The Show Must Go On
Three iconic art auctions, shows and exhibitions pivot to provide patrons with access to art during this new era
The Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale “Live Auction” is one of the most popular events during the Rendezvous Royale. This year, it will be offered online.
In Wyoming high country, autumn is a season of dazzling colors, not just splashed on the hillsides, but also in the streets, as iconic art and design shows take the stage each year.
Cody’s Rendezvous Royale, Jackson’s Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale and the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival have brought art lovers from around the world to the Cowboy State each September for decades. And this year, the shows will go on with newly updated formats to reach art patrons in socially distant and safe ways.
Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival
Artist Tom Mansanarez puts the finishing touches on his work during the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Quickdraw event.
Each September the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival brings two weeks of art events to town. Now in its 36th year, the FAF will continue to offer many of the events that have made it popular with locals and visitors alike, with a complete schedule available on the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce website. QuickDraw—one of the festival’s most popular events—will go virtual this year, live streaming as artists have an hour and a half to create their masterpieces followed by online bidding. The excitement takes place on September 19 as spectators watch artists work, then bid on the freshly minted pieces. Preregister to participate.
“We’re implementing changes that not only protect the safety of our community but also enhance the event. The option to live stream QuickDraw and bid from the comfort of your home is huge. It brings incredible artists, stunning works and a unique experience into homes worldwide,” says Britney Magleby, special events manager for the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.
Amy Ringholz always draws a crowd to see her work.
HOW IT WORKS
When you register in advance on BidSquare, you enter a phone number and email.
On Saturday, September 19, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. QuickDraw artists will create their artworks live streamed from the Jackson Hole Chamber website. The Chamber team will upload photos of final pieces to BidSquare. Those who have preregistered for the auction will receive a text and email that the auction is starting and a link to enter. The live stream of the QuickDraw auction begins with the first piece at 10:30 a.m. on BidSquare, where visitors watch the live feed and click to bid (and outbid) as the price rises. The 2020 featured artwork, “Hunter’s Watch” by Thomas Black- shear, will be up for bid at approximately 11:00 a.m.
Western Design Conference
The Western Design Conference will provide artists and fashion designers like Candy Woolley the ability to sell their work direct to shoppers on the WDC website.
Twenty-eight years ago, the Western Design Conference was launched to preserve and perpetuate the best traditions of Western design. Initially held in Cody, Wyoming, today the home of the WDC is Jackson Hole. As a signature event of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, the Exhibit + Sale welcomes artists, craftsmen, couturiers and interior designers from around the coun- try to showcase the finest-quality functional creations that capture the spirit of the West. This year, the WDC will take place virtually, with visitors browsing and buy- ing merchandise online.
“The decision to cancel the 2020 Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale was not taken lightly,” says director and founder Allison Merritt. “In response to current COVID-19 regulations, we are launching the Western Design Conference Digital Sourcebook to directly unite buyers with the best from the WDC’s past 28 years.”
The Western Design Conference will provide artists and craftsmen like Henneford Fine Furniture the ability to sell their work direct to shoppers on the WDC website.
HOW IT WORKS
People can participate and shop the virtual WDC by visiting westerndesignconference.com beginning September 10, 2020—and can shop online through September 2021 by clicking “Shop + View Available Works.”
All work in the Digital Sourcebook is available for direct purchase through the presenting artist/designer. Buyers can click a PURCHASE/INQUIRE button that launches a pop-up to directly contact the artist for commissioned work and inquiries.
Rendezvous Royale
Artwork will be on exhibit at the Center of the West through September 18.
Cody, Wyoming, hosts the internationally renowned Rendezvous Royale, comprised of the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale and By Western Hands events, along with programs at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. For nearly two decades, these partners have collaborated to provide numerous events for patrons of the arts during this week-long cultural extravaganza, including workshops, lectures, painting classes and studio tours. This year, organizers have adapted the schedule—offering some events virtually.
“This year, the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale will be offered online featuring our auctioneer Troy Black and two viewing parties,” says Tina Hoebelheinrich, director, Cody Country Cham- ber of Commerce. “For the first time the Quick Draw artists will find a new home among our main street merchants. It will be two days packed with excitement.”
The Rendezvous’ cornerstone event, the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, featuring original works by standout Western artists, will take place Saturday, September 19, at 1:30 p.m. with over 100 pieces for auction.
The 2020 Quick Draw event will take place in downtown Cody.
HOW IT WORKS
Artworks will be on exhibit at the Center of the West through September 18. Guests will preregister for the auction, which will take place in a variety of formats including limited in-person participation, live-streamed remote bidding and phone bidding. Additional information is available at rendezvousroyale.org.
