Aspen Gallery Partners With Harvest For Hunger To Fund Food Pantries

Aspen —The obvious take on a gallery show titled Feast D’Arte is that it’s about food. You expect paintings of apples, sculptures of bread, maybe a hyper-realistic rendering of a cheese wheel. But the real story here isn’t the subject matter — it’s the mechanism. The art is the bait; the hunger is the catch.

It’s a contrarian move to pair high-art aesthetics with a gritty social issue like food insecurity, but that’s exactly why it works. The Aspen Chapel Gallery, nestled on the lower level of the chapel off the roundabout at 0077 Meadowood Drive, has hosted 270 consecutive exhibitions over 41 years. For its October exhibit, opening from 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 7, the gallery is partnering with Harvest for Hunger. Ten percent of the profits from all works sold will go directly to the nonprofit.

Harvest for Hunger, founded in 2021 by local skiers in Snowmass Village, distributes about 170,000 pounds of food annually through Stigma-Free Pantries. It’s a massive operation for a group that started just a few years ago. And now, the gallery is funneling resources straight into that pipeline.

Curator Kathy Honea sees it clearly. “I am aware of the food situation for many living in the valley and am amazed what Harvest for Hunger has been able to do in a few short years to help so many and to address food waste,” she said. She’s not just curating a show; she’s directing a flow of money toward a specific, urgent need.

The artists themselves bring a mix of established and emerging voices. Returning exhibitors like Bill Gruenberg and Christie Interlante sit alongside debuts from Mike Campbell and Lucy Congdon Hanson. Congdon Hanson, who returned to the Roaring Fork Valley after raising children in Washington, is focusing on ceramics. Her work features cartoon food — delightful exaggerations of shared life experiences. “Working in clay combines my love of shape and proportion from sculpture with my love of color from painting,” she explained.

Gallery Co-Director Michael Bonds noted that each artist is bringing something unique to the table. It’s a diverse collection, but the thread connecting them is the cause.

Stand there long enough and you realize the "feast" isn't just visual. It’s communal. It’s a gift. The gallery isn’t just selling art; it’s facilitating generosity. In a valley where the gap between haves and have-nots can feel stark, this show offers a tangible way to bridge it. One purchase, one contribution, one step toward fullness.