Entry No. 41 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: art museum

Powers Art Center

A red sandstone cube rising out of an active cattle ranch two miles south of Carbondale, the Powers Art Center is arguably the most improbable serious art museum in the American West. Tokyo architect Hiroshi Nanamori designed the 15,000-square-foot structure using Zen Buddhist spatial principles and local sandstone; at the entrance, a reflecting pool frames 13,000-foot Mount Sopris through a concrete lattice screen. Inside, the ground floor rotates work by Warhol, Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, and Oldenburg drawn from the Powers family collection. Upstairs, the entire upper gallery is devoted to a single artist: Jasper Johns. More than 300 of his works on paper rotate in sets of 100, making this the only museum on earth with a permanent collection solely dedicated to him. Admission is always free.

The move: Drive out Highway 82 until the minimal sign appears in the scrubland, then spend an hour moving through Rauschenberg on the ground floor and Johns upstairs. Grab lunch in Carbondale's compact downtown afterward — a fifteen-minute walk from the plaza strips along 3rd Street.

📍 Before you go Open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is always free; no reservations needed for individuals or couples (groups of 6+ must book ahead, max capacity 30). Free on-site parking. Allow about an hour. No food or drink inside. The museum sits on a working ranch — the surrounding 420-acre property is protected by conservation easement and remains active farmland, so expect cattle on adjacent pastures. Confirm seasonal closures before making the drive from Grand Junction (~2 hours each way).

• 📍 Carbondale, CO
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 13110 Highway 82, Carbondale, CO 81623

Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-11