ALL THE FEELS Might Be the Coolest Art Show Ever in Aspen

A Denver-centric art exhibit opens tomorrow at the historic Crystal Palace in downtown Aspen, and it could be the coolest show ever in that mountain town. ALL THE FEELS will feel a little something like the "nostalgia of music that still tickles the hair on the back of your neck, the rush of memory from kitchen smells, or the deja vu of a new place that reminds one of the comfort of an old home," promises curator Max Kauffman.

The Crystal Palace was a legendary dinner theater for more than fifty years; after its sale three years ago, it has just reopened to become a combination store/hybrid event space — and a breath a fresh air in Aspen. This show, next to a New Year's party last week, will be the first use of the Crystal Palace since its closing. Kauffman will continue letting the air in all month: at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, he'll unveil new additions to ALL THE FEELS and also host artist talks, where participants might even live-paint a mural. 

"The theme of the show is work with an emotional response. It's all powerful, evocative, emotion-based more than technical based, a little bit of intuition," Kauffmann says. "Work that is a little more driven by impulses and feelings. This show aims to introduce a cross-section of artists with strong ties to Colorado that make work for themselves, for the love. Each artist carries an emotional undercurrent — work that clearly defines mood while leaving a narrative direction less delineated."

The kick-off reception at 6:30 p.m. January 7 celebrates former Aspenite and hometown hero Hannah Stouffer. While she will not be in attendance, her marvelous and almost psychedelic work speaks for itself. On January 14, Kauffman himself will speak, followed by John Fellows on January 21. "Fellows found these early maps of Aspen from the '50s, from when the resort first opened," Kauffman says.

The final bash on January 28 will feature artist Andrew Hoffman. "He has a whole new body of work," Kauffman continues. "It's basically a perfect synthesis of design and painting. Painting guided by design, but still very much painting."

The other artists in the show: Jaime Molina, Mike Gallegos, Jamos, Scot Lefavor, Sara Guindon, Tom Bond, Sandra Fettingis, Mike Ortiz, Axel Geitmann, Jonathan Lamb, Daryll Peirce, Chris Huth, Hans Walor, Takeo Hiromitsu, Jonathan Gold, Skye Weinglass, Chris Ford and Rob Mack.
Kauffman will be showing his own work, too. "It'll be watercolor and ink pieces and then there will be a couple of gouache, spraypaint-based work on panels," he says. "It's a brand-new mode for me, something I'm going to start working with a lot more this year."

But right now, he's focusing on changing expectations for art in Aspen with ALL THE FEELS. "It's half gallery, half experiment in curation in being able to bring a brand-new type of art to this area," he explains. "There are crazy legendary galleries here, but there's nothing to my knowledge that's current over the last fifteen to twenty years. It's super-exciting to kind of bring some newer, useful points of view. Ultimately it's exciting, even though it's more of that raw aesthetic; it's a lot of Denver artists who have been doing it for decades."

ALL THE FEELS opens January 7 and runs through February 7 at the Crystal Palace, 300 East Hyman Avenue in Aspen. The show is presented by BLK MKT and Gravity Productions. Keep reading for more art that will be featured.