‘We are all building nests’ artist to hold weeklong residency in Vail
Jason Middlebrook plans to create a site-specific piece at the Vail Art Studio June 13-20
Ben Roof/Special to the Daily
From the moment artist Jason Middlebrook’s “We are all building nests” was installed in Vail, the sculpture drew admirers and became a local landmark.
The piece contains 50 to 60 small birdhouses, each built to meet specific size requirements for the area’s native birds. The birdhouses are modeled after some of humanity’s most recognizable structures — the Egyptian pyramids, the Roman Pantheon, an Arctic igloo and a Native teepee — giving viewers a snapshot, through architecture, of human history.
As the town’s Art in Public Places board took notice of how well received the piece was in Vail, another possibility came to mind: a Middlebrook sculpture that could celebrate Colorado’s own history. The idea led the board to court Middlebrook for a weeklong residency this summer. He arrives this week.
“We’re thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to introduce Jason to the community,” Art in Public Places Coordinator Molly Eppard said during the board’s May meeting. “His sculpture ‘We are all building nests’ is very beloved by so many community members.”
Middlebrook’s work is a part of many museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney and the Denver Art Museum. He’s currently working on a 164-foot mosaic for the Omaha airport.
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For his Vail residency, Middlebrook plans to create a birdhouse-style piece that showcases human history in Colorado from pre-colonial times to the 20th century. He said he will build it off site, transport it to Vail and paint it during his residency.
The piece is more unique than “We are all building nests” in that it will be a more one-of-a-kind piece, Middlebrook said. While he has created quite a few versions of “We are all building nests” over the years, the new piece would be site-specific to Vail.
“Over my career, I have been creating artworks and site-specific installations, developing a deep connection with the idea of making art that both engages and reflects the communities around it,” he said. “I strive to create an immersive experience for viewers, inviting them to slow down and observe the world through a new lens, to develop pieces that reflect the natural beauty of the region, while also encouraging deeper engagement with the surrounding environment.”
Middlebrook said he is passionate about the handmade process, which is why he roots his work in drawing and painting first. He said he will also create two-dimensional sketches that will be on display and for sale in the Vail Art Studio, as well.
Art in Public Places will pay Middlebrook $5,000 in expenses, and $7,500 for the sculpture. Once created, the piece will be put up for sale, and Art in Public Places will be reimbursed its $7,500 investment as well as 20% of the sale of the piece if and when it sells.
It’s a new endeavor for the town of Vail — selling art in front of the Vail Art Studio as a funding mechanism for Art in Public Places — but not a new concept in the world of public art. The town of Avon recently kicked off its fourth biennial Art Around Avon program, which puts 20 works of art on display in town through 2027, with each piece for sale at prices ranging from $5,000 to $18,000.
If Middlebrook’s new piece doesn’t sell, the town will return it to him, and he will attempt to sell it himself for six months. If he does, the town will be reimbursed its $7,500 investment.
If not, that $7,500 would serve as “the cost of a temporary art display,” Eppard said.
And that display, Middlebrook said, will be something special.
“Think of it as a smaller, totem-esque version of (“We are all building nests”), with 15, maybe 20 birdhouses, inspired by the history of Colorado architecture,” he said. “So the birdhouses would have that theme — pueblos, miner’s cabins, to all the way into rustic Colorado architecture, colonial mid-century stuff.”
Middlebrook will have open studio hours June 13 through June 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the studio closed on June 19.
On June 18, from 3-3:30 p.m., Middlebrook will host a discussion about “We are all building nests” in front of the sculpture (located at East Meadow Drive at the central stairs of the Vail Village Parking Structure), followed by a reception and artist talk at the Vail Art Studio in Ford Park from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m.
