Dates and Art Exhibit Location

July 18 – August 27: Aspen Meadows

Events

Friday, July 16: 12:30pm-2:00pm — Society of Fellows Luncheon (Invitation only)
Sunday, July 18: 3:00pm-5:00pm — Opening Reception - Hines Patio, Kresge Building, The Aspen Meadows Resort (Free and open to the public)
Monday, July 19: 7:00pm-8:00pm - Panel Discussion with former East German Dissident Artists - Schermer Meeting Hall, Anderson Ranch (Free and open to the public)
Tuesday, July 20: 4:00pm - rtists Private Exhibition Walk-through followed by Wine & Cheese Reception (6:00pm) at home of Rita & Irwin Blitt. (Invitation only)
Wednesday, July 21: 12:30pm - Lunch at the Pine Creek Cookhouse (We welcome anyone to join and meet the artists in an informal setting; each at own cost. Reservation with Pine Creek Cookhouse recommended.)
Thursday, July 22: Time TBD - There will likely be a recreational activity where we welcome anyone to join and participate (each at own cost). Stay tuned for details!
Friday, July 23: 7:00 - Final Evening Artist Reception at studio of James Surls (Invitation only)

Event Photos

Click images for larger versions. Click here to see all photos from the event.

Local Partners and Sponsors

Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues.

Anderson Ranch
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a learning community dedicated to creativity and growth through the making and understanding of the visual arts.

Snowmass Mountain Chalet
Snowmass Mountain Chalet, a true ski-in, ski-out Colorado lodge,is proud to be a supporter of the Breakthrough Art Organization. www.mountainchalet.com

Aspen Report

Breakthrough! Twenty Years After German Unification – Critical Perspectives of Berlin was open to the public July 18 through August 27 at the Aspen Institute Meadows in Aspen, Colorado. Aspen was the second city on a five-city tour across the US of Breakthrough!

An Opening Reception on July 18 was well-attended by local leaders from business, government, academia and the arts. Seven of the 10 artists were on hand to discuss their works and life experiences. Those artists in attendance were photographers Gerald Adam Hahn and Harald Hauswald; painters Thomas Klingenstein, Inge Schmidt, Reinhard Stangl, and Robert Weber; and sculptor Hans Scheib. Works by painters Peter Herrmann, Wolfgang Petrick and Frank Rodel were also showcased.

"I first met these courageous artists from the former East Germany while serving as deputy director of the Aspen Institute in Berlin in the early 1990s," said Jeff Thinnes, founder and president of Breakthrough Art Organization. "Consequently, for our inaugural program championing freedom of expression, I'm particularly gratified that Breakthrough is able to partner with the Aspen Institute."

Dana Gioia, Director of the Harman-Eisner Program in the Arts at the Aspen Institute and former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts said: "Breakthrough! is an extraordinary exhibition from both an artistic and historical perspective. The art work is revelatory, displaying an exciting new generation of German painters, sculptors, and photographers of enormous energy and assurance. The exhibition also captures an essential story of modern history by showing how creativity insists on freedom even under political repression.”

Aspen events included:

  • a private luncheon and discussion with about 75 members of the Aspen Institute’s Society of Fellows
  • a panel discussion with an auditorium filled to capacity at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center located in nearby Snowmass, Colorado
  • a National Public Radio interview with Breakthrough artists Inge Schmidt and Thomas Klingenstein and with Breakthrough founder Jeff Thinnes
  • a television broadcast with Thomas Klingenstein
  • private receptions and discussions with local leaders from the arts and business community hosted by local artist Rita Blitt and her husband, Irwin; another by James Surls and Charmaine Locke; and a third by Renee Schatz.
  • The Breakthrough artists also had the opportunity to visit some of the unique Aspen sites such as the Maroon Bells mountains, the abandoned mining town of Ashcroft, and the local “watering hole” -- Woody Creek Tavern.