The Portrait of Charles Crenchaw aims to honor the first Black climber to summit Denali and shed light on the outdoor community’s long-entrenched blindness to diversity issues.
In the summer of 1964, Charles Crenchaw became the first Black summiteer of Denali — North America’s highest peak. It would take 57 years before the trailblazing mountaineer’s pivotal achievement received the recognition enjoyed by his nonethnic contemporaries.
That’s because this week, the art exhibit, Something Yet Higher, will open to the public at the American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colorado. And the centerpiece of the exhibit will feature an original portrait painting of Crenchaw — a combined effort of the outdoor industry, including an artist, journalist, and major brands.
First Black Summiteer of Denali: Charles Madison Crenchaw
Charles Madison Crenchaw was notable for many things. The Seattle man first served as a flight engineer in the Army Air Corps. In his post-service life, Crenchaw enjoyed a successful aeronautics engineering career with Boeing Aircraft.
In his downtime, he was an avid climber and constant student of the craft. At the time of his Denali ascent, Crenchaw was just 3 years deep in the discipline.
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