Aspen Art Museum

In 2019, the Aspen Art Museum has a lot to celebrate: five years in its new, Shigeru Ban–designed building, fifteen years of ArtCrush, and forty years since the founding of the institution. Yet the complete story of the museum is greater than any individual accomplishment. To mark this abundant anniversary year, the AAM honors the integral power of art to reveal the wholeness of existence. Over a twenty-four-hour period from August 10–11, 2019, the museum hosts a wide range of programs that capture how art unifies us beyond reason.

All elements of the program are free, and the museum will remain open from 5 PM on Saturday, August 10 through 6 PM on Sunday, August 11.

5–6 PM Architecture Lecture: Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban is the architect of the new Aspen Art Museum building. In 1985, he opened Shigeru Ban Architects in Tokyo, and has since expanded his offices to Paris and New York and has also created the nonprofit Voluntary Architects’ Network. He is best known for his humanitarian projects, in which he creates architecture and volunteers for disaster relief across the world. He is the 2014 recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

6–7:30 PM Press Play

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.

7–9 PM Art and Astrology Self-Guided Tour

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.

9–11 PM Dance Party with DJ April Hunt

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.

11–11:30 PM Scents for Each day is a whole world by Etel Adnan

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.

11:30 PM–12 AM Susan Philipsz’s From the Beginning (2007)

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 Lipsiusbau (2018). Winter White Hymnal (2010) was featured on Aspen Mountain as part of Art in Unexpected Places.

Across a series of speakers temporarily installed in Gallery 5, the AAM will present a special presentation of From the Beginning (2007) as a form of “lullaby” for those preparing to sleep. The sound installation creates a meditative atmosphere of voice and vibraphone recordings, delicately weaving various cultural references—including John Cage and The Beatles—to our individual life cycles.

12–2 AM Midnight Movies at the Museum (In partnership with Aspen Film)

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Rated PG
Directed by Stephen Herek
90 min

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.

12–7 AM Sleepover

Tapping into the subconscious, this alternative gallery experience allows registered participants to sleep amongst the exhibitions Walter Price: 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.

2–7 AM Bill Viola, “The Night Journey”

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.

7–8:30 AM Sunrise Yoga (Taught by Aaron King)

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.

9 AM–5 PM Temporary Tattoo station

As a reference to the first artwork encountered by visitors to the new Aspen Art Museum, temporary tattoos by Tattly featuring Jim Hodges’ work With Liberty and Justice for All (A Work in Progress) will be available from Level 3 throughout the course of the second day of the Whole Celebration.

10 AM–12 PM Community Brunch

Nourish your mind, body, and spirit through a community brunch. The AAM’s culinary partners Allen and Julia Domingos have designed a special menu using fresh produce sourced through The Farm Collaborative.

12–1 PM Artist Talk: Richard Tuttle

As the final artist talk in the Summer 2019 series, Richard Tuttle engages in conversation with the AAM’s Nancy and Bob Magoon CEO and Director, Heidi Zuckerman.

Richard Tuttle was born in Rahway, New Jersey and lives and works in New York City, Abiquiú, New Mexico, and Mount Desert, Maine. His work draws beauty out of humble materials, reflecting the fragility of the world in his poetic works. His work has been the subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions throughout his career, and was the first recipient of the Aspen Award for Art in 2005.

1–2 PM Fireside Oral Histories

Join around Oscar Tuazon’s Fire Worship to rekindle memories of the Aspen Art Museum from the last forty years. This marathon-style session will draw on voices that are to be featured in a new publication by the AAM, including individuals who participated in StoryCorps recordings in 2018. This warm gathering will collectively trace the oral history of the museum through two-minute anecdotes.

2–4 PM Family Workshop

This workshop is designed to provide children and adults free opportunities to explore the galleries and create works of art on their own. Families are encouraged to communicate, reflect, and produce as artists together. The workshop is designed for families with children ages 3–10, and will begin in the Education Workshop, giving families choices for self-guided or educator-led activities and art-making stations.

Theme: Paint Puddles
Exhibition Focus: John Armleder

4–5 PM Whitacre Performance

As a lively close to the Whole Celebration, the AAM welcomes Whitacre for an outdoor concert around Oscar Tuazon’s Fire Worship. With sold-out shows and rising streaming popularity around their recently released EP Within the Mountains’ Shadows, Whitacre blurs the lines of folk, indie rock, and bluegrass music. Their thought-provoking, positive lyrics and high-energy live performances provide a spirited ending note to close the twenty-four-hour program.

AAM exhibitions are made possible by the Marx Exhibition Fund. General exhibition support is provided by the Toby Devan Lewis Visiting Artist Fund. Additional support is provided by the AAM National Council. Support for Oscar Tuazon’s Fire Worship is provided by Laura Donnelley and the Good Works Foundation. Additional support is provided by the AAM National Council. Major support for Rashid Johnson’s exhibition is provided by the AAM National Council, Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, and Susan and Larry Marx. Additional underwriting is provided by Ali and Lew Sanders and Barbara and Michael Gamson.

AAM education programs are made possible by the Questrom Education Fund. Additional funding in 2018–19 is provided by the Laffey-McHugh Foundation. AAM talks and lectures are presented as part of the Questrom Lecture Series and made possible by the Questrom Education Fund. The 2018-2019 AAM Architecture Lecture Series is made possible by David Johnston Architects. Support for Education Workshops is provided by the Melva Bucksbaum and Mary and Patrick Scanlan Education Workshop Fund. Additional support for Movies at the Museum is provided by the Etkin Family Digital Media and Moving Image Fund.