The Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in Steamboat Springs will bring together local organizations, artists and businesses for a series of events celebrating and honoring the legacy of the civil rights leader. Now in its third year, MLK Weekend in the ‘Boat will take place over multiple days at different venues throughout Steamboat Springs.

One key event will take place Friday at the Depot Art Center with a dinner and art talk presented by Steamboat Creates.

“Sharing the Table” begins at 5 p.m. and will feature a soul food dinner inspired by Dr. King’s favorite dishes, set against a backdrop of artwork by artist Lamont Joseph White. The meal is being curated by Adrian Miller, a James Beard Award-winning culinary historian, who will guide guests through the courses while sharing the cultural history behind the recipes.

The dinner complements White’s exhibition, titled “Visibility/Possibility,” which will be on display at the Depot through January.

“Food, art and joyful activism intersect in this project by using shared experience as a catalyst for dialogue and reflection,” said Kim Keith, executive director of Steamboat Creates. “Having conversations at a shared table among people with different backgrounds and perspectives invites the exchange of ideas and cultures in a way that feels personal and accessible.”

Keith said the dinner will be an extension of the ideas on display in the gallery. Guests are encouraged to engage not only with the artwork on the walls, but also with one another to expand the overall reach of the event’s message.

“The intersection of visual art, food and facilitated dialogue can make complex topics more accessible and meaningful,” Keith said. “It reinforces the Depot as a place where community connection and cultural inquiry can take root.”

Keith explained that Miller’s ability to connect food with history and storytelling adds an important layer to the experience.

“The opportunity for our community to tap into his lifelong passion for telling the stories behind the food cannot be overstated,” she said. “He is sharing historic recipes and collaborating with local chefs to deliver an unforgettable evening for dinner guests.”

Program Director Thea Wigglesworth said the collaboration grew out of an existing partnership with Steamboat Resort and has an overall goal of fostering a shared collective interest in deepening conversations through creative programming.

“At its core, this project is rooted in shared values,” Wigglesworth said. “We’re interested in projects that use art as a lens to explore identity, equity and lived experience, and that’s very much at the heart of this event.”

Wigglesworth said aligning the project with MLK weekend felt like a natural fit, given the broader historical context and current national conversations around which stories are seen and valued.

“‘Sharing the Table’ centers visibility in a moment when many histories and voices are being challenged or erased,” she said. “Lamont’s ‘Visibility/Possibility’ exhibit, alongside voices like Miller’s, underscores how culture and storytelling shape who is welcomed into certain spaces.”

White’s “Skiing in Color” series examines ski and mountain culture with a focus on people of color in spaces where they have been historically underrepresented.

His work draws inspiration from vintage ski posters, contemporary fashion and portraiture while challenging assumptions about belonging in outdoor recreation, and visibility in mountain cultures, while fostering feelings of joy, presence and identity.

“The desired outcome of this project is to help diversify our mountains, increase positive experiences of Black folks that visit and called this place home and to keep it the forefront of our minds that embracing diversity and inclusion are not a given in our country,” said Maggie Taylor, former Associate Pastor at Heart of Steamboat UMC. “We need to continue to work for better representation and equal treatment of all people.”

For White, whose work is widely recognized within the ski and snowboard world, the Steamboat collaboration continues a larger focus on belonging and representation.

“My decades of art and design work range from commercial projects to fine art activations that lead to discussions of equality in the American experience,” White said. “How we treat our history matters, as does making sure all are invited into the spaces we share.”

White added that art, food and activism have long been a part of American cultural expression, and that all offer different but complementary ways to communicate ideas and values.

“They all illustrate the ability and right to speak and share through a variety of mediums,” he said.

The Friday dinner is part of a larger slate of events making up MLK Weekend in the ‘Boat. The weekend’s events were made possible through a wide-ranging collaboration between local organizations including Alterra, Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, Heart of Steamboat Church, Off the Beaten Path Bookstore, Mountain Tap Brewery, STAND, Wildhorse Cinema & Arts and Bud Werner Memorial Library.

Events will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday with a civil rights-themed trivia night at Mountain Tap Brewery. Wildhorse Cinema & Arts will host a free screening of “Shift Tha Culture,” a short film following professional snowboarder Zeb Powell, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Malik Martin at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Ikon Base Pass and Session Pass holders can unlock blocked pass days on Saturday and Sunday by donating $100 per day to the National Brotherhood of Skiers. A guided ski tour with meteorologist Paul Goodloe of the Weather Channel will also take place Sunday at a time to be determined.

The weekend concludes 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday with a community discussion hosted by STAND at Bud Werner Memorial Library titled “Our Home: Black Women in Steamboat Springs.”

“Representation in ‘super majority’ spaces, such as winter sports, is vital to weaving a love and understanding of our varied and beloved identities,” said White. “The challenge is to normalize purposeful diversity and inclusion and not be threatened by those beautiful things.”

Organizers say that the events all share the common goal of creating opportunities for learning, conversation and participation.

“The immediate experience is rooted here at the Depot, but the impact can extend beyond these walls,” Keith said. “It encourages continued conversation, deeper civic engagement and support for cultural organizations in our community.”

Tickets for Friday’s dinner and art talk are available through Steamboat Creates’ website at Zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sharing-the-table-soul-food-history-and-dr-king.

More information on all MLK Weekend in the ‘Boat events can be accessed at Content.Steamboat.com/things-to-do/events/mlk-weekend-in-the-boat.