Art Tour: Glenwood Springs & Roaring Fork Valley
Let your creative side loose on your next Colorado vacation. With Glenwood Springs as your focal point, explore artsy activities that delight the senses and feed the soul up and down the Roaring Fork Valley.
Whether you are a professional artist or a budding amateur, the best way to channel your creative spirit is to dive in. A vacation is a perfect time to do just that. The Roaring Fork Valley, from Glenwood Springs to Aspen, has a thriving culture scene that covers the spectrum from the visual to the performing arts.
WHAT ARTISTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ART
According to painter Gillian Pederson-Krag, “Art makes life bearable. It isn’t a luxury. Like our capacity for understanding and our experience of love, it is a vitally important part of life.” Novelist Jeffery Eugenides suggests that art “actually feels more coherent than life. It orders chaos.” They make a good point—art can be a source of hope and healing; it can broaden our understanding of a topic and enlighten our minds with new perspectives. Pablo Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist as we grow up.”
Why not let your inner artist roam the Roaring Fork Valley exploring all the possibilities?
GLENWOOD SPRINGS LODGING WITH A CREATIVE TWIST
Start your art-filled getaway in an aesthetically inspiring environment. Stay in style at Glenwood Springs accommodations. Hotel Denver features 1920s Art Deco elegance, a recent update at the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge feels soothingly modern and Courtyard by Marriott offers sleek spaces for work and relaxation.
ART FOR ALL IN THE ROARING FORK VALLEY
Sometimes art gets a bad rap for being snooty or inaccessible. It’s not. If you look, you’ll find art everywhere in the Roaring Fork Valley: freestanding on street corners and in parks, painted on the sides of buildings, as well as in welcoming galleries and museums, in the grandeur of Victorian-age architecture, in thoughtfully-planned communal gathering spaces and unusual performance venues.
See Art. Art on 8th, Artist’s Mercantile and Cooper Corner are all low-key, friendly galleries that welcome visitors to appreciate fine craftsmanship made by regional artists.
Make Art. The Glenwood Springs Arts Council makes sure there’s always something creative going on locally. Check in for information on classes, festivals, workshops, music, and culinary art experiences. The Glenwood Springs Community Art Center is a vibrant, people-centric space dedicated to enriching lives through access to the visual and performing arts, exhibitions, and recreational activities. Housed in the City’s Historic Hydroelectric Plant, the Community Art Center contains a large community space for exhibitions, private rentals, a clay studio, a children’s workshop, and classes of all kinds.
Experience Art. Music, dance and theater performances are part of the area’s artistic repertoire. The Glenwood Vaudeville Revue stages shows that highlight all three disciplines plus a healthy dose of comedy.
See Art. Home to 200 creative organizations, businesses, artists and artisans, Carbondale is designated a Creative District and is part of the Colorado Creative Corridor which includes the towns of Paonia, Crested Butte, Ridgway and Salida.
Make Art. The possibilities are endless. From making holiday ornaments for the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree to creating artful flower arrangements; crafting clay masks to learning beatboxing basics, you’ll find creative outlets galore in Carbondale.
Experience Art. Carbondale hosts First Fridays where the streets are closed to traffic and everyone safely gathers outdoors for craft beer, locally sourced food and home-town music. For an art-inspired stroll, follow the Rio Grande Art Way, a one-mile stretch with creative installations and murals. Another option is to see what’s happening at the Launchpad.
See Art. The Aspen Art Museum features contemporary art with exhibitions and installations that engage audiences with thought-provoking pieces offering unique perspectives on culture and society.
Make Art. Anderson Ranch Arts Center provides transformative experiences that celebrate artists and art making.
Experience Art. Attend a show, talk or performance at one of the ski town’s art-centric venues such as the Wheeler Opera House, Aspen Music Festival Tent and the Aspen Institute.
APRÈS ART RELAXATION
After making and appreciating art throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, sketch in some time for culinary delights at Glenwood Springs restaurants and then add the finishing touch with geothermal relaxation at Glenwood Hot Springs Pool, Iron Mountain Hot Springs and the Yampah Spa & Vapor Caves.
Find your heART in Glenwood Springs. Learn more and make plans to visit today.
