Collectors purchased more than $1.1 million in artworks inspired by the American West September 11-12 during the 21st annual Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana. With a record-setting first night of the two-night sale, the weekend drew more than 325 art lovers who came to buy original pieces and mingle with some of the show’s 50 artists.
“Twenty-one years of Quest for the West is a remarkable milestone, and this year’s exhibition demonstrates why this event has become such an important gathering for artists, collectors and audiences who care deeply about the art of the American West,” Eiteljorg President and CEO Kathryn Haigh said. “We are thrilled to welcome 10 new artists to the Quest for the West family alongside the accomplished artists whose work and commitment have helped shape this exhibition for decades. Together, they reflect the richness and evolution of the field, honoring the traditions of Western art while embracing the artists who are defining where it goes next. We invite everyone to experience this extraordinary collection of work, on view at the Eiteljorg through October 11.”
The opening weekend featured two fixed-price, luck-of-the-draw sales and an awards banquet. Art sales total $1.15 million and counting, including purchases from the Quest miniature art sale September 11, the Quest main sale on the second night, and additional sales since then. The total sold during the miniature sale on the first night, $112,325, was a record for that category.
Quest for the West is a museum fundraising event. Artists receive 75 percent of art-sale proceeds, with the remainder benefiting the Eiteljorg. Since Quest began in September 2006, more than $21 million in art has been sold through the annual show and sale.
Quest Art Awards
At the September 12 banquet, Quest for the West® artists received awards in several categories:
Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award: Dean Mitchell of Tampa, Florida, for his painting Yellowstone. The work was purchased for the museum’s collection. The Western Art Society, a group of museum supporters, presented the award.
Victor Higgins Award of Distinction: Tim Cherry of Branson, Missouri, for the best overall body of work presented at the show, including his bronze Creek Mystique and three other sculptures. Catherine Turner sponsored the award.
Cyrus Dallin Award for Best Sculpture: Pahponee (Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas / Citizen Potawatomi Nation) of Sidney, Nebraska, for her bronze sculpture Buffalo in Blizzard. Michael and Carla Leppert sponsored the award. Pahponee is a longtime artist at the Eiteljorg Indian Market & Festival each June; this was her first appearance at Quest for the West.
Henry Farny Award for Best Painting: Starr Hardridge (Muscogee / Creek) of Knoxville, Tennessee, for Autumn Trail. Stephen and Jane Marmon sponsored the award.
Patrons’ Choice Award: In a tie vote by Quest attendees, the award went both to Starr Hardridge (Muscogee / Creek) for Autumn Trail, and to Bruce Lawes of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, for his painting On Top of Her Game. Tom and Patty Gibbs sponsored the award.
Artists’ Choice Award: Daniel Smith of Bigfork, Montana, for his painting A Time to Feast, selected by a vote of Quest artists. Phyllis Cockerill sponsored the award.
Miniature Art Show Patrons’ Choice Award: Mikel Donahue of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, for his painting Winter Colors. David and Giselle Found sponsored the award, which recognizes smaller, more affordable works the Quest artists created for the first night of the sale.
Of the 50 established artists participating in Quest for the West, 10 did so for the first time. Quest paintings and sculptures remain on view at the Eiteljorg for a monthlong exhibition before the purchased works are shipped to their buyers. The exhibition is included with regular museum admission; Eiteljorg members receive free admission. Works that remain available — including paintings and additional casts of sculptures — may be purchased at the Quest Last Look event September 24, and through the close of the exhibition October 11.
Visitors also can see a related exhibition of whimsical wildlife sculptures by Tim Cherry, who last year received the Quest Artist of Distinction Award. Featuring bronze sculptures from across Cherry’s career, the exhibition is on view in the museum’s Ruth Lilly Community Art Gallery through September 27.
For more information: quest.eiteljorg.org
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Announcement prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Fine Art Today
