Kelly Cornell, Director of the Dallas Art Fair (DAF) since 2016, has been appointed Director of the Aspen Art Fair in Colorado. Ms. Cornell told Glasstire she will remain in her position at DAF, managing both roles.
An Aspen Art Fair press release stated that Ms. Cornell “will oversee the fair’s curatorial vision, exhibitor relations, and programming with immediate effect.”
The Aspen Art Fair, a boutique fair held in the guest rooms of a historic hotel, started in 2024 with 22 participating galleries. The 2025 edition featured an international slate of 45 participating galleries, including Galleri Urbane from Dallas.
Kelly Cornell
In a press release, Ms. Cornell is described as “a seasoned art fair leader,” who in her new role will “creat[e] opportunities for new dialogue between collectors, institutions, and artists through salon-style conversations, private collection visits, site-specific activations, and programming in partnership with Aspen’s world-class cultural organizations.”
Bob Chase, co-founder of the fair with former director Becca Hoffman, said, “Kelly’s experience and leadership at the Dallas Art Fair … will be vital as we expand the Aspen Art Fair’s global reach, deepen relationships with leading galleries and collectors, and advance its position on the international art and cultural calendar.”
Ms. Cornell told Glasstire that she’s “really excited to build on the foundation that’s already been created for the Aspen Art Fair, and work on this further evolution of it.” She said synergy exists between the Texas and Colorado art scenes, “specifically Dallas and Aspen, and I think both of these fairs are very distinct in their qualities, but they’re committed to their communities. … They have their own identities that we can keep and preserve, but also work on some efficiencies and make things better. And there can be lots of synergies between the collector base and the gallery base as well. So I think it is a very smart, strategic move for us.”
Mr. Chase recognized Ms. Cornell for her “compelling programming” during the Dallas Art Fair, which includes onsite panel discussions and visits to private collections, along with partnerships with other Dallas art institutions. Ms. Cornell said she would like to work on strengthening partnerships and programming in Aspen based on what she’s established in Dallas.
The Dallas Art Fair, which announced its slate of 85 exhibitors earlier this month, will take place Thursday, April 16, through Sunday, April 19, at the Fashion Industry Gallery.
The Aspen Art Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, through Saturday, August 1, in the Hotel Jerome. The list of participating galleries and fair programming is forthcoming.