{"id":803362,"date":"2020-01-23T10:32:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T17:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/colorado-artist-lisa-issenberg-embraces-opportunity-to-make-x-games-medals\/"},"modified":"2020-01-23T10:32:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-23T17:32:00","slug":"colorado-artist-lisa-issenberg-embraces-opportunity-to-make-x-games-medals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/colorado-artist-lisa-issenberg-embraces-opportunity-to-make-x-games-medals\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado artist Lisa Issenberg embraces opportunity to make X Games medals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8498349834983\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-377780-960\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of ESPN | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of ESPN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-3-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-3-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-4-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of ESPN | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of ESPN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-4-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-5-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of ESPN | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of ESPN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-5-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-6-1024x783.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-6-1024x783.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-7-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg | Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/xmedal-atd-012120-1-7-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year's medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/colorado-artist-lisa-issenberg-embraces-opportunity-to-make-x-games-medals\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/colorado-artist-lisa-issenberg-embraces-opportunity-to-make-x-games-medals\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">When Ridgway\u2019s Lisa Issenberg first got into metal work, it was mostly jewelry and small sculptures. Then she was asked to make awards for Telluride\u2019s Mountainfilm, and she\u2019s been hooked ever since.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s the most rewarding. There is something about being a part of recognitions,\u201d Issenberg said. \u201cAwards are like gifts with great honor, and you are part of that gratitude. Even if you are the unknown person behind the gift, it still feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Issenberg, who operates through her company, Kiitella \u2014 Finnish for \u201cto thank, applaud, praise\u201d \u2014 has had plenty of clients over the years, hand-making awards for The North Face, American Alpine Club, the Birds of Prey World Cup ski races at Beaver Creek and even Aspen Skiing Co. Since 2013, she\u2019s designed the Aspen Power of Four medals and will make her biggest medal contribution to Aspen athletics this week with X Games.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s a big one. I was pretty excited to get the call,\u201d Issenberg said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Working with ESPN\u2019s Brian Kerr, the associate director of competition for X Games, Issenberg was commissioned to make this year\u2019s medals for X Games Aspen. The first-, second- and third-place finishers in each of the contests will receive one of the roughly 90 medals Issenberg handcrafted out of her Ridgway studio.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This is the second year in a row ESPN has sought out an external artist to make its medals, with Portland-based artist Spencer Keeton Cunningham having had the honors in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cLisa and I talked through a couple of different concepts of what we wanted to see and she came up with a spectacular piece for us,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cAs we thought through it, it\u2019s not just another award for these action sports phenoms \u2014 our podium athletes are actually getting a piece of X Games artwork around their necks. And that\u2019s really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Ski racing stars such as Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn and Ted Ligety have all taken home awards made by Issenberg, and beginning Thursday she\u2019ll be able to add some of the world\u2019s best snowboarders and freeskiers to the list, not to mention the motorsport athletes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Issenberg\u2019s X Games medals are relatively simple. Round like a coin and meant to be worn around the neck, they feature a large X Games logo with a space at the top cut out in the shape of a mountain range. Issenberg said the mountain design is meant to represent the Maroon Bells, using her own artistic license.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The simplicity, typography and angles all draw inspiration from Herbert Bayer\u2019s Bauhaus design. Bayer lived in Aspen from 1946 until 1975 and his influence can still be found around the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The metal comes from at least 90% to sometimes 100% recycled content, and all waste is recycled as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHe wanted these to feel like they were made by a human, and that\u2019s wonderful,\u201d Issenberg said of Kerr. \u201cThese top athletes, the top athletes in the world, they\u2019ve worked really hard to get on the podium and they deserve a medal that has heft and depth and heart. And I like to say a little blood, sweat and tears, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Issenberg, who came from the East Coast before moving to Telluride after college, shares the building her Ridgway studio is located in with friend John Billings, who has handcrafted the Grammy awards for the past four decades. When ESPN was looking for a Colorado artist to make its X Games medals, it first talked to Billings, who recommended Issenberg for the job.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHis workshop is in the basement. I can hear the polisher going. It buzzes at my feet all day,\u201d Issenberg said. \u201cSomeone reached out to him \u2014 they were looking for someone more local, an artist to do the X Games awards, and he said, \u2018You have to call Lisa.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Issenberg said the whole process from design to finished award took a few months. She made the medals at the same, cutting them out at once, polishing them at once, and so on. Every aspect of the medals\u2019 creation was done by her there in Ridgway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And, in a move that is rare for Issenberg, she\u2019ll be on hand this weekend to see some of her work meet its new owner for the first time. She\u2019s never been to X Games before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat\u2019s pretty cool to a normal human that is pursuing her passion,\u201d Issenberg said of seeing her medals go home with superstar athletes. \u201cEach one is different. You won\u2019t find two that are the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/colorado-artist-lisa-issenberg-embraces-opportunity-to-make-x-games-medals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.Courtesy of ESPN Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X Games Aspen, which gets underway Thursday at Buttermilk Ski Area.Courtesy of Lisa Issenberg Ridgway artist Lisa Issenberg made this year&#8217;s medals for X [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-803362","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-24 22:54:03","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803362\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}