This is that time of the year when the media reflects on the past 51 or 52 weeks through various presentations top 10 stories of the year, top news makers of the year, the biggest surprises of the year, the biggest disappointments, and so on.
Yet in 2020, there’s little disputing presidential election and social-justice causes not withstanding that the pandemic had the greatest impact on our daily lives than anything else.
People lost jobs. People struggled financially, socially and personally. People got sick. Businesses shuttered and failed. Schools closed. Ski areas closed. Events and festivals were canceled.
But life forged on and people came together.
Egyptian artist Ghada Amerâs Love Grave is part of Anderson Ranch Art Centerâs Sculpturally Distanced exhibit. PHOTO BY ROSHNI GORUR ON STAFF AT ANDERSON RANCH
Aspen stands out from other mountain towns around the world partly because of the strength and breadth of its cultural sceneâthe true soul and heartbeat of a town most famous for its outdoor pursuits. But culture in Aspen is about more than entertainment and mental enrichment. According to a recent study, the arts industry accounts for $451 million of Pitkin Countyâs economy and nearly 3,000 year-round jobs.
And so when much of the country was shut down this past summer and gathering sizes were limited, the Valleyâs arts scene came to a screeching and painful halt during what is traditionally its most jam-packed (and essential for fundraising) season. In an effort to keep the arts alive and their organizations afloat, local nonprofits had to throw away decades of
Construction on winterized outdoor seating continues outside of Mezzaluna in downtown Aspen on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
Pitkin County’s board of health agreed Thursday to make a pitch to the state to extend the current 10 p.m. curfew on business hours.
Responding to pleas from the restaurant community, the board unanimously agreed to have interim Public Health Director Jordan Sabella communicate with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment about making 11 p.m. the closing time.
It’s a strategy the county will pursue after previously self-imposing 9:30 p.m. as the cutoff time for liquor sales and 10 p.m. as closing time. Those voluntarily measures helped put the county into the Orange Plus phase last month while circumventing the harsher Red distinction, which prohibits indoor dining. Orange Plus allows 25% capacity indoors at dining establishments.
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That industry continues to be hit by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, but there’s hope that historically strong support for the arts will give local arts organizations the financial boost they need as they navigate the road ahead.
“This is a real economy in this valley,” said Carbondale Arts Executive Director Amy Kimberly. “The creatives, the performing arts, music, venues, restaurants art adds millions. You just don’t realize the money that does come in.”
Carbondale Arts has been one of the organizers and supporting partners of a new “Arts Through It All” campaign to get through the interim. The initiative supports local artists by promoting shopping small and local for the holidays. It has also started a dialogue between art organizations from Aspen to Redstone about how to support each other during this difficult time.
Courtesy Jazz Aspen Snowmass
The end-of-December arts and culture calendar in Aspen is normally crammed with events, from small local traditions to world-class presentations.
In the last two weeks of the year, there would be the Aspen Historical Society cookie exchange and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and Aspen Film’s Academy Screenings, the Theatre Aspen Cabaret Series and JAS Café concerts, a premier nightly lineup at Belly Up Aspen, galas and parties like the Aspen Art Museum’s “The Next” and the family-friendly happening of the 12 Days of Aspen. Not this year, as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues into 2021.