Seven Magic Mountains

The+Seven+Magic+Mountains+up+close

Lena Harris

The Seven Magic Mountains up close

Lena Harris, Journalist

A lot of people know about the Seven Magic Mountains, but do not know the real purpose of them. The Seven Magic Mountains exhibit appeared in May 2016, put up to celebrate and support the work of artists in Las Vegas. According to their website, Ugo Rondinone is the producer of the mountains, and as an artist he has made several other projects before this one. 

Junior Aliandra Rizo explains, “Last year I went to see the Seven Magic Mountains for the first time, it was such a cool experience. The mountains are really beautiful, and I think the unique range of colors makes them so unique.” 

Graffiti can be seen on the bottom part of each rock as it built up over the years (Lena Harris)

Overtime, the Seven Magic Mountains have been partly covered with graffiti from visitors, as well as litter on the ground around them. From a few feet away, the graffiti is barely visible, but this vandalization is still an arising issue. 8 News Now says that the mountains were “originally slated to be removed in 2018 but has been extended through May 2027.” The extension of this art project is meant to allow more visitors to enjoy the scenery of this design. 

Sophomore Alexis Gonzalez says, “Back in 2022 I went to see the Seven Magic Mountains, there was a lot less graffiti on them back then. It would be better if people did not vandalize the artwork. I think if the creators put up a signing sheet it it could possibly prevent people from writing on these special rocks.”

Rizo continues, “When I visited the mountains it was difficult to take pictures because there were a lot of people around them. The parking lot was filled with people as well, it was crazy. 

Most of the vandalism on these mountains is seen on the bottom rock, since it is easily reachable, so the rest of the project remains untouched and left clean. 

Sophomore Maya Garay visited the mountains a long time ago, she was reminded of their existence again after scrolling through Instagram one day.

“I honestly thought that these mountains were taken down by now. I don’t exactly remember when I went but I remember thinking that this project was really cool. It was amazing to see that someone’s ideas came to life, and now people from all over the world could come see what they had originally envisioned.” 

The Seven Magic Mountains are supported by many other organizations to promote Las Vegas’s reputation of great arts. More information about the mountains can be found on local news websites as well as their own website.