Arts & Culture

Situated in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Aspen has long been known as a mountainside center for arts and culture. The Aspen Idea—that a renewal of mind, body, and spirit can be achieved when all three are engaged— originated in the 1940s and remains an integral part of our community’s DNA.

Arts & Culture at Aspen Snowmass

Art in Unexpected Places Arts & Culture Guide Dining Guide
Academia, thought-leadership, and transcendental exploration thrive via entities like the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and the Aspen Ideas Festival. Exhibitions from world-renowned artists are constantly on display at the Aspen Art Museum, as well as downtown’s many galleries and across our four mountains. The Aspen Music Festival & School is noted for bringing talented musicians from all over the world to our Valley. Culinary trend-setters, risk-takers, and rule-breakers have long come here to push boundaries. And we’re only scratching the surface.

Aspen's landscape effortlessly lends itself to the creation and appreciation of art of every kind.

We invite our guests to be challenged by new ideas in this stunning setting; because art, no matter the medium, has the power not only to reflect beauty, but to inspire thought and promote change. Come experience something new with us.

Savoring Art in Aspen

Arts & Culture Guide

Get the complete story on art galleries and museums, art centers, dance companies, theaters, and concert venues throughout the Roaring Fork Valley with our arts and culture guide.

Art In Unexpected Places

Each year, our Art in Unexpected Places program plays host to the work of the world's most compelling artists with on-mountain installations, lift ticket art, and other programming around town.

Centers of Arts and Culture

Aspen Institute For Humanistic Studies

This nonpartisan institute hosts a series of seminars, workshops, and events (most notably the Aspen Ideas Festival) that specifically focus on solving the world's most complex problems.

Belly Up

An iconic live music venue, the Belly Up has long boasted concert lineups that surpass those of most major cities.

Anderson Ranch Art Center

This art center near Snowmass Village offers an array of multi-discipline contemporary art workshops throughout the year.

JAS Aspen Snowmass

For more than 30 years, this concert series has offered music lovers a diverse roster of performances, including the annual JAS June Experience and Labor Day Experience, as well as the JAS Café series at The Little Nell.

Aspen Music Festival And School

Since its inception in 1949, the Aspen Music Festival and School has made our town a magnet for the world's best classically trained musicians and performers.