Aspen, Colorado is a hub of arts, music, and intellectual discussions, and it’s no surprise that the Red Brick Center for the Arts, the Aspen Music Festival Jazz Ensemble, and the Aspen Institute Forum on Women & Girls all call this city their home. While seemingly disparate, these three entities are connected by one unifying idea: the importance of creativity and expression in building a better world.
The Red Brick Center for the Arts is a community hub for visual and performing arts. Founded in 1974, the center is housed in a historic red brick building in downtown Aspen. The center offers classes, workshops, and exhibitions for all ages and levels of experience. According to the center’s mission statement, “the arts are essential to the human experience and can foster empathy, understanding, and connection.”
Similarly, the Aspen Music Festival Jazz Ensemble is dedicated to fostering creativity and expression through music. The ensemble is made up of talented musicians from around the world who come to Aspen to study and perform jazz music. As jazz legend Wynton Marsalis once said, “Jazz music is America’s past and its potential, summed up and sanctified and accessible to anybody who learns to listen to, feel, and understand it.”
Finally, the Aspen Institute Forum on Women & Girls is a platform for thought leaders and changemakers to discuss issues facing women and girls around the world. The forum brings together activists, scholars, and policymakers to engage in meaningful dialogue and develop innovative solutions. As stated on the forum’s website, “we believe in the power of women and girls to transform their communities and the world.”
At their core, all three of these entities believe in the power of creativity and expression to bring people together and effect positive change. Whether it’s through the visual arts, music, or intellectual discourse, the Red Brick Center for the Arts, the Aspen Music Festival Jazz Ensemble, and the Aspen Institute Forum on Women & Girls are all working towards a common goal: to make the world a better, more inclusive place.
Aspen is fortunate to have such a diverse and vibrant community of artists and thinkers, and these three organizations are just a few examples of the incredible work being done in this city. As we continue to navigate a rapidly changing world, it’s more important than ever to find ways to connect with one another and celebrate our shared humanity. As Maya Angelou once said, “we are more alike than we are unalike.” By celebrating our differences and working together towards a common goal, we can build a more just and equitable society for all.
Sources:
– Red Brick Center for the Arts. (n.d.). About. Red Brick Center for the Arts. https://redbrickaspen.com/about/.
– Aspen Music Festival and School. (n.d.). Jazz Ensemble. Aspen Music Festival and School. https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/education/jazz-ensemble/.
– Aspen Institute. (n.d.). Forum on Women & Girls. Aspen Institute. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/forum-on-women-and-girls/.