Featured Event | Quest for the West - Southwest Art Magazine

Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
September 6-8

Adam Smith, In Pursuit, acrylic, 26 x 32.

This story was featured in the September 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2013 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

On Friday, September 6, the Eiteljorg Museum opens the eighth annual Quest for the West Art Show and Sale, featuring 180 to 200 works, including bronze and stone sculpture, oil and acrylic paintings, and drawings from leading western representational artists. Opening-weekend events include open houses at local art collectors’ homes on Friday, lectures and demonstrations on Saturday afternoon and the art sale, gala dinner, and awards ceremony on Saturday evening. On Sunday, September 8, the show opens to the public and remains on view until October 6.

Every year the Eiteljorg staff and its support group, the Western Art Society, search for the best artists in the realm of contemporary western art, says James Nottage, Eiteljorg vice president and chief curatorial officer. The show features up to four artworks apiece by 50 artists, including Gerald Balciar, Krystii Melaine, John Fawcett, Robert Griffing, and Karin Hollebeke. New to the show this year are sculptor Blair Buswell and painters Mike Desatnick, Michael Dudash, and Logan Maxwell Hagege.

Krystii Melaine, The New Bow, oil, 30 x 34.

“The show is so beautifully run,” says participating artist Roseta Santiago. “It’s professional, successful, and the camaraderie they create with the patrons and the artists is wonderful.” Santiago brings four paintings, including two works that represent a new direction for her. In these works, she explains, she brings the Native American artifacts she has long been known for painting into a larger narrative that includes present-day Native Americans in historical places.

According to Nottage, the event that really separates this show from other western art sales is the solo exhibit of works by the previous year’s Artist of Distinction award winner. This year Honored Life: The Art of John Coleman opens with a special reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, September 6. “It’s an extraordinary collection of his works,” Nottage says, “and not just his sculpture but his drawings and paintings as well.

“I think one of the things we are also proud of is our Hoosier hospitality,” Nottage adds with a chuckle. “I guarantee we feed people better than any show in the country. It’s just a warm, fun event.” —Laura Rintala

contact information
317.636.9378
www.eiteljorg.org

Featured in the September 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art September 2013 print issue or digital download
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