The Aspen community’s broad interests attract many of the world’s brightest minds in areas of arts, politics, science, food, sports and beyond to this small Rocky Mountain town. A part of this rich fabric are the organizations that are often leading Aspen’s intellectual revolution. Here are six avenues to gain intellectual capital at your next Aspen meeting:
Corporate Social Responsibility
Volunteerism is a cornerstone of the Aspen identity. We encourage all groups visiting Aspen to take time to invest in our community that we love and serve to protect. We have a variety of educational and inspirational nonprofit groups in Aspen that can teach your team about land or water conservation, wildlife and nature, classical music, the theater arts or feeding the most vulnerable members of our community. aspenchamber.org
Colorado Mountain College
Founded in 1965, CMC is a public community college with multiple campuses throughout Western Colorado, including one right here in Aspen. While the institute educates approximately 20,000 students every year, they also offer an array of non-credited community classes, from Thai cooking to yoga, needlepoint to CPR, creative writing to beekeeping, some just one session. Attending a class at CMC is a great way to add knowledge and fun to your field. coloradomtn.edu
The Aspen Institute
A world famous think tank, The Aspen Institute began in Aspen in 1949. Today it is home to dozens of community programs and lectures. It also hosts the weeklong Aspen Ideas Festival, an annual gathering of the brightest minds across a spectrum of pursuits. Taking place annually each June, lecture and discussion topics covered during the festival include global and domestic politics, the environment, technology, science, health, education, the arts, and economic issues. aspeninstitute.org
Pitkin Co. Library
Aspen’s library is a cultural epicenter of our community in more ways than one – from loaning books, learning languages or listening to Aspen Music Festival performances of years past from the archive. The public can also drop into its Town Hall Lecture Series, a valley-wide partnership with the Hurst Community Initiative/Aspen Institute, Pitkin and Garfield County libraries and chambers of commerce. pitcolib.org
Aspen Historical Society
Set your roots in the Aspen community by collaborating with our historical society. AHS’s 15-minute production, “A Briefly Complete History of Modern Aspen,” is a funny, fast-paced play that brings your group up to speed on Aspen history from 1936 to present day. AHS also operates four historic sites in Aspen – the Wheeler/Stallard Museum, the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum and the ghost towns of Ashcroft and Independence, perfect locations for private events. aspenhistory.org
Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES)
Throughout the winter, ACES partners with Wilderness Workshop and Roaring Fork Audubon to co-host the Naturalist Nights speaker series on Thursdays at 6 p.m. During summer months, join ACES birding experts for a look at our mountain species in their natural habitats. aspennature.org
If you are still looking for other ways for your group to tap into Aspen’s intellectual capital or you would like some more information on the options above we are here to assist. Please email [email protected] for more information. We look forward to help you create an experience that your group will always remember.
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