SHARING SPACES AND CULTURES WITH ARTIST LAMONT JOSEPH WHITE
Artist, Lamont Joseph White, is changing the landscape of the ski industry by focusing his art on black skiers and snowboarders and infusing historical black leaders into his compositions. Through his unique angle, White encourages the beholder to see snow sports in an authentic manner while promoting history.
With his art, White is helping to change years of conditioning by allowing folks, regardless of race, see each other in the places they love, doing the activities they enjoy. “I’m a portrait and figurative artist,” explains White. “Essentially my work is about sharing spaces and sharing cultures beyond our normative conditioning.”
White and his wife, Jeanine, met when she moved to New York City. Native to LaPaz in Bolivia, Jeanine attended the University of Utah and had fallen in love with skiing. Her passion for the winter sport inspired White, and after earning a BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, he started skiing then, after a minor knee surgery, he made the switch to snowboarding.
Beginning in the early 2000s, White and Jeanine visited the Wasatch Back for annual ski vacations. Then, in 2012, they moved to Park City. During the couple’s numerous ski and snowboard adventures, White couldn’t help but notice the lack of diversity and representation surrounding the sport. White’s current collection “Skiing in Color” is a tribute to this acknowledgement.
The series celebrates history while motivating folks to reconsider the scope of what outdoor recreation is and should be. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s metaphor about the mountaintop inspired the pieces as White melds contemporary images with historical figures. He explains, “Essentially, I’m bringing several heroes, who blazed trails of racial struggle for me to be on the mountain, with me on the slopes. I’m exploring the idea of these vital figures, who never had the opportunity or luxury to consider recreating in the mountains, to join me in my place of joy.”
By combining his artistic talent, vision for communicating and actual ability to enjoy snow sports, White has ensured the authenticity of “Skiing in Color.”
Currently, White notes, “I’m exhibiting at Brooklyn Collective in Charlotte, North Carolina; Ski Utah headquarters; and the Snowbird Resort Gallery. Prints are available on White’s website at lamontjosephwhite.com.
White, Jeanine and Bowie (who they adopted from Nuzzles and Co. in 2016) enjoy all that Park City has to offer and White is proud to share his experience and artistic perspective with locals and visitors alike.
LAMONT JOSEPH SMITH’S INSIDER PICKS
Favorite Coffee: Park City Roasters
Favorite Bar: High West Distillery and Saloon
Favorite Eats: Also, High West Distillery
Favorite Place for Live Music: Deer Valley Amphitheater
Favorite Dog Park: The Woods Dog Park in Southridge
Favorite Trail: Rob’s Trail
Favorite Ski Run: 94 Turns off 9990
Favorite Nonprofit Organization: Christian Center of Park City
Favorite Dessert: Affogato at Cortona’s
Favorite Summer Activity: Mountain Biking
Favorite Gallery: Julie Nester Gallery
Favorite Shop on Main Street: Prospect
Favorite Bike Shop: Storm Cycles
Favorite Ski/Board Shop: Christy’s Sports Ski and Snowboard
