Displaying items by tag: aspen art museum

Three African sulcata tortoises that were part of a controversial exhibit at the Aspen Art Museum have been relocated to a warmer climate more than a month ahead of schedule, after the veterinarian in charge of their care determined that weather conditions are too cold and wet to ensure their well-being.

The three tortoises have been held in an 800-square-foot pen on the new museum building’s roof deck with iPads mounted on their shells, with footage of local ghost towns playing on the screens.

Perhaps there is no better symbol of the clout of Aspen’s art world habitués than the new Aspen Art Museum. Opening to the public August 9, following a weekend of preview parties, the museum’s latest home was designed by Pritzker prize winner Shigeru Ban, who has created a shimmering three-story building resembling a wooden crate in the center of town.  Its striking latticework façade, with a woven wooden screen covering a glass curtain wall, not only lets the light in, but affords passersby a glimpse inside. Each of its many apertures is unique, “a great metaphor for art,” Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson, the museum’s director, noted as she led me on a hard hat tour the other day, pointing out the Japanese architect’s love of such materials as cardboard tubes, recycled paper and wood. “Shigeru dislikes monumental architecture, “ she said. “You won’t find any marble in here.” The museum is Ban’s first in the U.S. He is best known for his humanitarian projects designing shelters after natural disasters in such places as Japan, Rwanda and Haiti.

The Aspen Art Museum is getting ready to attempt the art-world equivalent of a double black diamond.

After three decades of shoehorning contemporary-art exhibits into a former power plant on the outskirts of this wealthy Rocky Mountain enclave, the museum plans to triple its footprint. It will relocate in August to a new home designed by Pritzker prize winner Shigeru Ban in the center of town—a move that illustrates the growing clout and ambition of Aspen's stewards.

Mr. Ban, who is known for using unconventional materials like paper and cardboard tubes, has created a three-story building that resembles an enormous wooden crate. The 33,000-square-foot facility, which opens Aug. 9, has walls of wood veneer planks woven into latticework. The grid covers a glass wall, giving passersby a glimpse inside.

The Aspen Art Museum is arguably one of the most anticipated new structures in town.  When it opens later this summer it will be with a days-long celebration of contemporary art, Aspen and of the building itself.  Some say it's the most important building in Aspen in a century, while others call it a monstrosity. Designed by Pritzker Prize winner Shigeru Ban, the space will be public. Aspen Public Radio's Marci Krivonen took a tour.

Museum director Heidi Zuckerman-Jacobson stands on a busy street corner in downtown Aspen. Rising above her is the new four-story Aspen Art Museum still under construction.

"The reason I like to start here is because the City of Aspen was very gracious and allowed us to create a commons around the museum," she says motioning near the front entrance to the building.