The theme for the gondola stroll this winter season is the return of the Winter Olympics after Salt Lake City hosted them for the first time in 2002.
Park Silly Sunday Market Executive Director Kate McChesney said 40 artists or artist teams responded to Canyons Village Management Association’s request for proposals.
The six finalists delivered unique, diorama-style installations that each include items for a gondola stroll scavenger hunt. Ogden artist Ashley Moore made her cabin one big scavenger hunt of past Winter Olympics mascots.
“What would it look like if they were playing sports with each other and doing the winter, kind of, Olympic scene within Park City's boundaries?” she explained as the concept behind her display, reminiscent of a pop-up book.
Park City High School senior Scout Maziarz also made the Park City sense of place the focus of his cabin scene, which shows Main Street.
“This scene is actually a picture my dad took — he’s a photographer — in 2002 for the Olympics,” Maziarz said. “And then I'm kind of, you know, reupping it for the 2034 Olympics in preparation and excitement, and fear a little bit. But it's really just supposed to represent how much I love this town.”
Those following the rest of the stroll will see woodland critters racing downhill, trophies come to life as athletes and models of men and women ski jumpers above the clouds.
The latter honors Park City women’s successful fight to be included in the Olympic sport. Women are still not allowed to compete in Olympic Nordic combined.
The stroll ends with Salt Lake artist and Wyoming native Elizabeth Walsh’s “Countdown to Utah’s Biggest Party,” a ski run traversing Utah north to south, with a countdown clock to the 2034 Opening Ceremonies below.
"All the countdown clocks were for like one day, 24 hours. I had to get one that had thousands of days," Walsh said, more than 3,000 days in fact.
All the dioramas were installed on-site. The artists described the fancy footwork needed to fit into and fill the old Red Pine Gondola cabins with their Olympic scenes.
The art is on display in upper Canyons Village until April 20.
