Exploring the Aspen Art Museum: A Look at its Mission, Vision, and Early History

The Aspen Art Museum, located at 637 East Hyman Avenue in Aspen, Colorado, is an artist-founded institution dedicated to supporting the development of bold ideas in the art world. The museum is both a platform and a place, highly attuned to the advancement of the vital ecosystem of art and the critical discourse surrounding it within the context and community of Aspen and beyond.

The mission of the Aspen Art Museum is to be a leading destination for the convening of artists, scholars, policymakers, organizations, innovators, and risk takers. The museum is committed to fostering rigorous, groundbreaking thinking and seeks opportunities for its impact within and outside of its walls. They believe that diversity is central to constructive change and are responsive to the artists, audiences, and context in which the museum exists.

The museum’s vision is to support the pressing discourse of our time and the implementation of its lasting impact. They are committed to the health and vitality of their local and global communities and look to artists and thinkers to lead the way, re-imagining the possibilities for our shared future.

The Aspen Art Museum values inquiry, immediacy, and innovation. They are rigorous in their pursuit of new initiatives, challenging ideas, and vibrant discourse, committed to remaining self-reflective, dynamic, and flexible. They honor their history as an artist-founded institution and Aspen’s legacy as a locus for ideas by investing in artists and thinkers to reinvent the museum and transform the field through focused ideation, collaboration, and leadership.

The early history of the Aspen Art Museum dates back to 1976, when a City of Aspen vote led to the acquisition and development of an out-of-use building at 590 North Mill Street. This building became the museum’s first home until 2014. The Aspen Center for the Visual Arts (ACVA) was incorporated within the state of Colorado in November 1977, and in August 1978, the ACVA board selected its first director, Philip Yenawine.

On June 16, 1979, the ACVA opened to the public with the inaugural exhibition American Portraits of the Sixties and Seventies, featuring works by some of the most notable artists of the time. The first year of programming featured a wide range of exhibitions, including one-person shows by artists such as Robert Rauschenberg. In 1984, the board approved a name change to the Aspen Art Museum (AAM) to better reflect its curatorial scope, established its AAM National Council, and became a nationally accredited institution through the American Association of Museums (now American Alliance of Museums).

The current director of the Aspen Art Museum is Nicola Lees, and the Board of Trustees is chaired by John Phelan. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, and the admission fee is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. It is also free for kids under 12 years old.