Our Story
Ryobi Foundation
It started with a foundation in art
The Powers were early and enthusiastic supporters of Pop Art — at times when many critics still regarded it as frivolous. While living in New York, they became part of the art social milieu: hosting dinners, visiting studios, and forming personal bonds with artists. Their collection included works by many core Pop and post-war artists: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Tom Wesselmann, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and others. After their move to the Roaring Fork Valley, the Powers continued their relationships with artists, often hosting them in Aspen and later in Carbondale, Colorado. In the late 1908s, John and Kimiko created the Ryobi Foundation to advance art and art appreciation in the Valley.
Following John Powers’ passing in 1999, Kimiko Powers transformed the foundation into a parent organization to support the building of the Powers Art Center, steward the art collection, create a program of study around Jasper Johns, and conserve their former ranch outside of Carbondale, Colorado. Born was the Powers Art Center as a museum in the middle of a cow pasture, showcasing some of the most iconic art of the 20th century.
Powers Art Center
A museum was born
The Powers Art Center, as a building, is both a work of art and a model of sustainability. Designed by Hiroshi Nanamori from 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 multiple decades of his artistic career.
The Study Center
The Ryobi Foundation’s Study Center deepens this educational mission by providing access to rare books, personal correspondence, archival photographs, and video documentation—materials that illuminate the Powers’ relationships with artists and their decades-long engagement with modern art. This resource supports scholars, graduate students, authors, curators, and all who seek to explore the artistic history that shaped the Powers’ lives and collection.
In 2025, the Ryobi Foundation established the Jasper Johns Fellowship, a nine to twelve month appointment for researchers and curators dedicated to advancing scholarship on Jasper Johns’ work. Fellows engage directly with the Powers collection and archives, contributing new insights into the life and legacy of one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century.
The Land
Surrounding the Powers Art Center is a 420+ acre ranch that has been stewarded and ranched by the Martin Family for three generations. The Martins were both close friends and business partners of the Powers. Today, Sean Martin, a successful businessman and rancher, oversees the cattle and ranching operations.
The land remains a working agricultural landscape and a habitat for elk, deer, bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and other native species. To ensure the long-term protection of this natural environment, the Ryobi Foundation partnered with the Aspen Valley Land Trust to place the ranch under a conservation easement, preserving its sweeping vistas and ecological integrity for future generations.
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Jasper Johns (b. 1930)
Fragment-According to What Hinged Canvas, 1971
Fragment of a Letter, 2010
Ocean, 1996
© Jasper Johns and ULAE / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY, Published by Universal Limited Art Editions
© Jasper Johns and Gemini G.E.L. / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY, Published by Gemini G.E.L.
© Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY