The Museum & Land
Located just 20 minutes from Aspen in the quaint town of Carbondale, Colorado, the Powers Art Center is often described as “a world-class museum in a cow pasture.”
It is both a work of art and a model of sustainability. Designed by Hiroshi Nanamori of ArchiPrime Inc. in Tokyo, the sandstone cube blends seamlessly into Carbondale’s red rock landscape. Created with both beauty and environmental responsibility in mind, the building is powered by a geothermal field and a robust solar and battery system that supplies approximately 75% of the museum’s electricity.
The museum features two floors. On the first floor, visitors can explore rotating exhibitions by major artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, and Roy Lichtenstein. This level also houses the library—a quiet, resource-rich space for guests, students, historians, and researchers.
Upstairs, the galleries are dedicated to Jasper Johns, showcasing one of the largest collections of his works on paper, spanning decades of his artistic career.
The museum sits on a 450-acre ranch at the foot of Mount Sopris, surrounded by open pastureland operated by the Martin Family, a multi-generational ranching family.
This land is permanently protected by a conservation easement held by the Aspen Valley Land Trust.
Thanks to the support of the Ryobi Foundation, the parent organization of the Powers Art Center, the museum remains free and open to the public. The surrounding landscape will be preserved as open space for generations to come.
