In 2020, the Briscoe Western Art Museum was set to host its annual Night of Artists exhibition and sale to a robust crowd of collectors, artists and sponsors. Two weeks prior, however, Covid-19 caused the museum to cancel all in-person events and change course to an online format. The online show was met with a great response and inspired the museum to revise its structure for 2021 as a hybrid format that will include events beginning March 13.
Michael Duchemin, president and CEO of the Briscoe, says, “We are planning for 50 percent capacity, and instead of two days of events everything in-person will be taking place on Saturday, March 27. [We are] investing in the ability to livestream as well as have online aspects to the event.” Last year, there was an uptick of buyers participating online with 50 percent being brand-new collectors to the show. Duchemin elaborates, “By expanding online presence and making it easier to bid and more exciting this year, we will find new buyers that haven’t participated.”
Z.S. Liang, Entering Hostile Country, oil on linen, 42 x 30”
Socially distanced in-person events will happen on March 27, including the much-lauded Grand Live Auction, which will be conducted by nationally recognized auctioneer Troy Black. There are options to participate in-person and virtually, or what the museum is calling “Home on the Range.” What will happen is the in-person guests will have the chance, starting at 5 p.m., to view the galleries of work at the museum, while online participants will receive an email with a link to a gallery tour. Then at 7:30 p.m., the program with artist awards and Grand Live Auction will begin. There will be a livestream of the event so anyone at home can get in on the action.
Kim Wiggins, Along the Chisholm Trail, oil, 30 x 40”
Thirty works of art will be available during the Grand Live Auction, including pieces from Mark Maggiori, C. Michael Dudash, Z.S. Liang, Luke Frazier, George Hallmark, Michael Ume Untiedt, Jeremy Winborg and Don Oelze. Exclusively through the live auction will be new artwork from Martin Grelle, Logan Maxwell Hagege and Greg Beecham.
This year, the box draw event that usually takes place during opening weekend will transition to the online auction beginning March 13 exclusively for ticketholders of the event, with non-ticket holders being able to participate for a nominal fee. All artwork will begin at a reserved price set by the artist and then incremental bidding will continue until the close on March 27 at 10 p.m. at the conclusion of the live festivities. Any unsold work will be on view at the museum and available to purchase through May 9.
Mark Maggiori, Riders of the Golden Sky, oil on linen, 32 x 32”
Along with the majority of the artists who will have work in the live auction, the exhibition and sale will include pieces from Suzanne Baker, Mary Ross Buchholz, Shawn Cameron, Tim Cherry, Nicholas Coleman, Brent Cotton, Mick Doellinger, Teresa Elliott, Abigail Gutting, Oreland Joe, Greg Kelsey, Joe Kronenberg, Jan Mapes, Walter Matia, Krystii Melaine, Bill Nebeker, Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Billy Schenck, Mian Situ, Kim Wiggins and more. Maggiori’s painting Riders of the Golden Sky is from his new series about Black cowboys.
George Hallmark, El Rancho, oil, 24 x 36”
“I am on a quest to give back to the Black cowboys who have been washed out in history books,” he says. “Black cowboys were and are a big part of American cowboying. This painting shows some working cowboys on a break during a long day of work out on the range. One of them has dismounted and is giving some love to his horse who has been working hard since dawn. The storm is brewing in the back so they are considering a way back to the ranch. The action takes place in Texas around San Angelo.”
For the show, Wiggins’ major work Along the Chisholm Trail focuses on San Antonio and one of the key cattle trails of the Old West. “The Chisholm Trail started in San Antonio heading north and crossing the Red River on the way to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas,” he explains. “The well-known John Wayne movie Red River is loosely based on this historic cattle trail founded by Jesse Chisholm after the Civil War. In 1867 alone, some 35,000 head of beef were shipped back East to feed an ever-expanding nation.”
Howard Post, Today’s Remuda, oil, 24 x 48”
Entering Hostile Country, by Liang, depicts Native Americans coming down from high to low and is based on stories he read of how they prepare to act when entering hostile land. To plan the painting, Liang used photo references he took images from two years ago all the way up to 20 years ago.
Sculptor Curt Mattson’s bronze Trackin’ Trouble is based on history. Describing the piece, he says, “In 1901, the Arizona Rangers were formed by the Arizona Territory legislature. The chief crime the Rangers dealt with was rustling. They covered thousands of miles on horseback tracking not only rustlers and horse thieves, but also quelled mine disputes, and brought order to towns over run with lawlessness.”
Curt Mattson, Trackin’ Trouble, bronze, 11 x 11½ x 4½”
Untiedt’s Study, Nelson Story, depicts Nelson Story, a Texas cattleman, who, in 1866, drove the first herd of longhorns over the Bozeman Trail into present-day Bozeman, Montana. “After being stopped by Kansas jayhawkers near Baxter Springs, Kansas, he trailed west to Fort Leavanworth and on into Wyoming. Having first trail blazed to Montana in 1863, Nelson had to avoid the U.S. Army’s not allowing him to proceed north from Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming, because of Indian hostilities,” he explains. “He accomplished this by sneaking his men and herd away at night, hurrying to get across the Tongue River. Constantly avoiding and skirmishing with Lakota warriors under Red Cloud, he eventually reached the Gallatin Valley in Montana with his herd intact.”
El Rancho is Hallmark’s signature piece for the show. Explaining the work he says, “Located on what was once the Camino Real, the royal road that extended from Mexico City to Santa Fe, El Rancho de las Golondrinas (The Ranch of the Swallows) was a Paraje. An official rest stop for travelers, a Paraje, also provided goods for trade. The rancho was founded in the early 1700s because of the ample water supply.”
Jan Mapes, Easily Spotted, oil, 18 x 24”
Collectors should look to the Briscoe’s website to keep up-to-date on all of the events, as well as to find out how to purchase tickets. In past iterations of Night of Artists, the Briscoe Bison Society Collectors Summit has taken place the same weekend. For 2021 the event will be held virtually on three different dates, March 16, 18 and 23. The March 23 event will be moderated by Western Art Collector executive editor Michael Clawson. There is limited capacity for participation, so anyone interested in attending must purchase tickets.
Night of Artists
March 28-May 9, 2021
March 13-27, Online Auction
March 16, 18 & 23, Briscoe Bison Society Virtual Collectors Summit
March 27, 5-10 p.m., 20th Anniversary Celebration of Night of Artists Exhibition, Online Auction & Grand Live Auction
Briscoe Western Art Museum
210 W. Market Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 299-4499,
www.briscoemuseum.org
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