Wonders of Winter Art Exhibition

Perhaps best-known for famous weekenders like Meryl Streep, Salisbury, Connecticut is the unlikely focus of a celebration this winter art exhibition in support of its century-old Alpine heritage and – a curiosity in New England – its ski jump. From mid-December, the town will host an exhibition of Alpine-inspired artwork dating from the 1920s to the present day.

Salisbury’s passion for all things winter officially started in 1924 when John Satre emigrated from Norway to the idyllic New England town, with brothers Magnus and Olaf joining him the next year. Together, they founded the Salisbury Outing Club – which later became the Salisbury Winter Sports Association – built the ski jump, and one year later, in 1927, hosted the town’s first ski jumping competition just three years after it became an official Winter Olympic sport.

Since then, Salisbury’s tradition of winter sports has been a source of pride for the community, who rallied to repair the ski jump after the second World War, restoring it to its previous glory in time to host the Eastern National Championships in 1952. Today, Satre Hill – aptly named for the brothers who established the area’s outdoors tradition – continues to be the location for the Eastern Division Ski Jumping Championships and – every fifth year – hosts the US Junior Nationals in ski jumping and Nordic combined.