In 2008, the museum once called the Wildlife of the American West Museum found itself the subject of debate in Washington, D.C. At the end of the debate, by a rare order from Congress, the museum was given a new name: the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Today, as in 2008 and even before, the museum is a stronghold for wildlife art of all kinds.
William Haskell, Night Hunter, acrylic on panel, 12 x 16 in.Returning to the museum’s galleries this September is Western Visions Art Show + Sale, the venue’s signature wildlife exhibition. This year’s event will feature more than 170 artists, each submitting one work. The event opens September 6 and runs through September 28, but collectors are encouraged to be part of the sale night on September 11, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Western Visions runs concurrently with the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, which allows museum visitors to experience a wide variety of art events throughout the middle of the month.
Joe Kronenberg, As One They Roam, oil on board, 30 x 50 in. This year’s edition of the exhibition does have a few changes, including the absence of a live auction. Instead of a live sale with an auctioneer, all of the works will be sold during a fixed-price, by-draw sale. More than 130 of the artworks will be small-format pieces, which has been expanded this year to include artworks that are no more than 480 square inches, or roughly 24 by 20 inches. (For bronzes, the artists are asked to generally keep every side below 18 inches, with some small exceptions for strangely shaped castings.) In addition to the small works, there will also be more than 30 large-format pieces that are part of the by-draw sale. In past years, these pieces would have been included in the live auction, but this year organizers have moved them into the regular fixed-price portion of the sale.
Chad Poppleton, Chrome Plated, oil on panel, 24 x 24 in.
Sally Vannoy, The Wonder of it All, oil on linen, 30 x 50 in.
Sandy Scott, Yonder is Jackson Hole, bronze, ed. of 50, 11 x 14 x 10 in.
“This is definitely a better format for everyone involved,” says Western Visions show director Madison Webb Stanko. “Everything will be available at our intent-to-purchase sale, so it should be an exciting night as collectors view the work and make their bids.” Stanko notes that there are 18 new artists this year, and the show has a value more than $1 million.
Hannah Harper, Summer Stroll, oil on panel, 16 x 16 in.
Artists include William Alther, Gerald Balciar, Greg Beecham, Mary Ross Buchholz, Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, Tim Cherry, Luke Frazier, Donna Howell-Sickles, Colt Idol, T. Allen Lawson, Bryce Pettit, Sandy Scott and many others.
Several artists that Stanko points out for this year’s show include two Native American ledger artists, Dolores Purdy and Robert Martinez, and sculptor Jim Eppler. “These ledger artists are fantastic and they are really welcome additions to the exhibition, and they show the depth and breadth of wildlife art. There are so many ways to approach wildlife art, and they prove it,” she says. “Jim Eppler is exciting because he is offering a maquette version of a bronze of two mule deer. The maquette is related to a large monument version of the same subjects, created specifically for the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Jim’s monument will be part of our sculpture trail, and now collectors can own a small version of it in Western Visions.”
Dan Ostermiller, Sunrise on Coyote Buttes, bronze, 35 x 18 x 17½ in.
Dustin Van Wechel, Griz Country, oil on linen, 14 x 11 in.
The show’s director also notes that excitement is already brewing in Jackson Hole, which is the gateway to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national park. “The summer traffic has been crazy,” she adds. “We don’t love the traffic, but it brings so many people here to visit the area, to see the sights and to take in the experience of the museum. Jackson is such a great place to visit.”
Western Visions will hang through September 28. —
Western Visions Art Show + Sale
September 6-28, 2025
National Museum of Wildlife Art
2820 Rungius Road, Jackson Hole, WY 83001
(307) 733-5771
www.wildlifeart.org
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