Eiteljorg Museum | September 10-October 10, 2021 | Indianapolis, IN

The New Frontier

Top Western artists return to Indianapolis for the Quest for the West at the Eiteljorg Museum.

The word “quest” can conjure all kinds of interesting ideas related to adventure, exploration, mythology and epic journeys across great distances. The Eiteljorg Museum’s annual exhibition and sale, the Quest for the West, benefits from these themes, but also another: the phrasing of the title suggests the quest is ongoing, that the adventure will not end until every facet of the West can be explored. Each year the artists get closer and closer, and it’s that pursuit that gives the Quest for the West its power.

Howard Post, Fenced Pasture, oil, 24 x 48”

This year’s exhibition and sale will begin September 10 at the Eiteljorg in Indianapolis. More than 50 artists have submitted work that explores the West and the people, cultures, animals and scenery that can be found within it. This year’s show will mark a triumphant return to the museum, which last year had to have a virtual show amid the pandemic. As an added bonus, this year’s show will also have a special guest, Academy Award-winning actor Wes Studi, whose roles in Dances With Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans and recently in Hostiles have brought renewed attention to the West and how Native Americans can be portrayed in film.

Jay Moore, Stepping into Autumn, oil on linen, 30 x 30”

Studi, who is Cherokee and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is an art collector himself and appreciates art from many different categories, including Native American art.
“I moved to Santa Fe about 27 years ago, and it was at that time I really started to enjoy art more, especially since that was my first year at Santa Fe Indian Market,” the actor says. “Authenticity is important to me, but not more than the art. I think in that way art is similar to film in that it can be very authentic and representational, but it’s always up to the artist.”

Brent Cotton, Walk in the Light, oil, 20 x 16”

As for the art of film, Studi doesn’t see acting in the same terms as fine art. “Acting is a craft. I think it’s a craft for those of us who work at it,” he says. “It may be an art form in the eye of the beholder, but to me it’s all craft.”

C. Michael Dudash, Apache Scouts, oil on linen, 48 x 36”

Not only does Studi collect art himself, but he also has a connection to show with his friend and Quest artist H. David Wright, who first met the actor while working as an actor on the set of The Last of the Mohicans. Later Wright painted Studi, who played the fierce fighter Magua in the 1992 Michael Mann film.

Mikel Donahue, Panhandle Summer, acrylic, 24 x 24”

Besides Wright, other artists in the show include many of the top Western painters and sculptors working today: Gerald Balciar, Autumn Borts-Medlock, John Buxton, G. Russell Case, Tim Cherry, Deborah Copenhaver Fellows, Robert Griffing, David Grossmann, Donna Howell-Sickles, Brett Allen Johnson, Curt Mattson, Paul Moore, P.A. Nisbet, Heide Presse, Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Mian Situ and many others.

Terri Kelly Moyers, Serenity, oil, 16 x 16”

George Hallmark will also be showing his work, including the piece Madre de Maria. “One of my all-time favorite missions is San José y San Miguel De Aguayo in San Antonio, Texas. There are several carved areas on the church including the Rose Window and the Portal Sculptures,” Hallmark says about the painting. “The figures that flank the front doorway are Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the parents of Mary. The sculptures are credited to Pedro Huizar, who carved the figures between 1770 to 1775. Saint Anne, the mother of the virgin, is depicted holding the infant Mary. La Madre de Maria, the mother of Mary.”

John Moyers, Autumn Breeze, oil, 18 x 18”

John Fawcett, a returning Quest artist, will be showing work in both oil and watercolor. One of his oil pieces is Guardian Angels, showing a family traveling by wagon. “The 2,200-mile trek from the Midwest to Oregon and California was used by nearly 400,000 settlers, miners, farmers and families in the 20 years from 1840 to 1860,” Fawcett says. “Many families did not make the trip successfully due to the hardships of treacherous terrain, sickness from cholera and scurvy, hypothermia, Indian encounters and debilitated animals. This family’s journey was protected by men that were familiar with the dangers of the trail, and were their ‘guardian angels.’”

John Fawcett, Guardian Angels, oil, 24 x 30”

Cowboy Artists of America member Mikel Donahue will be offering an acrylic work titled Panhandle Summer, showing a single figure working under sunlight even as the threat of a large thunderstorm looms large in front of him. “Summers in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles are hot, windy and dry,” Donahue says. “More often than not when it does rain, the showers are sparse and bring little moisture. A shower on the horizon teases at the hope of some cooling, wet relief.”

George Hallmark, Madre de Maria, oil on linen, 30 x 30”

Other works include marvelous new landcapes from Jay Moore, historical pieces from C. Michael Dudash, classic horse paintings from Howard Post and a magnificent cowboy portrait from Dean Mitchell.

The show kicks off September 10 with special programming and a miniature sale, and then continues on September 11 with an awards luncheon, VIP reception, sale and banquet.

Dean Mitchell, One in Four, acrylic, 20 x 30”

“We are thankful to all the supporters who made last year’s Quest virtual art sale a huge success, and we are elated this year to welcome back artists and art collectors to the Eiteljorg Museum in person to experience Hoosier hospitality, celebrate Western art and meet acclaimed actor Wes Studi,” says Eiteljorg president and CEO John Vanausdall. “Importantly, visitors to the Eiteljorg Museum will be able to experience and appreciate the beautiful Quest for the West artworks during a public exhibition after the sale.”

Josh Elliott, Earth and Sky, oil, 20 x 30”