The Aspen Art Museum moved into a new downtown building in 2014, designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban — a striking three-storey structure with a woven wood-and-paper outer screen, an open rooftop sculpture deck, and a "moving stairway" that visitors can take down through the galleries from the rooftop café. The museum focuses on contemporary art and runs a rotating programme of solo and group exhibitions of international artists; there is no permanent collection.
Admission is free. The rooftop café (Sō Café) has one of the best views in central Aspen, looking south up Aspen Mountain, and is a good lunch stop independent of any interest in the galleries. The building itself is worth a visit just to see Ban's woven facade up close — the lattice is made of paper-resin composite and is one of the better examples of his work in the United States.