Aspen Art Museum

About the Spring Series

This season, the AAM’s Movies at the Museum program presents films that complement Mickalene Thomas’s exhibition Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities. The program draws on true stories of strong female protagonists, each of whom overcomes adversity in ordinary and extraordinary ways while challenging us to imagine a better world.

About the Film

The Color Purple (1985)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
154 min
Rated PG-13

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie’s abusive father marries her off to an equally debasing husband, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Alice Walker, this landmark film stars Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover.

AAM exhibitions are made possible by the Marx Exhibition Fund. General exhibition support is provided by the Toby Devan Lewis Visiting Artist Fund.

Support for Mickalene Thomas’s residency and exhibition is provided by the Gabriela and Ramiro Garza Distinguished Artist in Residence Fund. Additional support is provided by the AAM National Council, The Etkin Family Digital Media and Moving Image Fund, and Roberta and Michael Joseph. Mickalene Thomas’s Mentors, Muses, and Celebrities is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how NEA grants impact individuals and communities, visit arts.gov.

AAM education programs are made possible by the Questrom Education Fund. Additional support for Movies at the Museum is provided by the Etkin Family Digital Media and Moving Image Fund.