Show Preview | Fall Shows in the Tetons

Jackson, WY, Various locations, September 6-26

Tucker Smith, Through the Aspens, oil painting at Western Visions.

Tucker Smith, Through the Aspens, oil, 30 x 24, at Western Visions.

This story was featured in the September 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Order the Southwest Art magazine September 2012 print edition here, or purchase the Southwest Art magazine September 2012 digital download here. Or simply click here to subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!

The magnificent Grand Tetons form a dramatic backdrop for the resort town of Jackson, WY. The scenic spot is known as a ski destination with western flavor, but it also boasts a thriving art scene. Every September the mountain retreat hosts the popular Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, and the streets bustle with artists and art aficionados who congregate for gallery openings, museum shows, and an art auction. This year’s extravaganza features more than 50 separate art-related events, which are complemented by an array of concerts, cowboy poetry readings, and fine cuisine. The festival’s featured artist this year is painter and local resident Amy Ringholz [see page 78].

Several premier visual arts events unfold during the festival, including the annual Western Visions: Miniatures and More Show & Sale at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. This year’s show opens on September 14 and presents works by 150 top painters and sculptors, including Richard Loffler, Tucker Smith, Bart Rulon, Andrew Denman, Michael Godfrey, Bart Walter, Diana Reuter-Twining, Lindsay Scott, and Kent Ullberg. “We are very excited to be celebrating our 25th anniversary with so many artists who have been with us since the early days of the museum,” says Adam Duncan Harris, curator of art. “We continue to bring our patrons the best in traditional and contemporary art and are always looking for exciting new artists to add to our show. This year guests can expect to see a wide range of great wildlife, landscape, and western art.”

The anniversary celebration includes the unveiling of Loffler’s 64-foot-long sculpture BUFFALO TRAIL on the museum’s new Sculpture Trail. The three-quarter-mile trail winds up a sage-covered hillside on the museum’s grounds and will eventually feature some 30 sculptures.

Howard Terpning, The Sound of Buffalo, oil painting at the Jackson Hole Art Auction.

Howard Terpning, The Sound of Buffalo, oil, 34 x 50, at the Jackson Hole Art Auction.

On September 15 at 9:30 a.m., the public is invited to the town square to watch artists create paintings and sculptures in the annual one-hour Quick Draw event, which is capped off by an auction of the works. Later that day, collectors convene at the Center for the Arts for the annual Jackson Hole Art Auction presented by Trailside Galleries and Gerald Peters Gallery. The auction brings together more than 270 works by both living and deceased masters in the western art genre, such as William Acheff, Howard Terp-ning, Z.S. Liang, Clyde Aspevig, Morgan Weistling, Frank McCarthy, Carl Rungius, and Charles M. Russell. Art enthusiasts can also expect to see important works by the historic Taos Society of Artists and the Santa Fe Art Colony.

Auction coordinator Lucy P. Grogan says some of the highlights are a Carl Rungius painting titled GRIZZLY BEAR AND CUBS, which is expected to garner between $250,000 and $350,000, and Howard Terp- ning’s THE SOUND OF BUFFALO, which is estimated to sell for between $750,000 and $1 million. Last year’s auction resulted in record-breaking sales totaling more than $9 million. —Bonnie Gangelhoff

contact information
www.wildlifeart.org
www.jacksonholeartauction.com
 www.jacksonholechamber.com/ fall_arts_festival

Featured in the September 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art magazine September 2012 digital download
Southwest Art magazine September 2012 print edition
Or click here to subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!