Aspen Public Art has named five local artists for its new Art in Motion program and outlined its 2026 public art season, which runs May through October.
The news was announced March 25 at the “Public Art in the Making” event at the Red Brick Center for the Arts. All events will be free and open to the public.
“Now entering our second year at Aspen Public Art, we’re excited to continue to support visionary artists — from both here and afar — build community through creativity and increase access to art,” Program Lead of Aspen Public Art Lara Whitley said in a statement. “This season is rooted in place, leaning into Aspen’s rich history, costume culture and innovative spirit.”
Art in Motion
Aspen Public Art and WE-cycle partnered to create Art in Motion, which adds art to bikeshare kiosks and bikes across town.
The artwork of five Roaring Fork Valley locals — Molly Altman, Daniel Bayer, Emily Chaplin, Nika Meyers and Leah Potts — will appear on more than 30 kiosks and more than 100 pedal bikes in the Aspen WE-cycle system. Art in Motion bikes and kiosks roll out for the 2026 season in early May and remain through October.
By incorporating design into bikeshare infrastructure, this program reimagines public space as a gallery-on-the-go, according to the organizers.
Mall Fest 50
Aspen Public Art and the city of Aspen will host Mall Fest 50 to celebrate 50 years of the Aspen Pedestrian Mall — Hyman, Cooper, Mill and Galena streets. The mall opened in 1976, converting downtown streets to pedestrian-only use.
Mall Fest 50 will bring a series of public art experiences to the car-free mall in 2026.
Textile Artist Rachel B. Hayes
Textile Artist Rachel B. Hayes will install “Shifting Light” — 10 large, hand-sewn panels suspended in the tree canopies above Hyman and Cooper avenue malls. From May through October, people can walk beneath the installation and witness how it shifts with daylight.
Hayes drew inspiration from log-cabin quilts, abstract painting, stained glass and open-air walkways, according to a statement.
Rachel B. Hayes, “Shifting Light” rendering.Rachel B. Hayes/Courtesy photo
Art Parade
Aspen Public Art will host a public Art Parade on the morning of June 27.
The public can join an artist-led, people-powered procession of “costumes, contraptions and performances” under Hayes’ vibrant sails, which will traverse the mall and Aspen Saturday Market before concluding at a block party in Sister Cities Plaza.
The parade theme is “What do you LOVE about this place?”
Free community workshops will be offered on days leading up to the event. There will also be a costume contest with prizes, a photo booth and historical storytelling.
Free registration for the Art Parade and community workshops opens on April 1 at AspenPublicArt.com.
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