Aspen Art Museum

Returning to Aspen for the first time since his design of the new Aspen Art Museum opened to the public in 2014, Shigeru Ban will revisit the experience of designing the new AAM and the impact it had on his practice. Ban was born in Tokyo, in 1957, and attended Southern California Institute of Architecture and Cooper Union School of Architecture. His work in sustainable design has been placed across the world, and Ban was honored with the distinguished 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

In celebration of the first year of the AAM’s new Artist Programs, join Artist Programs Coordinator Teresa Booth Brown and artists from the community in a playful art-making activity inspired by Rashid Johnson’s exhibition The Hikers. The group will meet in the exhibition, enjoy a conversation and activity led by Andrew Roberts-Gray, and create an artwork in response to works on view.

Have you ever wondered how museum exhibitions are seen, traveled through, and examined by each star sign? The AAM asked astrologers Amy Zerner and Monte Farber to craft an open-ended tour of the museum using the stars as a guide. With so many art forms, this self-guided tour guide reveals how our personalities are tied to our museum experiences. Pick up a guide and begin a journey to discover the museum through an astrological lens.

Break a sweat dancing to tunes from DJ April Hunt. Hunt is not only a DJ who has played at art parties organized by artists Derrick Adams, Mickalene Thomas, Kehinde Wiley, the Public Art Fund, and the High Line, but she also is the founder and CEO of sparkplugPR, a public relations agency that supports underrepresented artists. Her set will bring the party to a peak with a musical palate that weaves various genres and periods from the 1970s until now.

As an invitation to get grounded and unwind at the end of the evening, join Saskia Wilson-Brown in Gallery 5 to engage your sense of smell as a portal for imagination. Wilson-Brown is the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute of Art and Olfaction (IAO), and has created the following four scents that correspond with four paintings in Etel Adnan’s exhibition Each day is a whole world.

Susan Philipsz was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and lives and works in Berlin. She is the recipient of the 2010 Turner Prize, and is best known for her immersive sound installations that use her voice and other recordings to heighten our awareness of our environment. Her work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Wexner Center for the Arts (2009), Tate Modern (2010), Hamburger Bahnhof (2014), Tate Britain (2015), Kunsthaus Bregenz (2016), and SKD: Kusthalle im Lipsiubau (2018). Winter White Hymnal (2010) was featured on Aspen Mountain as part of Art in Unexpected Places.

Released thirty years ago, this cult classic follows two seemingly dumb teens as they set off on a quest to prepare the ultimate historical presentation with the help of a time machine. Together, the hilariously dynamic duo must depend on each other and a magical telephone booth to make something truly excellent happen.

Tapping into the subconscious, this alternative gallery experience allows registered participants to sleep amongst Walter Price’s We passed like ships in the night and Etel Adnan: Each day is a whole world. Large beanbags, blankets, and morning breakfast will be provided. Prior registration is required. Gallery 6 will remain open for overnight visitors.

Night owls will get unprecedented, overnight access to the museum. A cozy setup on Level 3 will feature Bill Viola’s videogame The Night Journey (2007–18). The game, which is one of the first experimental art games, uses game and video techniques to tell the story of an individual’s journey towards enlightenment. Unlike typical videogames, there is no one path to take, no single goal to achieve, but the player’s actions will reflect on themselves and the world, transforming and changing them both.

Welcome the sun with a yoga session taught in the outdoor Roof Deck Sculpture Garden on Level 3 of the museum, with full views of the surrounding mountain landscape. This all-levels class is taught by Aaron King, who teaches with an honest, heartfelt style that encourages embracing patience, balance, and truth. Participants are welcome on a first come, first served basis, and are encouraged to bring a mat.