When Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings purchased Utah’s Powder Mountain ski resort in 2023 for an undisclosed sum, the first thing he did was turn it into a private members club. He cordoned off 2,000 acres of the mountain and only made it accessible to people who own houses nearby for an annual fee between $30,000 and $100,000. Hastings did inherit $100 million of debt with his mountainous purchase, so he has to cut the deficit somehow.
To show that he’s also a man of the people, Hastings, who is the chairman of Powder Mountain, has opened up the rest of the mountain to the hoi palloi. He also recently announced that Powder Mountain is developing a public art park that will be filled with large-scale sculptures and land artworks.
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Artists James Turrell, Nancy Holt, Jenny Holzer, and Paul McCarthy have all been tapped to create works for the project, which is slated to open in 2026.
Turrell’s walk-in light installation, titled Ganzfeld Apani (2011), was originally commissioned for the 2011 Venice Biennale and will be installed in a new trailside pavilion within the mountain’s 156 ski runs and numerous hiking and biking trails.
“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 the statement. “We aim to transform Powder into a multi-season destination that blends recreation, art, and meaningful connection for our entire community.”
Matthew Thompson is the director of Powder Mountain’s new arts program. He conceived the initial plan alongside Alex Zhang, the company’s chief creative officer, and independent curator Diana Nawi (who was appointed curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in July).
Utah native McCarthy will create an immersive installation rooted in the mythology of the American West. McCarthy said he was “excited” to be part of “building something special at Powder. “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,” he said.
Zhang described the artists involved as “some of the most groundbreaking of our time” and said their work will “respond to the mountain’s rugged topography.”
Arthur Jafa, EJ Hill, Nikita Gale, Gala Porras-Kim, Davina Semo, and Raven Halfmoon have also been commissioned to create works for the project. More artists are set to be announced in the near future.
