At the Colorado 2024 Breckenridge Snow Sculpture Championships, a Northampton native won several prizes.
At the 2024 Breckenridge Snow Sculpture Championships, Dave Rothstein triumphed as a member of “Team Mexico,” taking home the Gold Medal, the People’s Choice Award, and a portion of the Artists’ Choice Award.
In the 33-year history of the competition, this incredible accomplishment is just the second occasion that a team has won all three of the major titles. Rothstein acknowledged the deep significance of having colleagues and judges recognize and honor his effort. Being recognized by judges, as well as by other artists and the general public, is very meaningful for an artist like Rothstein.
But according to Rothstein, snow sculpting represents community and cross-cultural interchange and transcends artistic recognition. He underlined, “Our friendships endure forever and are far more valuable than gold, but our sculptures are fleeting.”
The winning sculpture, called “The Beggar,” is made of 25 tons of snow and measures an amazing 16 feet. The artwork shows a famished and malnourished man surrounded by massive bitcoin, which stands in for the global digital currency. The sculpture’s central theme was expressed by Rothstein, who said, “Wealth is a hungry beggar without a rich heart.”
Adam Turner and Israel Magaña Rodriguez from Team Mexico, under the direction of Captain Carlos Miguel Ramirez Pereyra, worked together to create this visually arresting and conceptually complex masterpiece.
As a seasoned competitor in the snow sculpting world, Rothstein won a gold medal with Team USA/Vermont in 2016. Teams from many nations, including Germany, Lithuania, Mongolia, China, Korea, Ecuador, Denmark, and India, competed internationally in Breckenridge.