5 Things to Do This Weekend: July 26–July 28, 2019
David Schluss's Camden, at the Blue Gallery, is one of the works that will be on exhibit at ArtAspen.
Image: Image courtesy: Blue Gallery
Friday–Sunday, July 26–28
ArtAspen
Friday & Saturday, 12–7 p.m.; Sunday, 12–5 p.m., Aspen Ice Garden
With almost 30 notable dealers on hand from around the country showcasing works from 1950 to the present, and the Aspen Ice Garden transformed into a sleek contemporary gallery, this annual show is a must-see for serious collectors and modern art enthusiasts alike. Among the talks, guided tours, and receptions is Aspen Sojourner’s own cocktail reception (Friday, 5–7 p.m.) to benefit local nonprofit Response, which advocates for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault; RSVP here. Tickets from $25 (for a complimentary day pass courtesy of Aspen Sojourner, use the code ASPSOJ at this link), art-aspen.com
Carbondale Mountain Fair
Various times, Sopris Park
Since 1972, this annual event has celebrated Carbondale’s strong sense of community and free-spirited identity, drawing some 20,000 people to Sopris Park downtown. In addition to almost 150 artisans and other vendors, don’t miss the Friday afternoon community drum circle, continuous live music (headliners include Ponder the Albatross, Jyemo Club, and the Burroughs), and pie baking, wood splitting, and limbo contests. Also part of the weekend are Saturday’s 14.2-mile Mount Sopris Runoff and 4-mile Fair Run, and Sunday’s Porcupine Bike Loop Race (costumes required for the latter). Free, carbondalearts.org
The famous drum circle at Mountain Fair takes place Friday at 4 p.m.
Poetry Weekend
Various times and locations
Get in a poetic frame of mind with a color-themed free workshop for all ages and skills on Friday (1–3 p.m.) at the Basalt Library, led by poet Uche Ogbuji, a Nigerian native who now lives near Boulder. Then catch Ogbuji, Rocio Contreras, and Alya Howe during Carbondale’s Mountain Fair, 5 p.m. on the main stage daily. Inspired? Participate in the fair’s Poetry Slam at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Oasis. The weekend closes with a free Sunset Session at the Vault at the Wheeler Opera House (8 p.m.) featuring Cindy Hirschfeld (who’s also Aspen Sojourner’s editor-in-chief), Todd Hartley, Ellie Scott, Ogbuji, Contreras, and Howe. In this call-and-response format performance, the poets—working in pairs—will respond to work produced by other local writers by sharing both collaborative and individual original poems. basaltlibrary.org, carbondalearts.org, wheeleroperahouse.com
Friday, July 26
Hot to Trot
6–9 p.m., private residence
This special fundraiser for WindWalkers, the equine-assisted learning and therapy center in Missouri Heights, features a performance by Carbondale’s CoMotion dance project in honor of the late Lita Heller, cocktails and apps, and an auction. Tickets $250 (contact Gabrielle Greeves at 646-327-9602), windwalkerstrc.org
Sunday, July 28
Aspen Music Festival and School Concert
4 p.m., Benedict Music Tent
This week, cellist Alisa Weilerstein guest solos with the Aspen Festival Orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano; the program features Barber’s rarely performed Cello Concerto, opus 22, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 in E Minor. (Learn more about Barber by catching the film Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty at the Pitkin County Library this Saturday at 4 & 7:30 p.m. or Sunday at 7:30 p.m.; $10 admission includes popcorn.) Tickets $85, lawn seating free, aspenmusicfestival.com
