This year, the 30+ WE-cycle kiosks and 120+ pedal bikes in the Aspen System feature 20 different works of art showcasing the talent of five local artists - Daniel Bayer, Emily Chaplin, Leah Potts, Molly Altman, and Nika Meyers - as part of the 2026 Aspen Public Art. Through photography, oil painting, watercolor, plein air and sculpture, the subject matter ranges from social and environmental landscapes to animals, flowers, and plants.

By incorporating design into bikeshare infrastructure, this program reimagines public space as a gallery-on-the-go. With every ride, Aspen Public Art and WE-cycle invite the community to engage with art, celebrate place, and choose sustainable transportation. Art in Motion bikes and kiosks will be on display through October.

Aspen Public Art

The Public Art Program of the City of Aspen creates community by connecting people to each other and to place through art experiences that build upon Aspen’s legacy of innovation, creativity and spirited independence. Aspen Public Art is part of the City of Aspen’s portfolio of cultural vibrancy funding which, in addition to commissioning new temporary artworks and maintaining the City’s public art collection, also provides arts and culture grants to nonprofits, Cultural Vibrancy Fellowships for artists, community arts programming at the Red Brick Center for the Arts and performing arts at the Wheeler Opera House. More at www.redbrickaspen.com.

2026 Art in Motion Artist Bios

Molly Altman
www.mollyaltman.com
@molly_alt_

Artist Biography
Molly Altman is a ceramic artist who works directly with her local floral ecology to create intricate porcelain sculptures. Molly obtained a BA in ceramics from Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont in 2019. Her experience includes Artist Residencies at Green River Pottery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Recipiente Estudio in Mexico City, Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology in Loch Lomond, California, and the Carbondale Clay Center in Carbondale, Colorado. She has taught and shown work nationally and internationally and her works are featured in private and public collections including the Bennington College Permanent Collection and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Molly currently lives and works in Carbondale, Colorado.

Dan Bayer
www.danielbayer.com
@danielbayer_photographer

Artist Biography
The imagination of a child is perhaps the most formative time in one’s life of making the impossible, the possible. Already in a youthful mindset of a dream state in self discovery, one merely has to pick up the pencil, guitar, brush or camera and set forth on a life-long journey that gives a reason to ask why and what’s next. Daniel Bayer did exactly that with a camera at age 8 and has been doing it ever since. For the past 38 years, Daniel has also had the self made fortune to make it a living which gives the pursuit of the craft a sense of collaborative purpose, freedom of exploration and acknowledgment of being on the right path. From the literal launching of his career making images on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy in his late teens, to being a camera wielding multi-decade fixture at the Aspen Institute, Daniel lives inside and outside of his camera and darkroom, but invites everyone in through his photographs. Through the community of long time clients, a loving family and friends, Daniel Bayer continues to follow the path he chose early in life in making photographs in the boundless setting of the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.

Emily Chaplin
www.emilychaplinart.com
@emilychaplinart

Artist Biography
Emily Chaplin is a full-time working artist with a studio in Aspen, Colorado. Originally from North Carolina where she attended UNC Chapel Hill, Emily Chaplin has called the Roaring Fork Valley home for the past 15 years. An oil painter working in expressive color and painting primarily with palette knife, Emily’s vibrant impasto renderings of the natural world have caught the eye of private and corporate collectors from around the United States. Her original works reside in more than twenty US states. Her work is currently represented by Elliott Yeary Gallery of Aspen and Wilde Meyer Galleries of Scottsdale & Tucson, AZ. For the past five years, Emily has exhibited her work each summer at her booth at the Aspen Saturday Market and for the past three years at the Aspen Art Festival in Paepcke Park. She enjoys contributing to local organizations and has donated work to Wilderness Workshop, the Buddy Program, the Snowmass Rotary and The Art Base.

Nika Meyers
www.nikameyers.com
@nika.meyers.art

Artist Biography
Born and raised in the hills of Bridgewater, VT nestled among fresh produce and hardwoods, she grew up a visual learner and was fascinated by the natural world. At age 11, inspired by her community needs, she co-founded with her twin sister, Change the World Kids, a teen run non- profit dedicated to making the world a better place free of charge. There, a conservation project was born, conserving and restoring habitat in Costa Rica for neo-tropical migrants and endangered species. Migration patterns and connectivity were key concepts she learned from a young age. She received a degree in Studio Art and Environmental Studies from Mount Holyoke College where she focused on visually representing landscapes in terms of systems through printmaking, paper-making and mixed media. Her thesis, titled Interconnectedness: How do we form a relationship to a changing landscape, incorporated elements of both the man made and natural world through installation pieces and large 2 demential work. Her work was chosen for several shows including, the Arches Student Print Exhibition, and the National Collegiate Handmade Paper Art Triennial. During these college years she visited New York City and Boston countless times to learn from the Urban working art communities. Instead of immediately pursuing a career in art, she served as an AmeriCorps member for the Green Mountain Club, a trail organization in Vermont. Here she was introduced to long distance hiking. Inspired by animal migrations and her curiosity of landscape, she hiked over 12,000 miles connecting communities and ecosystems. She went on to set Fastest Know Times on the Vermont Long Trail and the Colorado Trail. Between hikes she worked in her family restaurant, as a trail crew member, as a backcountry caretaker, and environmental educator. She moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2018 where she returned to her art career. Her current process incorporates plein-air watercolor painting as a way to deeply observe her environment. She collaborates with local non-profits and organizations. She is a proud resident artist at the Red Brick Center for the Arts and is the head coach for the DEVO nordic ski-team at AVSC.

Leah Potts
www.leahpottsart.com
@leahpottsart

Artist Biography
I’m Leah Potts, an artist whose journey in watercolor painting is as much about craft and media as it is about heart and soul. I've found healing and strength through each brushstroke. My work explores more than just vibrant animal portraits it tells a heartfelt story of perseverance, love, and rediscovery; one that I hope will resonate deeply with you. Years ago, life threw me a curveball that could have ended everything. Fresh out of Central Missouri State University with a fine arts degree in hand, my dreams were suddenly sidelined by a devastating skiing accident that left me paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors didn’t offer much hope, but I knew deep inside that this wasn’t how my story would end. Adapting to my new reality wasn't easy. Yet, amid countless challenges, my artistic spirit refused to be silenced. After 20 long years without touching a brush, the void within me became impossible to ignore. That’s when I made the life-changing decision to pick up where I had paused, teaching myself to paint all over again with my non-dominant left hand. To my astonishment, the same expressive line that I had witnessed with my right all those years before slowly began to re-emerge. Each brushstroke felt like breathing life back into both my art and my soul. Today, my watercolor paintings blend life like realism with a touch of impressionistic freedom, celebrating the spirit and character of animals in ways that reflect both their nature and mine. Launching my pet portrait business and selling original watercolor paintings, cards, and prints has not only been a professional triumph but is also an avenue through which I share my passion for wildlife. When not nestled in my studio, I can often be found outdoors, relishing adventures with my rescue dog, Evie, as we ski, bike, and embrace the sheer joy of living unfettered by barriers that once seemed impossible. Our experiences echo my desire to live a full life, creating unique opportunities, building community, while embracing my friends and family. I believe life is worth living even in the struggle.

The 2025 Art in Motion | Aspen installation showcased six iterations of the work of Denver-based street artist Anthony Garcia Sr. on the Aspen pedal bikes. 

The bikes were designed to complement the vibrant asphalt mural painted by Garcia Sr. on Aspen’s Galena Street as part of the inaugural 2025 Aspen Public Art program. Featuring his signature ombré style, bold interlocking shapes, and vivid urban-inspired colors, the work conveys movement, unity, and community connection while transforming the street into a dynamic public canvas. Beyond its visual impact, the mural was designed to enhance pedestrian safety and encourage slower traffic, blending artistic expression with functional urban design. With the colorful designs on the WE-cycles circulating throughout the community, the artwork extended into the public space as a form of art in motion.

This program is underwritten by Aspen Public Art.

Funding Partners:

The 2025 Art in Motion | Snowmass Village installation is meant to integrate the creative spirit of movement into Snowmass Village’s mobility and cultural landscape. Through this partnership, Anderson Ranch and WE-cycle, both nonprofit organizations, have blended each other’s missions by bringing the work of eight Anderson Ranch-based artists onto WE-cycle stations and select e-bikes. By incorporating art and design while encouraging the use of independent, equitable, fun, and car-free transportation, both organizations continue to inspire and connect the community. 

WE-cycle to Anderson Ranch Arts Center and enjoy its café, gallery, and Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition. Anderson Ranch is located adjacent to the Chapel Curve | Owl Creek Rd and Fairway 3 WE-cycle stations.

This program is underwritten by the Town of Snowmass Village.

Learn more about the art and artists here.

Funding Partners:

This season, Art in Motion is bringing colorful palettes evoking movement and connectivity to the blue WE-cycle e-bikes. The design, by local artist Bailey Haines, that debuted on the Carbondale WE-cycle stations in 2023, rolls valley-wide on one side of the e-bike fenders. Both art and bikes bring us joy.  We hope to inspire similar feelings in our riders by uniting these two forms. 

On the other side of the fender, we feature the call to action, “Join the movement.” May those who witness these bikes be compelled to hop on a WE-cycle, stop and contemplate beautiful art, or find a creative spirit in themselves.

In collaboration with

The inaugural year of Art in Motion, aligned with the opening of the Carbondale WE-cycle System, as a collaboration between WE-cycle and Carbondale Arts aims to integrate creativity, connectivity, and cycling. In a town known for artistic panache and a penchant for biking, the pairing not only makes sense, but it honors the soul of Carbondale. WE-cycle also provides an accessible form of transportation for locals and visitors alike to explore Carbondale’s Creative District by bicycle.

Designs from Carbondale artist, Bailey Haines, adorn all 17 bikeshare stations as well as 5 e-bikes throughout town and feature the layering of the landscape and beautiful flowers and plants that can be seen growing around Carbondale. May WE-cycle help the community discover beauty, like local art and nature, and connect people to place.

Learn more about WE-cycle’s first Art in Motion initiative here.

In collaboration with