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Blacktail Gala Brings New Art to National Museum of Wildlife Art

February 27, 2018

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Jackson, WY — The National Museum of Wildlife Art is pleased to announce the acquisition of five new works of contemporary art chosen at the Blacktail Gala on Saturday, February 24.

Blacktail Gala is an evening of art collecting, modeled after the Museum’s Collectors Circle Dinner. This year, the Collections Committee and National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Curatorial Department chose artwork from local galleries to showcase the fine wildlife art available right here in Jackson. Galleries represented included Altamira Fine Art, Diehl Gallery, Tayloe Piggott Gallery, Heather James Fine Art, and Visions West Contemporary.

Thanks to the votes of the 150 guests who attended the festive evening, the five new works
of contemporary art are now part of the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Permanent Collection.

“Over the course of only three years, Blacktail Gala has contributed 14 works of contemporary wildlife art to the Permanent Collection. These acquisitions have increased our ability to show the many diverse ways artists are exploring humanity’s relationship with nature through art, a core part of our mission,” said Adam Harris, Petersen Curator of Art and Research.

At the event, Harris introduced each artist’s work, and explained how each work of art would complement the collection. The guests at each table then discussed which pieces they’d like to see added to the Museum’s collection. Over dinner, having heard about and viewed all of the works in Johnston Hall, the guests voted in rounds.

The new works include Wendy Klemperer’s metal sculpture “Barney,” Jane Rosen’s painting using coffee, Korean watercolor, and ink “Mantle,” Sarah Hillock’s “Anthony and Camilla, Part II,” Peter Haslam-Fox’s watercolor “Hooded Hawk,” and an untitled ceramic plate, created by Pablo Picasso.

Wendy Klemperer’s “Barney,” a metal fox, is the first artwork by Klemperer to enter into the Museum’s Collection. It fits well with the Museum’s mission as the materials used to construct the artwork (mostly rebar) prompt visitors to think about the place of wildlife in our industrialized era.

The Picasso ceramic is an exciting addition to the Museum’s Collection, and these works help us show that the desire to create animal imagery spans across different artistic styles and periods.

“Now in its fourth year, we are thrilled to have new energy and support around this fun
evening of art acquisition for the National Museum of Wildlife Art,” said Bill Friedeman,
Chief Advancement Officer.  “Blacktail Gala continues to have a direct impact on our Permanent
Collection, while fostering fine art friendships and local partnerships dedicated to inspiring
humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife art.”

In the past three years, the National Museum of Wildlife Art has acquired many phenomenal pieces of contemporary art through Blacktail Gala, from Leslie Thorton’s mesmerizing video “Menagerie” — kaleidoscopic footage of animals — to William Sweetlove’s “Penguin with Petbottle,” a set of six resin penguins.

Guests enjoyed an elegant three-course dinner of the Palate House Salad, followed by grilled Double R Ranch Tenderloin and Creamy Mushroom Polenta with sautéed kale, bacon & onions, and finished with a lemon posset – prepared by Chef Chas Baki of the Museum’s restaurant, Palate.

The fifth Blacktail Gala will take place in February 2019.

Blacktail Gala 2018 was generously sponsored by Adrienne & John Mars, The Scout Guide,
Creative Curiosity Graphics & Wonderland Marketing, Diehl Gallery, Lynn & Foster Friess,
Scott Kirkpatrick, Long Reimer Winegar Beppler LLP, Niner Wine Estates, Nancy Shanik &
Tom Barry, St. John’s Medical Center, Nada Jain, Laurentius Marais, Debbie Petersen,
Flowers by Floral Art, and Western Range Clothing Company,

Additional Artwork purchased with funds generously donated by Jackson Hole Jewelry Co.,
Heather James Fine Art, Des Jennings, Diehl Gallery, Sarah Fishcel & James Schondelmeier,
Scott Kirkpatrick, The Clear Creek Group, Andrea Rico, and Tess M. Cohen.

Pablo Picasso Untitled Ceramic
Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973), Untitled, n.d. Ceramic plate. 6 ¼ x 6 ¼ x 1 ¾ inches. © 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Jane Rosen Mantle Hawk painting
Jane Rosen (American, b. 1950), Mantle, 2015. Coffee, Korean watercolor, ink. 30 x 22 inches.

Peter Haslam-Fox Hooded Hawk Watercolor
Peter Haslam-Fox (British, b. 1978), Hooded Hawk, 2017. Watercolor on paper. 28 x 40 inches.

Sarah Hillock Anthony and Camilla Part II Painting
Sarah Hillock, Anthony and Camilla, Part II, 2017. Oil on Mylar. 38 x 42 inches.

Wendy Klemperer Barney Metal Sculpture
Wendy Klemperer, Barney, 2017. Metal. 58 x 37 x 15 inches.

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