Powers Art Center just opened a new exhibition; Wrapped featuring works by Issey Miyake and Christo and Jean-Claude. We chat with director Sonya Taylor Moore about the exciting things happening just up the hill.

We’ve seen the Powers Art Center described as “world-class museum in a cow pasture,” which feels so genuine to your place in Carbondale. How did this become the home to the Powers Art Center?

John and Kimiko Powers were traveling to Aspen from New York very frequently due to their involvement with the Aspen Institute and made the decision to make Colorado their permanent home. They purchased the beautiful 460-acre property in the early 70’s and facilitated the perfect setting for the Powers Art Center, after John Powers’ passing in 1999. A portion of the property is leased to the grandson of the original owners, so visitors literally see cows in the pasture next to the Museum. The “world class” comes from the fact that John and Kimiko collected “American Pop Art” together for over 30 years and amassed one of the largest private collections during that time. The Ryobi Foundation facilitates the stewardship of the collection now and enables Powers Art Center to offer new exhibits twice a year. Everything that is presented at the Museum is from the former “John and Kimiko Powers Collection.”

Why is creativity so essential to Carbondale?

Creativity is essential everywhere! Without it, life would be awfully bland. Carbondale is special in that it truly embraces creativity, and because of this, the creativity keeps growing and growing.

Your new show, Wrapped, explores the work of Issey Miyake and Christo & Jeanne-Claude. Can you tell us more about what people will see in the new show?

Wrapped is an exhibit that explores the artistic study of fabric. It features spectacular works from Issey Miyake and Christo & Jeanne-Claude, artists that created new dimensions, whether in landscapes, monuments, or the human form. The exhibit begins with an entire gallery dedicated to Miyake’s genius designs. His artistry adorns mannequins and the walls. In addition, a compilation of runway shows are projected onto a metallic silver painted wall. This kind of exhibit is new for the Powers Art Center and has sparked the interest of everyone who has walked through the doors.

In addition, Christo and Jeanne Claude take visitors on a journey into their world of wrapped landscapes and monuments beginning with the valley curtain project. An oversized piece of the material from the project hangs for visitors to explore! Their works continue into our Learning Lab with 9 different projects on view.

You have some great programs for the community and especially local youth. What programming can we expect to see during the new show?

A few years back during our Warhol exhibit we introduced an interactive art project in our Learning Lab. It was such a success that we continue to provide an activity with every new exhibit. We have 2 interactive projects available for the Wrapped exhibit. One is an individual project inspired by Christo and Jeanne Claude and the other is a collaborative project for the community. Both are fun and exciting!

We have a great field-trip program for the local schools, and POWER PACKS for kids of all ages to engage in scavenger hunts and sketching. We are now open every Saturday which makes the museum more accessible to families.

Get Wrapped Up in Powers Art Center