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.

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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.

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........

© Observer