Earlier this year, the proposed studio building for the Art in Public Places Artist in Residency program received preliminary approval from the Vail Town Council, and AIPP coordinator Molly Eppard anticipates that it will debut in the summer of 2024. 

Located in a flat meadow overlooking Gore Creek in Ford Park, the studio, designed by Basalt-based Harry Teague, will sit in an open area adjacent to the covered bridge. With progressive layers of connection to the outdoors, the proposed zinc-clad building is what Teague calls a “classic modern gable.” The studio has privacy shades, but if the artist is comfortable working in front of an audience, Teague explains, visitors can peer into the studio and watch the process unfold. Likening it to a piece of sculpture, he’s even carved a corner out of the pure rectangle to highlight the entrance.

Teague is known for his innovative, art-focused work—including Anderson Ranch Arts Center, the Bucksbaum campus for the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the performance hall at Breckenridge Riverwalk Center—and Eppard believes his studio design has the potential to become a “legacy building in the community.” Teague credits the Logans with supporting the AIPP board and the Town of Vail to make a premier working artist studio. “You’re not going to get a good artist if it’s not a good studio,” he says, adding that the building will serve as a catalyst for Vail’s burgeoning art scene.  “I like creating catalysts. Rather than fighting for the big plan, start small with a jewel that will have a bigger effect in the long run.”