Aspen has long been a playground for food lovers, skiers and global donor classes, but increasingly, it has become a serious destination for contemporary art. The second edition of the Aspen Art Fair returns to the historic Jerome from July 29 to August 2, marking the launch of Aspen Art Week and the significant expansion of the fair itself.
At the inauguration ceremony, the fair held only 21 exhibitors. This year, that number has more than doubled, with 44 galleries from 15 countries including 25 new immigrants and 19 return participants.
Big New York galleries like Sean Kelly and Marianne Boesky have joined a roster of praises including Shadow of Praise (Brooklyn, Massachusetts), Anat Ebgi, Anat Ebgi (Los Angeles and New York), Sunday Painter (Los Angeles), La Loma Projects in Los Angeles and 193 Gallery (Paris and Venice). Highlights of programming include speeches with artists like Mickalene Thomas and Issy Wood, selected family tours, and location-specific exhibitions. A room for one person.
Hotel Jerome itself (granted the Michelin key, widely considered as Aspen’s cultural living room) plays a central role in the expo’s identity. Almost all available spaces on the ground floor are used for artworks, and the in-room installations transform the suite into a salon-style exhibition. While there are traditional art fair booths, the environment is less like a convention center and more like a private club, promoting an unexpected intimacy: collectors stumble upon galleryists, artists trade hiking advice with consultants, while fair people drift between paintings and small bars. It is this atmosphere – freely informal, provocatively unlike – Becca Hoffman and Bob Chase see it as a central part of the success of the fair.
Hoffman brings twenty years of art fairs and gallery experience, including the transformation of the Outsider Art Fair and the creation of the Nomad Culture Risk Art No. 74. Chase, a long-time resident of Aspen and owner of Hexton Gallery, is embedded in the town’s cultural infrastructure and serves as the national council for the Aspen Museum of Art and Anderson Ranch.
We talked with the expo co-founders about what makes the Aspen Art Fair different, why bigger things are not good, and what snacks to hike.
Artnews: You launched this expo last year and now you are back with more exhibitors and deeper programming seats. Why do you think the first edition works?
Becca Hoffman: We’ve seen a shift from a large expo to more boutique, well-curated experiences. Aspen gives us the opportunity to create something immersive and personal, which reflects the way collectors actually want to participate.
Bob Chase: This also helps Aspen prepare. We didn’t jump. There is already an art infrastructure here – wood, gallery, collector – Jerome is this center of town, almost a fabulous gathering spot. The hotel’s environment makes it very intimate, but it’s also very obvious. This combination works.
Sean Kelly and Marianne Boesky are on the exhibitor list this year. What is your comment on your position in the calendar and in the market? (I will say for you: When Sean Kelly signed it, it proves that the fair is more than just novelty.)
Chase: Ha, yes – thanks. We use it as a validation. And we also have much more than we expected. But we need to be careful about the scale. We still want it to feel discoverable, not overwhelming. Aspen cannot (should not) support the 150-Gallery model.
Hoffman: This is a reason only for the fairness of the invitation. We want to bring together emerging and established local, local and global. We are building experiences for people who are already very curious.
Aspen may be difficult to reach. This is not Basel or Miami. Is this part of the appeal?
Hoffman: really. There are some special intentions to appear here. Aspen may be far away, but not inaccessible. It attracts another kind of visitors – those who want to participate, not just an hour.
Chase: And, once you’re here, you won’t have the same hierarchy in a big city. You can walk into the gallery of T-shirts and end up having a conversation with a physicist or collector. Less posture and more openness.
What advice do you have for those who come for the first time during Aspen Art Week? A lot of things have happened.
Hoffman: diving. You can program yourself hourly, from hiking and studio access to panels and performances if you want. But, you can also find something to let Aspen do the rest. Landscape is an important part of the experience.
Chase: Yes, check the website. This was all eliminated between the museum, the ranch and our schedule. If you are ambitious, you can really do it all. Just don’t skip the cold spot.
Will Jerome be the permanent residence of the fair?
Chase: This is the heart of the town – it has been since 1889. The scale is correct, the energy is correct, and can make fairness faster and faster. This is a good thing.
Hoffman: This is part of the Expo identity. And this also prevents us from surpassing.
Favorite Aspen Secret? If you don’t work all week, where you’ll go or what you’ll eat.
Chase: I’m not naming the restaurant, I have too many friends. But for hiking: This is Hunter Creek. You can be alone in the wilderness within 15 minutes. That’s rare.
Hoffman: My hiking snack was Mawa-free granola. I think you can also get the Saturday Farmers Market on CrêpeShop. That’s Butcher’s Block’s sandwich, you’re ready.
What if someone is too late?
Chase: The New York pizza is great. Or Bucks. Literally everything in Aspen is underground in the middle of the night. You go down the stairs and suddenly you are in the club.
The last question – What is the spirit here? What’s the point of doing it all in a small town like Aspen?
Chase: I keep going back to a phrase. Jim Hodges designed a book for local projects here a few years ago Art in unexpected places. The title is Give you more than you pay. I’ve been bothering me ever since. I think this captures what we are trying to do with this fair. Aspen is not only a beautiful place to attend business events, but also a real community, people who live here and care deeply about culture. We don’t want to build something that only shows, extract value and disappear. We want to create something that can be added to the ecosystem, connect institutions and give back. That’s what success looks like to me, not just the roster of famous people, but something that makes sustainability and meaningful where it should be.
