What’s the best way to make your way through an art museum? Some people head for collection highlights first; others take their time and slowly savor each work of art. And then there’s a museum backed by Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, which opts for an unexpected approach: what if you could ski past numerous works of art on the side of a mountain? It might seem unorthodox, but turning a power station into an art museum probably sounded weird once, too, and now the Tate Modern is an iconic space.
As The New York Times‘ Ted Loos reports, Hastings drew inspiration from a visit to Storm King Art Center and the wide selection of outdoor art there. And the idea of balancing experiencing art with physical activity has some precedent; besides Storm King, Nashville’s Cheekwood Estate & Gardens features a 1.5 mile-long sculpture trail including works by Jenny Holzer and James Turrell — both of whom will also be represented in Hastings’s Utah project.
Hastings purchased Utah’s Powder Mountain last year; the addition of a contemporary art element is one of the ways he’s modifying the space. The first two works of art in the collection are from Griffin Loop, Gerard & Kelly and Susan Philipsz, with more on the way this winter en route to a grand opening in 2026. And, yes, for contemporary art fans who don’t ski, the art can also be visited without skis, depending on when you visit.
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With works spanning from antiquities to avant-garde, these institutions are on par with the world’s bestThe Powder Art Foundation’s website notes that the art collection will be accessible to the public (and free) during the summer and fall, and can be skiied through with admission to the resort during the winter. Hastings told the Times that his visits to Storm King “changed my perspective on what art is.” In a few years’ time, will Powder Mountain’s collection have a similar effect on visitors there?
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