Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/513510
// impressions // ART ABOUT TOWN However controversial the new Aspen Art Museum once was, the Shigeru Ban-designed facility, and the international contemporary art for which it has quickly become known, is here to stay. The noncol- lecting institution will host a rotating selection of exhibi- tions throughout the summer and fall. Rodney McMillian's medium-bending "Landscape Paintings" (through June 28) features performance art, video, installation, sculpture, and painting, and addresses an equally diverse array of issues, including race, gender, power, history, and culture. "Stories We Tell Ourselves" (through October 25) is a multi-artist exhibition presented in various locations throughout the three- foor museum. It focuses on storytelling and the narratives shaped by literature, history, and current events. Start by taking the stairs or the elevator to the top-foor roof-deck to check out breathtaking views of Aspen Mountain, a rotating rooftop exhibit, and the new SO Café (whose menu changes weekly) before "skiing" your way down the exhibitions. Aspen Art Museum, 637 E. Hyman Ave., 970-925-8050; aspenartmuseum.org Small Town, Big Screen with the historic wheeler opera house staging two celebrated film festivals, aspenites find meaning at the movies this summer. Aspen's acclaimed Wheeler Opera House brings celebrated musicians, artists, and comedy acts to town all year round. But come summer, the 126 -year-old institution turns its lens to film, gracing the valley through two lauded film festivals with the best inde- pendent film and documentary work of the year. When Aspen Film presents its 36th annual Filmfest (320 E. Hyman Ave., 970-925-6882; aspenfilm.org) from September 25–30, don't expect to see summer block- busters. With comedies, dramas, and documentaries from both American and international filmmakers, the six-day fest won't be screening the big-studio, big-name, even-bigger-budget films that typically dominate the local multiplex. Filmfest focuses on independent films, which often means movies driven more by characters and story than big, recognizable names or special effects. (But while showbiz's biggest names aren't neces- sarily on the screen, they are in the audience, which in past years has included Felicity Jones, Kevin Costner, and more.) The festival also spotlights documentaries, many of which chronicle true-to-life tales of small groups making a difference, an idea that should resonate par- ticularly well in Aspen. Tickets, plus this year's full program of films, will be available by Labor Day. Prior to this inf lux of the finest in indie film, the Wheeler will be ground zero for adventure films and eco-activists. The Aspen Filmfest is preceded by MountainSummit: Mountainfilm In Aspen (320 E. Hyman Ave., 970-920-5770; wheeleroperahouse.com), now in its sixth year, which will run from August 27–30. The four-day event, an offshoot of the 37-year-old Telluride Mountainfilm festival, will bring artists, activists, and adventurers together for screenings of and conversations about award-winning documen- taries addressing topics that vary from skiing and f ly- fishing to fracking and animal poaching. Many of the filmmakers and their creative teams will be on hand during the festival, whether for presentations and ques- tion-and-answer sessions or as part of the audience, watching what they've created. AP PhotograPhy by Jeremy SwanSon (wheeler oPera houSe); gregg Deguire/wireimage (huffman); lucaS ZielaSko (auDience); courteSy of the artiSt anD DaviD Zwirner, new york (She) top: She, by Chris Ofili, 1997, from the show "Night and Day," exhibiting in Aspen from June through September. The Wheeler Opera House, built in 1889, is a pillar of Aspen's cultural scene. right, from top: Aspenites applaud a screening during last year's Filmfest; Aspen Film attracts stars like Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy for panel discussions, talks, and more. 66 ASPenPeAk-MAgAzIne.COM CULTURE Screen Savers