Blockbuster Year for the 35th Annual Western Visions® Art Show + Sale

The exhibition for the 35^th Annual Western Visions opened on September 10, with over 170 pieces on display. In-person tickets for the Show + Sale night on September 15 sold out prior to the event, with a combined total of nearly 400 people participating in person and online. The artwork sold benefited both the Museum and participating artists, and awards were given. Sales continued through the close of the exhibition on October 2, 2022. Strong participation online and in-person led to 72% of works selling, an increase over last year’s event. This year’s event also saw an expansion of the number of artists on offer, the inclusion of numerous new artists, and the addition of a live auction component. Because of these changes, the sale totaled $976,690 in artwork sales, the highest sale total on record, going back twenty years. Western Visions is the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s largest and longest-running fundraiser and is one of the signature events of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival.

“This year was more festive than ever and allowed guests to mingle with 70+ artists in attendance. We also featured 175 artists compared to 141 last year with the inclusion of a live auction,” says Michelle Dickson, Director of Programs and Events. “The addition of the live auction brought a new sale category to the event and allowed us to maximize our fundraising efforts for the Museum,” continued Dickson. Ever a local favorite, Western Visions continued to expand its reach nationally and internationally with the return of the GraVoc intent to purchase digital technology and the addition of the live auction. Participants joined from across the country and around the globe, with bidders from Canada and China.

The 2022 Western Visions award winners are:

• People’s Choice Award: Bonnie Marris, Devotion
• Red Smith Award (Artists’ Choice): Walter Matia, Winter World
• Museum Purchase Award: Larry Barth, Luna Moth

The Museum also hosted a panel discussion, The Intersection of Relationships and Art, with moderator Dr. Adam Harris, special guest and trustee emerita Lynn Friess, and featured artists Laney, Ron Gaines, and John Potter. The panel discussion will be available on the Museum’s YouTube channel in the coming weeks.

“We are so grateful for the continued support of the community, our participating artists, generous sponsors, dedicated staff and volunteers, and the enthusiastic attendees,” says Museum Director Steve Seamons. “In its 35^th year, Western Visions is more impactful than ever!”

Western Visions is generously sponsored by, Presenting Sponsors: Mays Family Foundation, Richard C. Adkerson Family Foundation, Marcia and Mike Taylor / Taylor Foundation. Sponsors: Bomb Sommelier, Ethel M Chocolates, Jackson Hole Art Auction, Lightner Sams Foundation, Carol & Jim Linton, Palate, Robert S. and Grayce B. Kerr Foundation, Maggie & Dick Scarlett, Atelier Ortega, Barbara Carlsberg, Creative Coverings, Gallatin Wealth Management, GraVoc, Jane & Steve Malashock, Katherine & Jack Shook, Willow Street, Big Sky Brewing Co., Cathie & Mark Cardelucci, Creative Curiosity, Jackson Hole Insurance, JH Flower Boutique, Schmidt’s Custom Framing, Shari Brownfield Fine Art, Simpson Gallagher Gallery, and Grand View Spa at Snow King Resort.