The Art in Public Places (AIPP) program is one of many culturally oriented programs in the Vail Valley.

Art in Public Places is pleased to unveil a five-year Strategic Plan outlining a new set of goals and objectives for the program which was officially adopted by the Vail Town Council November 2023.

The Town of Vail’s Art in Public Places creates a diverse and meaningful public art experience to engage the community and enhance the cultural vitality of Vail. 

The program is under the direction of a five-member board which meets monthly to discuss AIPP projects and direction. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the meetings which are held in the Vail Town Council Chambers on the first Monday of every month.

Project Spotlight

Request for Qualifications - Dobson Arena, Public Art Opportunity

The Town of Vail’s Art in Public Places and the Vail Recreation District––through the management of Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum––seek to commission large-scale public artworks for the Dobson Arena in Vail, Colorado, as part of the Dobson Arena Remodel Project. The artworks will be sited in up to 5 prominent locations throughout the highly trafficked building complex. The total budget for this project is approximately $273,000, which will be distributed across all commissions.

Built in 1979, the Dobson Arena is one of the largest multi-purpose ice facilities on Colorado’s Western Slope. The building is a hub of athletic and cultural activity, open year-round to the public for hockey, figure skating, and broomball, as well as many non-ice events, including concerts, conferences, and fundraisers.

Improvements at Dobson were identified as a significant part of the Town of Vail’s Civic Area Plan, which was adopted in 2019. In early 2024, the town contracted with Populous and Hyder/McHugh Construction to move the project forward. The remodel began in April 2025 and is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete, with an anticipated reopening at the end of September 2026. More information on the venue can be found here.

Click here for the Request for Qualifications proposal details.

Forest of Light installation by HYBYCOZO comes to Vail
Installation will be on view through Oct. 29

Wandering through Ford Park in the evenings takes on beautiful and contemplative dimensions with the Forest Light installation by HYBYCOZO, presented by Town of Vail’s Art In Public Places.

The collective’s first public art installation in Colorado, HYBYCOZO’s Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk’s work consists of larger-than-life sculptures that celebrate the inherent beauty of geometric form and pattern harmonizing the experience of sculpture, light, and shadow.

On view through Oct. 29, Forest Light is comprised of three powder-coated steel sculptures and takes on new dimensions when they are illuminated at dusk. The installation is located in Ford Park, near the new Vail Art Studio which opened in August. 

“These sculptures resemble the shape of a pinecone and felt appropriate for this environment,” says Beaulieu. “Sharing a lot of geometry, especially with the Fibonacci sequence with the spiral effect at the top of the sculptures along with the patterns emphasizing the shape even more so, the works feel right at home.”

Learn more about HYBYCOZO

Inaugural Vail Art Studio Challenge

Ten Local Artists competed for a Grand Prize of $5,000 and opportunity to create in the Vail Art Studio

Christopher "Gus" Gruner of Vail was the winner of the first Vail Art Studio Challenge, held Aug. 13.

Ten Eagle County-based artists competed at the inaugural Vail Art Studio Challenge at Avanti Vail mountainside patio. The artists had three hours to create a work from start to finish. The public was invited to the challenge and to watch the artists create and dine on the patio of Avanti Vail.

The $5,000 grand prize sponsored by Town of Vail's Art in Public Places (AIPP) patrons and renowned art collectors Vicki and Kent Logan. Gruner will be the first artist to create in the new Vail Art Studio in Ford Park for two weeks this fall.  was 

“The AIPP Board was incredibly pleased with the number of applications, quality, and breadth of work submitted by our valley’s creatives to be considered for the Vail Art Studio Challenge. The opening of the Vail Art Studio will serve as the cornerstone for Vail’s public art program with many opportunities to engage the community. It is an exciting time for the visual arts in Vail,” Molly Eppard, AIPP coordinator.  

Guest judges Squire Broel, Doe Browning, Pedro Campos, and Marc LeVarn will select the Grand Prize winner.

Squire Broel is a painter and sculptor from Walla Walla, Washington. His mixed media sculpture Rising from Memory, located by the entrance to the Vail Public Library, is included in the town’s permanent collection. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and his work is included in numerous private and public collections.  

Doe Browning, a 26-year resident of Vail, is the former Chair of the Town of Vail’s Art in Public Places Board. She has a BFA in ceramics and has focused on creating mixed media fashion for the past decade. Doe is an advocate for Project Funway as participant and judge for this popular annual fundraising event for Education Foundation for Eagle County. 

Pedro Campos is a Principal and Landscape Architect with longtime local planning and design firm Zehren and Associates, Inc, in Avon. He serves on several local boards, including the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, the Vail Valley Partnership, the Avon Cultural and Arts Committee, and the Eagle County Regional Trails Committee.       

Marc LeVarn is the president and co-owner of Vail International Gallery which is celebrating 20 years this winter. The Vail Village gallery specializes in contemporary and 20th century modern paintings and sculptures. 

DJ Theø Krause will entertain guests with music throughout the event. His background in jazz and soul has influenced his artistic passion to find compelling and complicated rhythms that ultimately lead to movement. Set against the stunning backdrop of Golden Peak, Avanti Vail features five unique food stalls, two bars and the largest patio in town - making it your go-to spot for the ultimate après-ski experience in the winter and the perfect place to soak up the sun in the summer. 

Museum Without Walls