On May 28, Aspen Chapel Gallery opened ‘CLIMATE’, a photography showcase meant to highlight the effects of climate change in several areas of the world. Made possible through curator Greg Watts and gallery co-founders Tom Ward and Michael Bonds, this show will not only feature Watts’ photography but also the works of Seth Andersen, Joe Baldwin, Andy Better, Theo Corwin, Katalin Domoszlay, Peter McBride, Summers Moore, Greg Poschman, Deb Shannan and Sallie Dean Shatz.
“We have artists that deal with macro photography of spiders and all the way to master photographers with stars, galaxies and everything in between. I just wanted to get a lot of people’s points of view,” Watts told The Sopris Sun. “There’s a lot in the way their types of photography and perspectives differ as well.”
This show will feature shots of nature, animals, mining sites and protests — all demonstrating the effects of climate change over time and the conversations around climate change that have evolved and shifted.
It also kicks off the Aspen Chapel Gallery’s 40th anniversary celebration. The gallery opened its doors in June of 1985. According to Ward, upcoming exhibits from various curators are sure to spike curiosity, including his own.
“This show is essentially the start of this next year, where we’ll be looking at various things to celebrate the 40th anniversary in the gallery,” said Ward. “Particularly, [in] this show, we have a lot of new photographers, so I’ll be curious to see their work.”
Watts said he was inspired to raise awareness among viewers about what is going on with climate change, in hopes of encouraging viewers to be more mindful of the world we live in.
“Each curator gets one show a year and for a while I was struggling to pick a topic. That was until October of 2024, when I saw where this country was heading politically,” Watts explained.
“My show is not political, but I knew then that I wanted my show to help raise awareness. It’s not like people don’t know what’s happening, but a good portion of the population doesn’t believe it’s happening,” he continued. “Awareness is key, but only one part of the issue. I want the show to communicate and educate through the medium of photography the consequences of inaction.”
The exhibit is brought in partnership with Wilderness Workshop, a nonprofit that has worked with Aspen Chapel Gallery since 2017. Every show at the Aspen Chapel Gallery includes a nonprofit sponsor and beneficiary. In what happened to be a sweet full-circle moment, Watts chose Wilderness Workshop as this show’s nonprofit sponsor.
“The first partnership Aspen Chapel Gallery did was with Wilderness Workshop, and Greg chose them to be the partner for this show — not knowing they were our first,” explained Ward. “In a way, it is also a celebration of that as well. We know that Wilderness Workshop is right out there in the forefront regarding our lands.”
Ten percent of sales from the exhibition and 20% of sponsorships will benefit Wilderness Workshop.
Ward and Watts expressed their excitement for the opening and for the photographers featured in the showcase, many of whom are premiering their work in a gallery for the first time.
“I like to give people a chance to put their work up on a wall. It’s one thing to look at stuff in your studio, but it’s an entirely different thing to put something you put a lot of work into on a wall with hundreds of people looking at it and hopefully getting good feedback,” said Watts. “That’s what I like about the Aspen Chapel Gallery; it gives people that opportunity.”
While the opening has passed, there will be a conversation with the artists and Will Roush from Wilderness Workshop moderated by Andrew Travers on Wednesday, June 11 at 6pm. For more information, visit www.aspenchapelgallery.org or call 970-925-7184