FALL ARTS FESTIVAL

WESTERN DESIGN CONFERENCE EXHIBIT + SALE CELEBRATES 31 YEARS

FALL ARTS FESTIVAL FEATURED ARTIST—EWOUD DE GROOT

This year’s Fall Arts Festival featured work is Twilight Elk by Dutch painter Ewoud De Groot. Formerly the featured painter at the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s prestigious annual Western Visions Show + Sale (in 2014), this is De Groot’s first time as the featured artist at the Fall Arts Festival. While De Groot is an award-winning wildlife artist, his works are not photo-realistic: “To me, as an artist, producing a good painting is about exploring all the different facets of composition, color, and technique and not just reproducing an image in a photorealistic way,” he says. “Although I consider myself a figurative painter, I always try to find that essential balance and tension between the more abstract background and the realism of the subject(s). In a way you could say that I am on the frontier between figurative and non-figurative, or the traditional and the modern.” Twilight Elk is available as a poster; the original will be auctioned at the end of the QuickDraw, which is held on the Town Square on September 16. See more of De Groot’s work at Astoria Fine Art, astoriafineart.com

Ewoud De Groot

2023 FEATURED ARTWORK EWOUD DE GROOT AT ASTORIA FINE ART
Twilight Elk 61” x 61”, oil on linen

As aspens turn to gold, the town of Jackson, nestled between the Tetons and the Gros Ventre Mountains, is the heart of the annual Fall Arts Festival. The 39th Fall Arts Festival is September 6–17, 2023. One of the premier art festivals in the West, the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival features nationally and internationally known artists, architects, designers, and makers. There are gallery walks and exhibit openings, art auctions, events that pair food with art, a chance to watch artists work, a home tour, and more. Year-round, Jackson Hole is a destination for art collectors—it has more than 30 galleries and was recently ranked as one of the 10 most arts-vibrant small communities in the U.S. by SMU Data Arts, which annually recognizes the country’s most arts-vibrant communities and cities—but the valley’s art scene takes center stage during the Fall Arts Festival.

PALATES + PALETTES

Palates + Palettes is one of the signature events of the Fall Arts Festival and is free. Participating fine art galleries pair with local restaurants to serve light bites and beverages as the public browses the art; galleries often use this evening as the opening celebration for a new show. 5–7 p.m. Friday, September 8.

WESTERN DESIGN CONFERENCE EXHIBIT + SALE

The Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale is a multi-day event, and its preview party, which includes a fashion show and live auction, is a kick-off for the Fall Arts Festival. Celebrating its 31st anniversary in 2023, the juried Exhibit + Sale showcases the extraordinary Western-inspired work of more than 100 national artists and makers of furniture, fashion, jewelry, home and lifestyle accessories, and more. Nearly $20,000 in awards are given to recognize excellence in design. Daily at 2 p.m. during the Exhibit + Sale, patrons enjoy an Artitude Adjustment, a complimentary happy hour. The Preview Party, Live Auction, and Fashion Show are 6–10 p.m. Thursday, September 7; the Exhibit + Sale spans 3 days, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday– Sunday, September 8–10.
 

Tickets at the door and online:
westerndesignconference.com

 
 

JACKSON HOLE SHOWCASE OF HOMES

On Friday, September 15, the Jackson Hole Showcase of Homes offers the opportunity to tour some of the valley’s most spectacular homes. At each residence, attendees are able to personally engage with the talented professionals who designed, built, curated, and furnished it. There is no better opportunity to meet and gain a deep and nuanced understanding of the work of local design professionals than this … all while helping raise money for local nonprofits. All proceeds from the Showcase of Homes go to valley charities.
 

Tickets for the 2023 Showcase Event are available at:
jacksonholeshowcase.com

QUICKDRAW

One of the most beloved events of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival is its QuickDraw. This event—on the Town Square—challenges artists to create an original painting or sculpture in 90 minutes. When the 90 minutes are up, all of the newly created works immediately go to live auction. Also included in this auction is featured artist Ewoud De Groot’s original painting Twilight Elk. Bid live or online. 8 a.m.–1p.m. September 16.

JACKSON HOLE ART AUCTION

The Jackson Hole Art Auction is defined by the high standard of works offered in a variety of genres including wildlife, sporting, figurative, landscape, and Western art. Works are by both renowned past masters and contemporary artists. The auction itself is held at the Center for the Arts in downtown Jackson, but prospective bidders can view featured works at JHAA’s gallery at 130 East Broadway, just east of the Town Square. 12 p.m. September 16.
 

Prospective buyers from around the world can bid virtually at:
jacksonholeartauction.com and liveauctioneers.com

OTHER EVENTS

Many other exciting events, including the Sunday Art Brunch (10 a.m.–2 p.m. September 17) and the Western Visions Show and Sale (5–9:30 p.m. September 14)— take place during the Fall Arts Festival. Check the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce website (jacksonholechamber.com/events/ annual-events-festivals/fall-arts- festival/) for additional details.
 

Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce
Fall Arts Festival, Annual Events Calendar