Aspen Art Museum spotlights 2025 Youth Art Expo

Mark your calendars!

The Aspen Art Museum’s Youth Art Expo is back, a free biennial student art exhibit that began on April 12 and runs until May 11. This year’s theme of “Art and Architecture” is an opportunity for school-age students from Aspen and Roaring Fork Valley to use their imagination to redesign spaces and have their creations celebrated in the museum. 

The 2025 Youth Art Expo was designed for this year, by Director of Education Teresa Booth Brown, Assistant Director of Education with input from Sabrina Piersol, artists Madelon Vriesendorp and Charlie Koolhaas, and designer Maya Bird-Murphy. The program itself is now on its third expo. 

The education team created lesson plans, videos, and workshops to help students think outside the box and try new things. In this process, they created bespoke lesson plans for each school, including for homeschoolers that want to participate. The final pieces range from drawings and models to life-size structures that people can walk into or look at up close.

“During the opening, it was so incredible to see students recognize their work and be incredibly excited to share it with their families and friends,” said Piersol. “I could see how validating and affirming and elevated the experience was for each child, who had put so much effort and love into their artwork to share it with the people that they care about, admire, and look up to.” 

Booth Brown and Piersol said there were so many special moments during the opening, with Piersol giving a shout-out to her high school fellowship group.

“I had the opportunity to work with a group of high school students in creating the Teen Gallery Takeover,” said Piersol of students Norah Glasgow, Kevin Castillo, Evelyn Gudino, and Sophia Carmona Diaz. “I think these students were a little overwhelmed at the amount of freedom that they had in the assignment, which was basically make this space whatever you want it to be. The teens honed in and identified key themes, and they ended up with something incredibly exciting and aligned.” 

The teens were also lined up outside the door before the museum opened to see the finished product with their family and peers.

“I thought it was a wonderful experience to see the young artists and their excitement in showing their work,” said artist Olivia Ernst, who attended the event. “It was seeing them explore their own unique artistic vision, without being pressured to align to any outside influences.” 

“The Youth Expo encourages students to take an idea and run with it, as well as giving them an opportunity to have their work shown in a serious institution,” shared Piersol. “That’s the kind of experience we want to provide on both ends. We want the projects to be a strong educational arts experience and we want the museum experience to be just as fulfilling.”