Art Talk: Jen Rubio, Sarah Arison and Nicola Lees On Aspen ArtWeek and ArtCrush

At the end of July, the international art world will descend upon the humble art hub of Aspen, Colorado for Aspen ArtWeek, which culminates in the ArtCrush gala and auction, a major fundraiser for the Aspen Art Museum. It’s no small feat to steer the art world’s denizens to one place post-Art Basel, so we caught up with gala committee members Jen Rubio and Sarah Arison and museum director Nicola Lees to hear more about how the week came together.

There are countless fundraising galas in the landscape of American philanthropy, yet ArtCrush seems to have cultivated a distinguished, and recognizable brand that has permeated the global art world. Why do you think that is?

Jen Rubio: Over the past two decades, the small but mighty and connected group that supports the Aspen Art Museum has demonstrated the importance of centering artists within museum philanthropy. This commitment to artists has deepened in significant ways with the more recent development of ArtWeek, a week of talks, performances and other live events that culminate in the ArtCrush gala on the first Friday of August. Rather than staging a gala in a vacuum, Aspen Art Museum integrates it into a vibrant spectrum of artist-led initiatives. This both re-centers the mission of the museum within the context of the gala and also attracts interest far beyond Aspen. The unique duration of the gathering initiates lasting connections and friendships among the attendees, from artists and curators to gallerists and patrons. As supporters of the museum, we are proud to catalyze these meaningful relationships that precipitate new developments in the field.

Who is your favorite artist participating in this year’s ArtCrush auction and why?

Sarah Arison: I recently had dinner in Aspen with donating artist Tammy Nguyen and she completely blew me away. I first came to know her work when she was featured in “Greater New York” at MoMA PS1 in 2021 and was immediately captivated by the ways in which she layered historical narratives with emblems of spirituality and the natural world. The work she is donating to the auction this year, Pirate at the Interval, is a kaleidoscopic visual feast—at once a portrait and a landscape, punctuated with bars of music notes and lyrics. It rewards curiosity and close looking.

Additionally, I am deeply grateful to the brilliant artist Derek Fordjour, who has generously donated a work to be placed via private sale. Derek is an artist I have been close to for many years, and the work he has contributed, Pine Valley Greenway, is a stunning triptych of horses and jockeys. It is a signature motif for the artist, providing a vehicle to explore the passage of time and social progress.

[ed. note: From this point forward, all answers were given by Nicola Lees.] 

This year marks the Aspen Art Museum’s 45th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of its Shigeru Ban-designed building. Why does this local institution seem to enjoy such a wide base of support internationally? 

Nicola Lees: We showcase the work of artists from around the world in one of the most sublime landscapes in North America. As such, our community of supporters reflects our international program. Aspen is and has been a global hub. As it is our anniversary, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge Aspen’s revitalization by Walter Paepcke in the early 1950s. Paepcke is recognized for his enduring collaboration with Bauhaus disciple Herbert Beyer, with whom he developed the campus for the Aspen Institute. In 1951, Paepcke founded the International Design Conference, which attracted global luminaries from architecture and design including Louis Khan and Josef Albers. Over 50 years, scores of brilliant minds convened in Aspen, from Steve Jobs to Gaetano Pesce to Gloria Steinem to Susan Sontag.

An international perspective was exhibited from the outset by the group of artists who opened the museum back in 1979. One of the museum’s first exhibitions was a solo presentation of Japanese Fluxus artist Shigeko Kubota and following that was a major exhibition of European medieval art on loan from the Metropolitan Museum, so very early on, there was a desire to look beyond the Roaring Fork Valley. Our current building, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this summer, was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. This global spirit has been maintained and expanded over the years with both the artists we show, and the community that supports the museum.

How is the experience of viewing art in Aspen different from seeing it in New York?

Perhaps the most obvious difference is the ways in which nature can frame your experience, sometimes quite literally. The museum is at the base of Aspen Mountain, which looms large over our roof terrace. The current exhibition by Lena Henke on view on our roof is a remix of a 2017 exhibition she presented in Vienna but in Aspen, it has taken on an entirely different energy. It really contends with the landscape. Due to the more focused number of galleries and institutions, engagement with exhibitions and visits with artists can be conducted at a more deliberate pace. Based on the varied duration of our exhibitions, and our central location in downtown Aspen, we have lots of repeat visitors. For many, the museum is a fixture within their weekly routing. We encourage people to gather and linger.

This year’s ArtCrush fundraiser allows artists to retain a portion of the proceeds from this donation. What’s the thinking there?

Aspen Art Museum is an artist-founded institution, and as we celebrate our 45th year we want to acknowledge that the core of our mission is to support artists in as many ways as possible. The sharing of proceeds is a clear way to demonstrate support and a policy we will continue to uphold long into the future.

Do you have any favorites from this year’s auction that visitors to the Christie’s preview should be sure not to miss?  

We have a fantastic painting by one of our honorees Jacqueline Humphries that took my breath away. In addition to artworks from new leaders in the field of contemporary art such as Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Marley Freeman and Stanislava Kovalkicova, we are proud to feature works by closely watched artists including Emma McIntyre, Tammy Nguyen and Naudline Pierre. Other personal highlights include a painting by Allison Katz, who curated the exhibition currently on view at the museum, as well as a dining chair by Chris Wolston.

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This year’s Aspen ArtWeek programming includes Ryan Trecartin doing a concert of his “scores for plants.” Are there any other programming standouts this year?

Two thematic threads have emerged across our programming for ArtWeek this year: sound and painting. In addition to Audience Plant 2024, the mountain top concert led by Ryan and a team of brilliant collaborators, we are thrilled to present an intimate concert by Jason Moran and his partner Alicia Hall Moran on the rooftop of the museum. Jason will also have a guest spot in Audience Plant 2024, so stay tuned for that. We will also host a gong bath and reading led by Himali Singh Soin and David Tappeser. These will be punctuated by two talks on painting: one by Allison Katz in dialogue with James Meyer, as well as a conversation between longtime friends Jacqueline Humphries and Hamza Walker.

Why is it important for good art to exist outside of the coasts? 

It is about creating more opportunities for visitors and for artists. As the only accredited contemporary art museum on the western slope of Colorado, Aspen Art Museum provides many visitors with their first encounter with contemporary art. That is a fact we take very seriously at the museum where we have cultivated a welcoming environment that values discovery. I also believe that our location, and the fact that we are a non-collecting institution with free admission, leads artists in more experimental directions in their work. In Aspen, artists feel empowered to realize ideas that might have previously felt too risky or too unknown. In many ways, we operate as an incubator. This is crucial for evolving the ecosystem of art.

This year at the museum Allison Katz has staged a dynamic show that pairs the work of over fifty artists as well as a series of fragments of frescoes from Pompeii.  Are we in a Pompeii moment?

A significant takeaway from Allison’s curated exhibition is that, since the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, we have always been in a “Pompeii moment.” From Freud to Mozart, Pompeii has been an enduring source of cultural inspiration, and despite all of the advances made at the archaeological site, there is still so much more to be unearthed. I like to think of “In the House of the Trembling Eye” as a conversation across time, in which these Pompeiian fragments speak to some of the most remarkable contemporary artworks of the 20th and 21st Centuries. I will say, however, that the recent frenzy of news articles surrounding discoveries and happenings at Pompeii makes us feel as though we have hit on something timely. Our Pompeii group chat with Allison remains very active.