35 Years of Art in Jackson Hole
From Western-wear fashion shows and artist demonstrations, to a stunning showcase of homes tour, the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival isn't to be missed
While there have been changes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming since 1984, one thing has remained constant: The area’s wholehearted commitment to supporting the arts.
The most famous example of that dedication is the annual Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. 2019 marks its biggest milestone yet—the 35th anniversary of the Rocky Mountain West’s premier cultural celebration.
Photo courtesy of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival
From September 4 – 15, 2019, the festival will fill the streets of Jackson with activities and events devoted to highlighting and honoring all things arts-inspired.
The arts festivals features more than 50 family-friendly events presented against the colorful backdrop of fall foliage in the mountains, and with the summer crowds long gone, this September showcase offers the perfect time to travel to Jackson to experience the mesmerizing magnitude of talented local and national artists, who display artisanship ranging from oil paintings, watercolors and sculptures to fashion, furniture and food.
Photo courtesy of New Thought Digital
Among the most popular of the Fall Arts Festival favorites, the Western Design Exhibit + Sale returns to the Snow King Center, starting with its action-packed Opening Preview Party on September 5 — a smorgasbord of cocktails, gourmet goodies and hundreds of juried artists’ work to peruse, plus a live runway fashion show. The exhibit and sale, with its unique meet-the-maker format, continues through September 8, offering guests the opportunity to shop and talk shop directly with the talented artists and designers.
Photo courtesy of Taste of the Tetons
Peruse local galleries during the Palates & Palettes Gallery Walk, where the spaces stay open late to offer guests time to look at the collections while sipping wine, snacking on appetizers and, in some cases, taking in the vibrant live music scene. Meanwhile, sample goodies from the Taste of the Tetons event, a feast of the senses that features innovative culinary creations from Jackson Hole’s best chefs.
For architecture and design aficionados, the Showcase of Homes Tour gives participants the chance to explore Jackson’s spectacular mountain homes and talk technique and craftsmanship in person with the experts behind every phase of the process, while Western cultural history fans can tour the valley’s historic ranches, where Old West meets New West and the cowboy lifestyle remains very much alive and well.
Amy Ringholz
And finally, the festival finale and fan favorite, the QuickDraw event, will attract dozens of artists to the iconic Jackson Town Square, where each is given 90 minutes to paint, sculpt and sketch their masterpieces before the live auction to sell these one-of-a-kind works.
For more information and for a full schedule of events, visit jacksonholechamber.com.
SEE ALSO: Kathryn Mapes Turner: Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Poster Artist
