The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival was originally started as a way to boost tourism after Labor Day. The event, hosted by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, has become one of Wyoming’s most anticipated and liveliest events of the entire year. It’s helped put Jackson Hole on the map as a year-round art destination and is home to some of the most prominent galleries in the country. This year, the chamber will celebrate the event’s 40th anniversary by bringing back time-honored events, hosting a very special anniversary party and featuring two incredible artists.
Painter Caleb Meyer at a previous quickdraw event on the Jackson Hole Town Square.
What makes this festival so special to the community as well as art enthusiasts is the commitment to serving the most immersive experiences in wildlife, Western and landscape art. Attendees will have the chance to explore more than 50 unique events such as Wine Down Wednesday & Wind Up for Fall Arts, Palates & Palettes Art Walk and the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale. Additionally, dozens of smaller happenings will be put on by local galleries including book signings and artist demonstrations. Guests will also not want to miss the 40th anniversary celebration on the Town Square to commemorate and honor the festival’s history and its unequivocal impact on the community.
The centerpiece of the festival is the Jackson Hole QuickDraw, a giant paint-out where artists of all different mediums race to complete an original piece in the Town Square. Visitors will get the rare chance to interact with artists and watch as they create their work in real time. At the end, the works are auctioned off to the highest bidder in an action-packed live sale on the Town Square.
Roger Ore, Nature’s Playground, oil on canvas, 56 x 40 in. Courtesy West Lives On Gallery.
This year, the festival will also feature two exceptional artworks that will be the face of the 40th anniversary festivities: Roger Ore’s painting Nature’s Playground and Bryce Pettit’s bronze sculpture Born & Raised.
Boasting about both artists, John Morgan, director of events and communications for the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, says, “Roger Ore uses the Tetons as the subject for many of his pieces, and he has a true talent for capturing the grandeur of the mountains in a very realistic way. Bryce Petitt has been a frequent quickdraw participant, and a strong supporter of the Fall Arts Festival in Jackson Hole for many years. His sculpture, Born & Raised, is an amazing piece that captures the majesty of one of our ecosystem’s most iconic residents, the bald eagle.”
Morgan has lived in the area since 1998 and has always enjoyed the Fall Arts Festival and watching its significance grow. “It is an event that is cherished by the entire community,” he says. “While the need to attract more visitors to the valley for these two weeks has waned, the purpose of the festival has evolved to brand Jackson Hole as the premier art community in the Mountain West.”
Another key event during the festival is the Jackson Hole Art Auction,held on September 14, at the nearby Jackson Hole Center for the Arts.
Bryce Pettit, Born & Raised, bronze, 37 x 20 x 18 in. Courtesy Hawkinson Photography.
For the past 40 years, the Jackson Hole Falls Arts Festival has evolved into a two-week whirlwind of boundless enthusiasm for the region’s bustling art scene. It has driven the city to the top of every art lover’s bucket list. The event starts September 4 and runs through September 15. For more information on all events, visit the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce’s website. —
Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival
September 4-15, 2024
Jackson Hole, WY, (307) 733-3316
www.jacksonholechamber.com
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