D.J. Watkins heads up the Gonzo Gallery in downtown Aspen. The gallery shows the work of Hunter S. Thompson, Paul Pascarella and Tom Benton. For Watkins, it isn’t just a place to display art. It’s a space to celebrate what has become known as “gonzo art”.
Thompson spent the 1970s pioneering Gonzo journalism. Though he wasn’t the one who coined the term, he set the standard for what it would be. The style threw traditional journalism’s objectivity out the window. But after Gonzo journalism died down and Thompson passed away, people still loved it.
“What really got me interested in Hunter and Tom Benton was their patriotism,” said D.J. Watkins. Watkins remembers what really struck him about Hunter S. Thompson and the Gonzo movement. “...Their ability to stand up to the man, call spades spades, protest against the war, not being afraid to mince words.”
The writing was more fun to him than traditional journalism.
Watkins opened the Gonzo Gallery on Hyman Avenue in 2012 in the old Tom Benton building. It stayed open for a little more than a year, but closed so Watkins could write his book “Freak Power” which told the story of Hunter S. Thompson’s campaign for sheriff. Watkins was drawn to the ideas that Hunter ran on during his campaign.
“Hunter floated a lot of ideas that were radical at the time...how to preserve the character of Aspen, whether it be tearing up the streets and planting grass, or limiting the heights of buildings, or protecting the environment or legalizing drugs…”
He’s celebrating those concepts in a space with artists who also understand the ideas that he respects.
The gallery is an homage to the variety of Gonzo artists who were inspired by the era that brought shotgun art. The white walls have prints and pieces by Tom Benton, Thompson and another person who found Aspen. Paul Pascarella.
Pascarella came to Aspen at the height of Thompson’s influence. Pascarella had done some graphic design work and worked in New York City, but he wanted to pause and figure out what he wanted to do with his life. So like a lot of people, he came to Aspen.
Eventually, he got started in the shotgun art scene. It’s a violent and dramatic effect. It is a radical technique that people like Pascarella have used to continue the work that was started decades ago. For a long time, he says, there wasn’t much going on in Aspen. It was nothing compared to what he felt the first time he came here.
The space isn’t just for visual art though. Watkins has hosted discussions by artists and writers who have elevated the space from just a gallery, to a cultural center.
Though the gallery doesn’t have a specific plan to stay open right now, it is Watkins’ hope to take the art out on the road… to bring it to different galleries across the country.
“I’m not sure what the future holds, if we’re going to stick around or if the gallery is going to stick around through the summer, but we’re going to make the best of the last three to four weeks that we have the space.”
