Aspen Art Museum

The Aspen Art Museum (AAM) is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in Aspen, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1979, the institution presents exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, multimedia installations, and electronic media. Alongside its exhibition schedule, the museum offers various learning programs and lectures featuring artists, curators, and academics. Nicola Lees has served as its Artistic Director and CEO since 2020.

The museum was established in 1979. For much of its history, the institution operated out of a converted hydroelectric plant situated near downtown Aspen. In 2006, the museum initiated its Distinguished Artist in Residence Program, which brings artists to Aspen to create new bodies of work that are subsequently exhibited in the museum galleries, accompanied by walkthroughs and lectures. The institution holds accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, representing art museum directors across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In March 2009, the museum achieved certification under the ZGreen program, a joint initiative by the City of Aspen Environmental Health Department and the Canary Initiative, by implementing recycling, composting, and zero waste events.

As a non-collecting institution, the Aspen Art Museum does not maintain a permanent collection of artworks. Instead, its programming relies entirely on temporary exhibitions of loaned works. The scope of these exhibitions encompasses a broad range of contemporary mediums, specifically drawings, paintings, sculptures, multimedia installations, and electronic media. The museum features work by artists from the United States as well as international practitioners.

Because the museum is non-collecting, it does not possess permanent holdings. However, its temporary exhibition history has featured works by notable contemporary artists. Exhibited artists from the United States include Doug Aitken and Mark Grotjahn. International artists shown at the museum include Mark Manders, Pierre Bernard, Huma Bhabha, and Mamma Andersson.

The museum originally occupied a converted hydroelectric plant at 590 North Mill Street. On August 9, 2014, the Aspen Art Museum opened a new facility at 637 East Hyman Avenue. Designed by architect Shigeru Ban, the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient, the building is his first constructed museum in the United States. The 33,000-square-foot, four-level facility contains eight exhibition spaces, comprising six indoor galleries, a rooftop sculpture garden, and an outdoor commons. The design incorporates five main architectural features: the Grand Stair, a Moving Glass Room Elevator, a Woven Wood Screen, a Wood Roof Truss, and Walkable Skylights.

The Aspen Art Museum is located at 637 East Hyman Avenue in Aspen, Colorado. As a non-profit organization, it continues to function as a vital contemporary art venue, offering rotating exhibitions and educational programming to the public. Further details regarding access and current events are available on the museum website.