“I was thinking about how I could emphasize this message of environmental responsibility. And then it became clear. I’ve got to really make this big. I’ve got to make something that normally feels benign impossible to ignore,” said Crown. She was referring, of course, to JOKESTER, the towering replica of a crushed plastic Solo cup installed in front of The Little Nell, Aspen’s beloved five-star hotel, at the base of Aspen Mountain.

The large-scale piece acts as a stop sign, encouraging individuals to pause and examine how we shape our world and how our world shapes us. “Single-use plastics and our insatiable appetite for natural resources continue to threaten our environment and, frankly, our existence,” said Crown. 

Her 10-foot-tall sculpture–a super-sized piece in Crown’s SOLO TOGETHER series–serves as a reminder of consumption, waste, pollution, and re-use. The work embodies Crown’s commitment to using art to inspire social change and to raise awareness of the climate crisis. 

“Single-use plastics and our insatiable appetite for natural resources continue to threaten our environment and, frankly, our existence,” said Crown.  Her installation is intended to prompt viewers to ask: ”What happens to all the plastic we use only once and toss?” “Who cleans it up?” “What are the permanent traces we leave behind?”