The Aspen Collective gallery is already a hub for local artists. A new exhibition opens every few weeks, with both emerging and established names in the mix.
Now, it’s welcoming local “guest curators,” too. The Aspen Collective is based in a city-owned retail space at the Wheeler Opera House, with below-market rent. And gallerist D.J. Watkins wants to share the love with other creative visionaries who have been priced out of their own downtown spaces.
Hence, the latest show: “Into the Fold,” which opened on Friday.
It features sculptures by Savanna LaBauve and paintings by Lindsey Yeager. And it’s curated by Sam Harvey, of the Harvey Preston Gallery, which was formerly located downtown on Hopkins Avenue, and is now based outside of the core on Mill Street near the post office.
“I miss being in the core, but I can't afford the core,” Harvey said. “I mean, the corporates can afford the core, and that's what it's become.”
Those brand-name galleries mostly focus on “blue chip” artists with international recognition whose work sometimes sells for six or seven figures.
“The blue chip is fine, but we're not all blue chip collectors,” Harvey said. “But we still love beautiful art and beautiful ideas.”
It’s why he’s so enthusiastic about this opportunity at the Aspen Collective, which puts the spotlight on artists working here in the Roaring Fork Valley.
“We have a good, super sophisticated art clientele that comes to this valley, and so it's great to take advantage of that,” Harvey said. “But also, it’s like, just to have a place to have your art seen — it feels great.”
Harvey recognizes that the Aspen Collective is a prime venue with a lot of visibility — just like many downtown spots. He said that can make a difference for local artists, because it elevates their work and helps the artists feel “more validated and more accepted.”
“Exposure helps you become a better artist, and … it lifts all boats,” Harvey said.
“Into the Fold” will be up through Nov. 18, featuring new works by LaBauve and Yeager.
LaBauve is based at the Studio for Arts and Works in Carbondale. She creates ceramic, earth-toned sculptures — some of which appear as baskets and vessels, and some of which bear a resemblance to ancient architecture or porous coral reefs.
Yeager is a studio coordinator at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village. Her bright, colorful paintings — in shades of scarlet, dandelion and cobalt — depict the flora and fauna of the natural world as well as material objects, like vases.
The Harvey Preston Gallery will be open by appointment only while Harvey serves as guest curator at the Aspen Collective.
