The Aspen Art Museum is one of Aspen’s strongest members of the Art community. The museum is a non-collecting institution that strives to present art the represents evolution in international contemporary art. Providing a venue for local audiences to engage with thought-provoking experiences of art, culture, and society.
The museum was founded in 1979 and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The museum is a member institution of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), which represents directors of art museums throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The current director, Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson, has been fortunate enough to oversee the building of a remarkably spacious center right in the heart of downtown Aspen. The 33,000 square-foot building, slated for opening August 9, 2014, was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. The four-story building will house 12,500 square feet of exhibition space in downtown Aspen. Inaugural exhibitions planned for the new space include work by Yves Klein and David Hammons on the ground-floor level, an exhibition focused on Shigeru Ban’s humanitarian architecture that will feature full-scale examples of his designs, and an outdoor installation project by Jim Hodges on the museum’s street-level plaza, entitled “With Liberty and Justice For All.”
The move marks a significant expansion for the museum, which will gain three times its current exhibition space with the privately funded new building, and be much more accessible than its previous location, a ten minute walk from the core of downtown Aspen across the Rio Grande.
The museum hosts several events including an international favorite “ArtCrush” featuring prominent artists, art collectors, curators, gallery owners, celebrities, and philanthropists from around the world gathering in Aspen every year during the first week in August to celebrate the Aspen Art Museum. “Freestyle” is a no-holds-barred winter benefit for the Aspen Art Museum is sure to dazzle you and your guests with champagne, fine caviar, a top-shelf bar, and exquisite live auction items.
Locals favorite, the “Roaring Fork Open” features artists from throughout the Aspen Valley for two months each fall. Giving exceptional local artists the opportunity to be seen amongst their fellow mountain culture. The AAM also maintains an inimiate relationship and exhibits art from the Anderson Ranch based in Snowmass, Colorado.
The Aspen Art Museum has featured classic portraits, Japaneses Packaging, Video Sculpture, Photography and many other mediums. They strive to embrace world class art of all forms and invite you to experience their collections as part of your Aspen experience.