Richard Carter’s Observable Universe
Featuring Richard Carter, renowned artist, cofounder of the Aspen Art Museum, and former studio assistant to Bauhaus artist and designer Herbert Bayer from 1972 to 1978, in conversation with Andrew Travers, Bayer Center’s Penner Manager of Educational Programs, and moderated by Genna Moe, Senior Director of the Society of Fellows at the Aspen Institute. Carter will discuss his work with Bayer, his involvement in the evolving Aspen art scene over the past five decades and his new exhibition, Richard Carter’s Observable Universe, on view in the Paepcke Gallery (1000 N. 3rd St.) from October 2, 2023 through April 12, 2024. Spanning 2002 to 2021, these mixed media pieces mark a break from Carter’s signature geometric and constructivist paintings and instead reflect his intense study of Earth sciences and astronomical, natural, and geological phenomena.
Paepcke Auditorium, doors at 5:30 pm
While attendance at the events is free and open to everyone, registration is required, and capacity is established on a first-come, first-served basis. Register here.
Parking
Parking is very limited. Please carpool, walk, bike, or ride RFTA.
Richard Carter’s 50 year career in Art has been guided by intense curiosity, a drive to master his craft, and by intriguing themes that captivate him and ultimately define his bodies of work. Carter’s unique interpretation of modernist painting and design was broadened by the early years he spent as Herbert Bayer’s studio assistant. His creativity has typically (though not always) come to life through unique geometric abstractions centered on fully developed concepts and philosophies. Originally from New Jersey, Richard has lived in Aspen Colorado for five decades, fully immersed in his studio and developing a reputation nationally. He has exhibited in the Denver Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art LA, The Aspen Art Museum, the Aspen Institute (Aspen and Berlin), the Colorado Fine Arts Center, Aurora Arts Center, and the Santa Monica Museum. Carters paintings are in a number of these institutions’ permanent collections and he has been represented by eminent galleries across the U.S. In March 2022, he was honored by the Colorado Business Council for the Arts with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his constant dedication to enriching lives and communities with cultural activism, including serving on boards of the Aspen Institute, Tacaw, Anderson Ranch, Aspen Art Museum and The Art Base. He works daily in his studio in Basalt, Colorado.
Genna Moe is the Senior Director of the Society of Fellows. Raised in Berkeley, California, Genna has called the Colorado Rocky Mountains home since moving to Aspen in 2008. In 2016, Genna was named among the “Top 20 Most Influential Young Professionals Under 40” by ColoradoBiz magazine for her work as Executive Director of the Art Base in Basalt Colorado, where she led the organization through a comprehensive rebranding to achieve significant financial and organizational growth, resulting in the evolution of the Art Base into a vital component of the Roaring Fork Valley. From her art and healing efforts at the University of Washington, Seattle Medical Center, to curriculum development for University of California Berkeley’s youth summer program, to management of the City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House, and development of education outreach programs for the Aspen Art Museum — a dedication to increasing access to ideas that nurture community and inspire philanthropic giving to better the world has always been, and continues to be, at the forefront of Genna’s professional aspirations. Genna holds dual degrees in Interdisciplinary Visual Art and Art History from the University of Washington, Seattle, including a two-year undergraduate fellowship in Italy, and a Master of Liberal Studies in Nonprofit Management from the University of Denver.
Andrew Travers is the inaugural Penner Manager of Educational Programs. Based in Aspen, he is responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating the Center’s educational programming and public engagement initiatives. A former newspaper and magazine editor, he began telling the story of Herbert Bayer and Aspen’s art history for the Aspen Daily News and Aspen Times and now does so for the Institute’s Center devoted to the artist’s life and work.
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