Winterfest: An Exhibition of Arts and Crafts is hosted at the Aspen Art Museum from Dec. 17, 2020 through Feb. 21, 2021. Entry is free, and the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This exhibition consists of handmade artworks by local, national, and international contemporary artists from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Rather than the formal presentation of a group show, these artworks are displayed within an exhibition architecture representing a cabin, mountains, and a lake, designed by US-based German artist Veit Laurent Kurz.
Kurz is well known for creating a number of immersive installations that have interpreted traditional Alpine cabin structures to house artist-curated exhibitions. For Winterfest, he again takes the natural landscape as inspiration for experimental architecture, this time creating an ambitious, large-scale installation as a surreal, festive backdrop for works that fall between arts and crafts.
Winterfest is based on the German tradition of jahresgaben—annual selling exhibitions conducted by kunstvereine (member-based art associations throughout Germany). Since the 1800s, these exhibitions have been mounted in Germany to support artists, as well as help fund the institutions’ programs. As such, Winterfest will financially aid artistic practice, with profits split between artists and the museum.