The Powers Art Center in Carbondale recently celebrated its 11th anniversary and continues to grow as a community resource. Like the Frick in New York City, it is an unusual art institution that has spawned from the quirks of a single private art collection. Founded by Kimiko Powers to commemorate her husband John’s life, the Center holds works (mainly Pop Art) the couple collected as prominent figures in the art world from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Downstairs, visitors will encounter a rotation of Pop Art heavyweights including Warhol, Oldenburg, Rauschenberg and Lichtenstein. Upstairs is permanently devoted to Jasper Johns, a curatorial homage based on the relationship between the Powers and the artist. One Jasper Johns work on display is inscribed “To Kimiko,” a gesture of friendship and intimacy. Their engagement extends to the rest of the Pop crew: Kimiko famously appears in one of Warhol’s screenprints, which he later used as the promotional image for an exhibition at Colorado State University in 1981.
If the Center’s collection reflects a life in art appreciation, what distinguishes the Center today is the evolution of its mission. Initially founded with a somewhat narrow curatorial scope — one exhibition per year, always Pop Art, strictly from the private collection — the Powers has expanded its reach through education and accessibility.
Over the past four years, under the leadership of Museum Director Sonya Taylor, formerly the head of general programming, the Center’s educational initiatives have greatly expanded. One local educator affectionately described her as “the Martha Stewart of teaching kids art.”
The Center offers free registration for school tours and has hosted every school in the Roaring Fork Valley this year. “As far as schools we’ve reached, we’ve worked with groups from Aspen to Glenwood Springs and as far as Grand Junction and Denver,” said Community Engagement Manager Megan Rusby.
Teachers consistently note how the Center is accommodating. “The communication is direct, with a real love for our community,” said Alida Haslett of Yampah High School. “Whatever time we have, Sonya makes it work. I don’t know how. It’s magical.”
Taylor, who previously worked in K–12 education, designs the tours herself around the Center’s “Power Packs,” guided activities tailored to different age groups that help students connect with Pop Art’s unique visual language. Given how much media culture has evolved since the ‘60s, Pop Art requires careful context for contemporary audiences to reclaim the original emphasis on immediacy. Once considered pulp, many of its references now live mainly in the canon of art history, with Pop Art’s own fame sometimes eclipsing the targets of its appropriation. Still, the Center finds ways to maintain its themes playful and punchy. In the Learning Lab, for example, visitors collage colorful cutouts on a growing magnetic wall display inspired by Frank Stella’s exuberance.
The Powers campus, a 400-acre ranch housing a collection valued at around $291 million, commands a certain intensity that leaves a lasting impression. Haslett, whose classroom is for students that face social and emotional challenges, described their visits: “They grumble on the bus, complaining until we get there. Then they see the grounds and say, ‘This place is fancy.’ They move quietly through the activities, and by the time we leave, they’re psyched to make art.”
The Center remains firmly committed to its mission. “We’re a well-rounded team,” said Rusby. “We’re focused on using our resources to deliver, through the field trip program, free admission and community, access to a truly high caliber of artists.”
Looking ahead, Rusby is organizing a children’s art exhibition this spring at the Center. A recently announced documentary, “The Powers: A Life in Art” directed by Tyler Oliver, will explore the legacy of the Powers collectors. On Dec. 2, the Center opens its next exhibition, “Jasper Johns: Not Mine but Taken,” a show that, as always, welcomes everyone.