Artists ponder the dangerous disappearance of winter

Painters and sculptors are combating climate change, armed with their artistic tools.

They’ve covered the walls at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts with winter-themed pieces.  Works of art show the sports, events and beauty of winter that people would miss if the cold season vanished.  Some works show the current state of winter, an often brown and gray landscape instead of glistening white vistas.  Other artworks propose solutions when facing the climate crisis.

Spotlight producer Paul Larson spoke with organizers and artists associated with the exhibition to gain insight into the motivations and aspirations of the participants.

The Save Our Winter juried exhibition is created in partnership with the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, the Wild Center, Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center, and the Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, and is presented with the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games. Paintings, photographs, sculptures and works of fabric art seek to leverage creativity, science, and passion for the natural world and lifestyles we’re accustomed to, to create both a sense of urgency and also a feeling of hopefulness.

Artist Sandra Hildreth asks “Why do we need exhibits like Saving Winter? We need them to help us remember. We need songs, and poems, paintings and photographs so our grandchildren can know what the world once was like. That we once lived through Adirondack winters where the ground was covered by Thanksgiving and we never saw it again until April. Where there were stretches of days when the temperature never rose above zero – not freezing – but zero. We can’t let the collective memory of our civilization forget what winter used to be like and the fact that it has already changed so much in one grandmother’s lifetime.”

Save Our Winter in the Gallery @ LPCA lasts from now until February 25.  The Gallery is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 1 pm until 5 pm.  The Lake Placid Center for the Arts is located at 17 Algonquin Drive in Lake Placid, New York.

Juried Show Winners

1st Place – Sharing Concern – Janet Millstein

2nd Place – Evening Winter Walk – Nip Rogers

3rd  Place – Ice Fishing Blues – Michale Glennon

College Category 1st Place – The Light was Brighter – Noah Bonesteel  

Honorable Mentions

Dawn, End of an Ice Age – Sandra Hildreth

Madness, Opening Doors – Patrick McPhee

The Winter Shore – Karen Parker

First Freeze – Phil Merlino

After the Storm – Ingrid Van Slyk


Spotlight is made possible, in part, by the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life for year-round residents of the Adirondack Park.  Spotlight is also supported by Hill and Hollow Music.