Western Art Collector September 2024/No. 205

Welcome to the September issue of Western Art Collector! We are showcasing wildlife art this issue, and we did not stop with just one section devoted to the genre—there are more than six wildlife features and shows. This issue should be called “The Best Wildlife Art of the Year.” The first question is: How much wildlife art in your collection is too much? Well, if you are like us, the answer is there can never be too much. If you lean toward wildlife art like I do, for me it is a simple question of which piece I want to acquire when working on this issue. (Yes, one of the benefits of being a publisher is getting to see the art first and having first dibs on whichever artwork—and there…

One of the many endearing qualities about the Western art market is the cyclical nature of all the shows and events. Every month is jam packed with annual events and happenings. In January, there’s Denver. In March, Great Falls, Montana, or Phoenix and Wickenburg, Arizona. April is Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s like this all year round. June in Oklahoma. August in Santa Fe, New Mexico. November is Fort Worth, Texas. I’m painting with a broad brush here; with a finer brush I could tell you what’s happening every weekend. There’s even a handful of weekends with events every hour! In September, it’s all about Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But then also Cody, Wyoming; Indianapolis; Alpine, Texas; Solvang, California; and, this year, even New York City. (You can read about each of these…

Western Art Trail Calendar OUR GUIDE TO SPECIAL EVENTS, SALES & AUCTIONS FROM COAST TO COAST September 2024 Through September 1 Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West  DESERT CABALLEROS WESTERN MUSEUM Wickenburg, AZ – (928) 684-2272  www.westernmuseum.org September 1-November 30 64th Annual Art and the Animal Exhibition  SIOUX CITY PUBLIC MUSEUM  Sioux City, IA – (712) 279-6174  www.siouxcitymuseum.org September 2-21 Miniatures by the Lake  COEUR D’ALENE GALLERIES  Coeur d’Alene, ID – (208) 667-7732  www.cdagalleries.com September 4-15 Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival JACKSON HOLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Jackson Hole, WY – (307) 733-3316  www.jacksonholechamber.com September 5-October 1 Dustin Van Wechel: Wildscapes of the West  BROADMOOR GALLERIES Colorado Springs, CO – (928) 231-3564 www.broadmoorgalleries.com September 6-15 James Ayers: Intersect CANYON ROAD CONTEMPORARY ART  Santa Fe, NM – (505)…

Ongoing The Women of the Southwest: A Legacy of Painting Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West Scottsdale, AZ – (480) 686-9539 www.scottsdalemuseumwest.org Through October 12 America’s Horse in Art Show & Sale AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM Amarillo, TX – (806) 376-5181 www.aqha.com/museum Through October 31 One with the Land: The Mountain Man’s Journey into the Unknown MUSEUM OF THE MOUNTAIN MAN Pinedale, WY – (307) 367-4101 www.museumofthemountainman.com Through December 31 Creating Common Memory THE WESTMORELAND MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART Greensburg, PA – (724) 837-1500 www.thewestmoreland.org Through January 5, 2025 Out of Site: Survey Science and the Hidden West AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST Los Angeles, CA – (323) 667-2000 www.theautry.org…

October 11-12, 2024 Lone Star Art Auction  Dallas, TX – (469) 608-7600 October 12-13, 2024 Cherokee Art Market Tulsa, OK– (918) 384-6714 November 1-2, 2024 Cowboy Artists of America Show & Sale Fort Worth, TX – (817) 247-1200 November 8-9, 2024 Santa Fe Art Auction’s Annual Signature Live Auction Santa Fe, NM – (505) 954-5858 November 2024 (Dates TBA) SWAIA Winter Indian Market Santa Fe, NM – (505) 983-5220 January 11-26, 2025 Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale Denver, CO – (303) 291-2567 January 24-25, 2025 Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction Las Vegas, NV – (877) 968-8880 January 2025 (Dates TBA) PIWAA Symposium Denver, CO – (720) 865-5000 February 14-16, 2025 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition Charleston, SC – (843) 723-1748 March 20-25, 2025 The Russell Great Falls, MT –…

Now within the permanent collection at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is William R. Leigh’s classic 1947 painting The Struggle for Existence. The painting shows a tightly grouped circle of horses trying to wait out a pack of wolves that has surrounded it. The piece comes from the collection of William and Joffa Kerr, the founders of the museum. “This painting is just one of the 1,261 artworks that the Kerrs have donated to the museum,” says associate curator of art Kennis Forte. “Their donations and long-term loans, which number an additional 193 pieces, make up the JKM Collection. This particular member of the JKM Collection arrived at the museum in 1995. Since that time, it has been a part of at least two special…