Show Preview | Western Visions Show & Sale

Jackson, WY
National Museum of Wildlife Art, September 8-October 8

This story was featured in the September 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art  September 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

For 30 years, the National Museum of Wildlife Art has celebrated western wildlife at the institution’s largest annual fundraising event, Western Visions. In recognition of the milestone anniversary of the show and sale, the museum is featuring solely artists whose work is in the permanent collection.

Western Visions hosts a week of events for nearly 2,000 artists and collectors to meet and mingle. The festivities begin on Friday, September 8, at 9 a.m. when the show opens to the public. That evening the museum offers a free reception open to the public as part of the town’s Palates & Palettes Gallery Walk, with food, drinks, and the chance to meet favorite artists.

A new addition to the event lineup this year brings renowned artist Walter Matia leading a panel discussion with fellow wildlife sculptors on Thursday morning, September 14. Then the ticketed Artists’ Party kicks off in the evening with dinner, live music, and a chance to bid on art. The sale—with myriad ways to purchase art, including sealed bids, mobile bidding, and fixed-price purchasing—takes place on Friday, September 15.

“We look forward to celebrating 30 years of success with trustees, artists, donors, members, volunteers, and new friends throughout the events,” says Amy Goicoechea, the director of programs and events at the museum. “It’s an exciting annual exhibit and fundraising event because of the power of our mission and the dedicated support of our patrons.”

More than 100 of the top traditional and contemporary animal artists converge to showcase and sell more than 200 paintings, sketches, and sculptures. Among the participating artists are Ken Carlson, Skip Whitcomb, Mary Roberson, Kent Ullberg, Donna Howell-Sickles, Rox Corbett, and Andrew Denman. Awards are given out each year, including best of show and people’s choice, won by George Carlson and Edward Aldrich in recent years.

Painter Jim Wilcox has participated in Western Visions since its inception. In addition to the physical changes he’s seen—the museum was initially housed in a small building on the Jackson town square before moving to its current location on a hillside overlooking the National Elk Refuge—he’s seen the show itself progress since 1988. “The number of invited artists and the number of works per artist fluctuates each year, but the museum’s gracious invitation, and my love of the museum and what it does for all of us, keeps me coming back,” Wilcox says.

Representational artist Daniel Smith was living in Minnesota when he first participated in Western Visions. “I was clueless about the western art scene until moving to Montana in 1994,” he says. Smith brings two new paintings to the museum and is excited to see the eclectic artwork from the other artists. “When I first moved here, I was blown away by the art in the West and what I was missing out on,” Smith remembers. “Jackson Hole isn’t too shabby, either.” —Katie Askew

contact information
307.733.5771
www.westernvisions.org

This story was featured in the September 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art  September 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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