On July 29 the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, opens its annual Art in the West exhibition and silent auction. The show will hang in the museum galleries July 29 through October 16, but the silent auction will be exclusively online.
The event is one part of the museum’s annual fundraiser High Desert Rendezvous, which is happening virtually again this year on August 28. A pre-show will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by the show at 7 p.m. that includes programming, live and silent auctions, a raffle and more surprises. Collectors can preview and bid on works in Art in the West during the Rendezvous, but the silent auction will officially end when the show closes on October 16.
Tamara Ruiz, Desert Drama, oil on cradled wood panel, 25 x 25”
Art in the West is an invitation-only, juried exhibition that will include more than 80 works of art by regional and local artists. Each year a jury selects the artwork included with two pieces receiving special recognition. This year Tamara Ruiz’s Desert Drama was selected as the Jury’s Choice Award, while the Curator’s Choice Award went to Rudi Broschofsky for his spray paint and resin artwork Gus. Other artists participating in the show include Dawn Emerson, Hadley Rampton, Robert Martinez, Robert Moore and Richard Yorke, to name a few.
Robert Moore, Sunset, oil on board, 14 x 22”
Rudi Broschofsky, Gus, spray paint on panel with resin, 31 x 45”
“There’s a really good mix of traditional and contemporary artwork,” says Dawn Whitelaw, executive director of High Desert Museum. “Another thing we’re including, and increasing the amount of, are miniatures. That’s a great way to get new collectors excited with lower prices and for those who have smaller spaces. It’s also a wonderful way to get people to be enthusiastic to collecting pieces from the museum and from these incredible artists.”
Subject matter in the exhibition includes people, landscapes and wildlife of the West in a variety of styles and mediums. “One thing that we’ve done for a few years is we have a policy that we don’t accept submissions of Indigenous content from non-Indigenous artists,” Whitelaw says. “For example, we only show Native Americans or teepees if the artist identifies as Indigenous.”
Dawn Emerson, Ancient Dream, sumie ink, 12 x 12”
The silent auction will have opening bids for the artwork ranging from $100 to $5,000. There is a buy-it-now option available as well. All artwork will hang at the museum until the show closes, and purchasers will be contacted on October 18. —
High Desert Rendezvous
• Art in the West exhibition and online silent auction,
July 29-October 16, 2021
• High Desert Rendezvous,
August 28, 2021, pre-show 6:30 p.m., show begins at 7 p.m.
High Desert Museum
59800 S. Highway 97, Bend, OR 97702
(541) 382-4754, www.highdesertmuseum.org
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