At Aspen Meadows Resort, art is woven into the landscape, architecture, and experience, creating a destination unlike any other in Aspen. Home to one of the largest on-site art collections at a resort in the world, the 40-acre property offers an immersive journey through Herbert Bayer’s vision, from sculpted landscapes and outdoor installations to The Bayer Center museum and Bauhaus-inspired guest suites designed to inspire.
At Aspen’s Edge, Inspiration Unfolds
Art Carousel
Walk Through a Work of Art
Explore the Aspen Meadows campus through a self-guided art tour, uncovering the stories behind Herbert Bayer’s sculptures, architecture and visionary landscape design.
Experience Aspen Meadows as Herbert Bayer intended: an immersive union of art, architecture and nature. The Aspen Art Retreat pairs Bauhaus-inspired accommodations with thoughtfully curated cultural experiences.
One in a series of gates designed by Herbert Bayer, this colorful cluster of rectangles welcomes visitors to the Aspen Institute campus on its southwest corner at Gillespie Street. The 16-ft sculpture is a distinctive marker for the Bayer Center and a bridge to the Aspen Community.
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The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies
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610 W Gillespie St
Aspen, CO 81611
Opened in 2022, The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies is an 7,000 sq. ft., two-story, museum-grade facility that preserves the art, legacy, and expanded contexts of artist/designer Herbert Bayer (1900–1985).
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Boettcher Seminar Building
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This Bayer-designed building - along with its two smaller buildings, or 'pods' connected by a walkway - is the location of three conference rooms, as well as several offices. Inside, International Design Conference in Aspen posters are on display, as well as a notable collection of photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, which were taken during his time as an Artist-in-residence at the Institute in 1971.
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Musser Japanese Garden
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Entitled Sage Mountain Sky, this contemplative space was designed by notable Japanese garden designer Dr. David Slawson in 1994.
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Michael Klein Music Tent
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960 N 3rd St
Aspen, CO 81611
The Michael Klein Music Tent is the summer performance facility for the Aspen Music Festival and School. Eero Saarinen designed the first tent for the Goetche Bicentennial in 1949. The current tent was erected in 2000 and designed by architect Harry Teague. It seats 2,050 people.
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Anaconda
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Herbert Bayer hand-selected the Carrara marble from Central Italy for this monumental seven-piece geometric sculpture. Anaconda was first installed in the foyer of Atlantic Richfield’s Anaconda building in Denver, Colorado in 1978. The Aspen Institute acquired the sculpture from the Denver Art Museum in 2017. This is the first time Anaconda has been exhibited since 1995.
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The Walter Paul Paepcke Memorial Building
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1000 N 3rd St
Aspen, CO 81611
Originally designed by Bayer in 1962, and completely renovated in 2010. It currently serves as the Institute’s main building, containing the front desk, a 400-seat auditorium, library, gallery and the majority of the Aspen Institute’s staff offices.
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Paepcke Gallery
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The Walter Paul Paepcke Memorial building also houses the Paepcke Gallery which displays intimate exhibitions of ‘Herbert Bayer and his Circle’ that change annually.
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David H. Koch Seminar Building
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1000 N 3rd St
Aspen, CO 81611
Completed in 1953, this was the first building on the property. Bayer designed the hexagonally shaped seminar rooms to accommodate 6-sided discussion tables. The lobby features a collection of black and white photography by Ferenc Berko, former Institute photographer, dating back to the Institute’s groundbreaking.
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Sgraffito Wall
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Made by Herbert Bayer in 1953, using a technique Bayer learned from Wassily Kandinsky in the Bauhaus, this outdoor mural (located on the south side of the Koch building) shows Bayer's fascination of the work in progress is seen inside the Koch Seminar Building.
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Intuition
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The work of the British sculptor John Robinson, Intuition consists of three stainless steel interlocking triangles mounted on top of river rock.
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Elizabeth Paepcke Memorial Wildflower Garden
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Elizabeth Paepcke, the wife of the Institute’s founder and a faithful supporter, had always maintained a beautiful flower garden in the yard of her Aspen home. In 1995, the Paepckes’ daughters provided the Institute with the initial funding to create a wildflower garden near the Institute's oldest building in memory of their mother.
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Geodesic Dome
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Buckminster Fuller’s 36 foot-diameter dome was designed for the 1952 International Design Conference and later used as a cover for the Aspen Meadows pool. This unique climate controlled device was fitted with a semi-spherical canvas, later re-canvased and restored in 2012.
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Anderson Park
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Designed in 1973, Anderson Park was one of Bayer’s final creations on campus. It was dedicated in honor of the Institute’s second President, Robert O. Anderson. Bayer intended for visitors to interact with the mounds; he invited people to climb, play, sit, meditate or just relax on the elevated berms. Anderson Park is a special venue for weddings and events.
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Amy’s Meadow
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Originally used as a horse-racing track, this designated Open Space is covered with sage and wildflowers with traces of the original track remaining. In 2016, a conservation easement was placed on this parcel to ensure it remains undeveloped in perpetuity, and named in honor of former Institute Executive Vice President Amy Margerum Berg.
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Big Dipper
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This piece, completed in 1973, is the work of German-born, Mexican sculptor Mathias Goeritz. From a bird’s eye view, these star-shaped pillars form the constellation of the Big Dipper. As with the real constellation, if one traces an imaginary line between the two stars furthest from the handle (the two tallest pillars) and follows it out into the night sky, that line points to the North Star.
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The Residential Complex: Crown, Arco, Malott, Whittlemore, Catto, Kresge, Wachner and Wexner
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The guest suites at the Aspen Meadows Resort are located in six separate buildings. Bayer designed the Bauhaus-inspired residential complex in 1954 Building and Health Center. The first remodel was completed in the early 1990s. The project succeeded in preserving this landmark, as the buildings remain faithful to the original blueprints and Bauhaus style. The interiors of the guest suites were most recently renovated in 2022.
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Marble Garden
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Created by Herbert Bayer in 1955 using 21 pieces of white marble reclaimed from Marble, Colorado, a quarry near Aspen. Through a balance of natural imperfection and geometrical experimentation, the arrangement creates an interplay of light and shadow. Marble Garden was restored in 2021.
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The Grass Mound
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Aspen, CO 81611
Herbert Bayer's Grass Mound was completed in 1955. Notably, this piece is one of the first earthworks ever made, predating other earthwork artists by at least ten years.
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Doerr-Hosier Center
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870 Meadows Rd
Aspen, CO 81611
Built in 2007 and designed by architect Jeff Berkus, the Doerr-Hosier Center combines elements of modernism with inspiration from the natural world and Eastern philosophy and design. The building offers a large event space for 300 people, terraces, seminar rooms, a full catering kitchen, the Resnick Art Gallery, Isaacson Room and Andy Goldsworthy’s Stone River.
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The Resnick Gallery and Isaacson Room
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Downstairs in the Doerr-Hosier building is the Resnick Gallery and Isaacson Room, which are dedicated to exhibiting the work of Herbert Bayer. The gallery also features a permanent sandstone artwork by Andy Goldsworthy.
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Stone River
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Built in 2007 in collaboration with architect Jeff Berkus, renowned British artist Andy Goldsworthy’s red sandstone, serpentine wall winds into and through the Doerr-Hosier Center. Goldsworthy combined sandstone chosen from areas of conflict around the world -- as well as local Colorado sandstone -- to make a wall of unity, rather than division.
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Resnick-Malek Health Center
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845 Meadows Rd
Aspen, CO 81611
The Health Center and the large “HC” mural are the work of Bayer. Constructed in 1955, the Health Center contains a fitness center, gymnasium, lap pool, change rooms, saunas and hot tub. The Health Club is available to members and hotel guests.
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Walter Isaacson Center
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This hotel reception center, designed by Herbert Bayer and opened in 1958, was renovated in 2024 and is now dedicated to Walter Isaacson, former president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. Herbert Bayer's art is prominently displayed throughout.
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Madeleine K. Albright Pavilion
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The Reception Center was expanded in 2018 to accommodate additional indoor seating. The pavilion is named in honor of longtime Institute Trustee and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and includes the Bren and Mel Simon Terrace.
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Kaleidoscreen
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Finished in 1957, this Bayer piece was originally placed near the edge of the swimming pool and could manipulate wind flow and sunlight/shade to the pool as a cranking device manually rotated the seven aluminum louvers. Bayer designed the Kaleidoscreen so that it would function both practically and aesthetically. Kaleidoscreen was restored in 2023.
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Walking & Art Guide
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Adventures in art and nature
Family-Friendly Art Scavenger Hunt
With our grounds rich in architecture and outdoor sculptures, your family can use clues to find special works of art. Rent out a polaroid camera from the front desk to document each finding. Once completed, visit the front desk to collect a special prize.
Experience one of the largest resort art collections in the world
Aspen Art Retreat
Your retreat begins in a Bauhaus-inspired suite, where timeless artistry meets modern comfort. Stroll through Bayer’s sculpted landscapes, uncover hidden stories along our Art Walk, and enjoy complimentary access to The Bayer Center. Every moment is curated to inspire.
