canada. "Red is a sacred color within Indigenous culture, representing the life blood of the people and our connection to the Earth," said Nelson. "These shapes come from and are inspired by my ancestors. To be inside the gondola, looking out through an ovoid or through the Ancestral Eye, maybe you can imagine what it's like to experience my territory and see home through my eyes."

Images of the final artwork and the film series at Whistler Blackcomb will be released in the spring of 2024.

View The Gondola Gallery by Epic

High-resolution images of the art-wrapped gondolas can be found here. More images will be released this winter season, showcasing the gondolas spinning at each of the resorts over snowy terrain. To watch interviews with the artists at Park City Mountain and Stowe Mountain Resort, access behind-the-scenes content and follow along for updates on The Gondola Gallery by Epic, please visit epicpass.com/gondolagallery. Follow @epicpass on social media to be one of the first people to see the artists' stories brought to life at Whistler Blackcomb next year.

About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)   
Vail Resorts is a network of the best destination and close-to-home ski resorts in the world including Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, and 32 additional resorts across North America; Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland; and Perisher, Hotham, and Falls Creek in Australia. We are passionate about providing an Experience of a Lifetime to our team members and guests, and our EpicPromise is to reach a zero net operating footprint by 2030, support our employees and communities, and broaden engagement in our sport. Our company owns and/or manages a collection of elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, a portfolio of vacation rentals, condominiums and branded hotels located in close proximity to our mountain destinations, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 250 retail and rental locations across North America. Learn more about our company at www.VailResorts.com, or discover our resorts and pass options at www.EpicPass.com.

SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.

Laura Bonfiglio, Global Media Relations, Vail Resorts, [email protected], [email protected]