The Powers Art Center is pleased to announce Jasper Johns: a whole can be only a part, opening December 2, 2025, and continuing until October 31, 2026
November 12th, 2025
Carbondale, Colorado, November 2025 – The Powers Art Center is pleased to announce its newest exhibit, Jasper Johns: a whole can be only a part, opening December 2, 2025, and continuing until October 31, 2026.
The exhibition follows an alphabetical organization to create a view into Jasper Johns’ work and his artistic approach across six decades. As with the artist’s other common motifs—flags, targets, numbers, and maps—Johns was drawn to the alphabet as a structural system and uses it as a subject of three prints, as well as six paintings and three drawings. Corresponding to Johns’ interests in signs and seriality, language and chance, the alphabetical sequence reflects the artist’s enduring exploration of how meaning is conveyed. The exhibition therefore playfully asks the viewer to consider: what happens when we put Johns’ work into his own manner of logic and experimentation?
Jasper Johns: a whole can be only a part is organized by Jessica Eisenthal in collaboration with the Powers Art Center. Eisenthal is the first Jasper Johns’ Curatorial Fellow working with the Powers Art Center to both curate a Jasper Johns’ show and provide a critical look at the works of the artist.
The opening reception is on December 4, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. Those interested in attending the exhibit opening may register here or call the museum at 970.963.4445. In February, Eisenthal will be returning to the Powers Art Center to talk about the exhibit.
All works on display are from the former collection of John and Kimiko Powers now stewarded by the Ryobi Foundation. In addition to Jasper Johns: a whole can be only a part, on display in the main level gallery is the current show, In the Living Room with John and Kimiko, focusing on a moment in time where extraordinary friendships shaped a vibrant collection. This exhibition is open until May 2, 2026. As always, admission is free.