While you can’t hit Aspen’s slopes during the summer months, there is no shortage of stunning things to see—including art. With Art Aspen 2017 opening on August 4, there’s no better time to see what all the museums and galleries in the area have to offer. Dodge the summer heat by visiting some of Aspen’s coolest shows. 

Head to Galerie Maximillian and Casterline Goodman Gallery to see Mel Bochner and Ed Ruscha’s text-based works that are sure to leave you speechless. To check out works a little bit less spelled out, there are plenty of shows with thought-provoking installations and geometric abstraction. At the Aspen Art Museum, Shinique Smith’s mural engages with the concept of belonging through combining a myriad of aesthetics, from graffiti to Japanese calligraphy. Also on view, the Swiss artist duo Peter Fischli and David Weiss collaborated with Wade Guyton for an installation that questions how art-objects and everyday items interact in a museum setting. 

Afterwards, check out John Houck at Marianne Boesky Gallery, where the artist departs from his surrealist photography and experiments with painting. You can round out your trip with Dan Young’s works, which depict Colorado’s ever-changing landscape. The beautiful views of autumn and winter will make you feel a little less sad now that summer is almost over because, hey, there’s always ski season to look forward to.

Leave your hiking boots behind, and check out our full list of picks below.

Exhibition: “Ed Ruscha: Rooms with Words”
When: July 25–September 25, 2017
Where: Casterline Goodman Gallery, 611 E. Cooper Avenue, Aspen, CO

Hernan Bas, Mixed Emotions (2016). Courtesy of Fredric Snitzer Gallery for Art Aspen.

Exhibition: “Art Aspen”
When: August 4–6, 2017
Where: Aspen Ice Garden, 233 W. Hyman Avenue, Aspen, CO

Exhibition: “More than Words: Text Based Art”
When: July 28–September 30, 2017
Where: Galerie Maximillian, 602 E. Cooper Avenue, Aspen, CO

Wade Guyton and Fischli and Weiss, installation view. Courtesy of the Aspen Art Museum.

Exhibition: “Wade Guyton Peter Fischli David Weiss”
When: June 22–November 26, 2017
Where: Aspen Art Museum, 637 E. Hyman Avenue, Aspen, CO

Jim Hodges, Tracing the Contours of Our Days. Courtesy of Baldwin Gallery.

Exhibition: “Jim Hodges: Tracing the Contours of Our Days”
When: July 28–September 4, 2017
Where: Baldwin Gallery, 209 S. Galena Street, Aspen, CO

Shinique Smith, Resonant Ties (2015). Courtesy of the Aspen Art Museum.

Exhibition: “Shinique Smith: Resonant Tides”
When: November 28, 2015–September 10, 2017
Where: Aspen Art Museum, 637 E. Hyman Avenue, Aspen, CO

John Houck, Accumulator #10, 3 Colors #B2837A, #C4DCE0, #419D9C (printed 2017). Courtesy of Marianne Boesky Gallery.

Exhibition: “John Houck: Tenth Mountain”
When: July 27–October 1, 2017
Where: Marianne Boesky Gallery, 100 S. Spring Street, Aspen, CO

Dan Young, Autumn Burst. Courtesy of Ann Korologos Gallery.

Exhibition: “America at Heart: Dan Young, Valleys to Peaks”
When: August 3–September 3, 2017
Where: Ann Korologos Gallery, 211 Midland Avenue, Basalt, CO