Each year the Mountain Oyster Club in Tucson, Arizona, hosts an enticing art show and sale, complete with some of the finest examples of Western painting, drawing, and sculpture. The results?
 
November 22 was an exciting day in Tucson, Arizona, as the acclaimed Mountain Oyster Club hosted its annual Art Show, which features nearly 500 dazzling works of American Western art. As the club itself states, “There are many colorful stories of how the Mountain Oyster Club came to be. There is probably a thread of truth in most of them. The most common versions say that it was begun by a group of cowboys, playboys, ranchers, polo players, race-horse types, and others whose unacceptable behavior had gotten them thrown out of all of the respectable establishments in Tucson. Whether the real reason for its creation was to give ranchers and their wives a place in town where they could feel at home in their boots and Levi’s and shoot out the lights without offending the rest of the membership or some other less interesting purpose, we know it began in 1948.”
 

McCalla Award winner Julie Bell (center) (c) The Mountain Oyster Club 2015

 
Although the Art Show began on November 22, sales continue even today, with a large number of works still available. The results in sales were outstanding this year, totaling nearly $400,000. A full catalogue of works included can be found here.
 
Several awards are given to deserving artists each year. Artist Stephen C. Datz was selected as Artist Member by the Mt. Oyster Art Committee for his dedication to the club, excellence in the field, and popularity among patrons. Each Artist Member donates a work to the club after selection in exchange for a lifetime membership.
 

Wieghorst Award winner Paul Hopman (left) and his work “The Mighty” (c) The Mountain Oyster Club 2015

 
The McCalla Award is given in memory and honor of Denis McCalla, a former dealer for the club. The award signifies the Best in Show as selected by the winning artist’s peers; it was taken home by Julie Bell for her lovely painting “Listening.”
 
The Wieghorst Award honors Olaf Wieghorst, who was the first Artist Member at the club. This Best in Show selection is made by the Art Committee and was awarded to Paul Hopman for his piece “The Mighty.”
 
To learn more, visit The Mountain Oyster Club.
 
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.
 

Celebrate the Holiday season with the Greenwich Historical Society as they host “Antiquarius 2015,” a high style and fun-filled series of events in Connecticut.
 
Beginning on December 3 and continuing through December 9 is the Greenwich Historical Society’s “Antiquarius 2015,” which will feature a number of exciting antique shows and sales, holiday boutiques, house tours, and more. 
 
Festivities kick off at 6:30 P.M. on December 3 with a previewing party of the “Winter Antiques Show.”  Browse a number of outstanding objects of historical significance while enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres and a light buffet dinner by Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning.  Produced by Barn Star Productions/Frank Gaglio, Inc., the “Winter Antiques Show” will open December 4 at 10 A.M. with over 40 exhibitors showcasing a variety of objects from the 18th century to the mid 20th century.  A full list of exhibitors can be found here.  The show and sale will continue through the weekend until December 6 at 5 P.M. in the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center.
 
The fun continues on Tuesday December 8 with the “Holiday Boutique,” which features over 35 vendors that, “range from sweet monogrammed childrenswear to cuddle-worthy knitwear and semi-precious sparkles, there is something for everyone,” as the website states. The “Holiday Boutique” will be hosted by Christ Church Greenwich and will be available until December 9 at 6 P.M.
 
To learn more about the additional house tours, luncheons, and more, visit the Greenwich Historical Society.
 

Discover this year’s Spectrum Miami – a juried, contemporary art show during the amazing Art Basel Miami Beach 2015.
 
This year’s SPECTRUM Miami will feature the curatorial theme of “Emergence” where innovative visions will come to life.  Via the event’s website:

Spectrum Miami’s theme for 2015 explores the act of illumination, of creativity emerging from the artist. The abundance of trend-setting artists and galleries exhibiting at Spectrum Miami will reflect this theme, as will the show’s special programming, including Art Labs, Art Talks, and the Spotlight Artist and LaunchPad Programs.

What:
A juried contemporary art show featuring publishers, galleries and studios representing talented mid-career and emerging artists.

Who:
Top galleries and established, juried studio artists.

Where:
The Arts & Entertainment District, conveniently located between Midtown and Downtown Miami and in close proximity to major area hotels, restaurants, parking, and other Miami Art Week shows.

Why:
In the heart of Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District—alongside Red Dot Art Fair and in proximity to powerhouse art shows like Art Basel, Art Miami, Scope, and Miami Project—Spectrum showcases innovative new art in an elegant, gallery-style exhibition space.

To learn more, visit SPECTRUM Miami 2015.
 

Internationally recognized and boasting 18 years of success, ArtPalmBeach 2016 is sure to be the best yet.
 
Over 85 international galleries will feature during the 2016 ArtPalmBeach, which is Palm Beach County’s longest running fair dedicated to contemporary, emerging, and modern master works of art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
 
Highlights of 2016 include:
 
Art Synergy
Art Synergy in collaboration with ArtPalmBeach will produce more than 30 exhibitions throughout the nine Palm Beach County Art Districts in January 2016 during Art Palm Beach week.  The nine art districts are: Antique Row, Artists Alley, Boynton Beach Art District, Lake Park and North Palm Beach Art District, Lake Worth Arts, Northwood Village, West Palm Beach, and Worth Ave.
 
Bold Beauty Project
ArtPalmBeach has partnered with the Bold Beauty Project and famed photographer Robert Zuckerman to bring the Bold Beauty Project photography exhibit to ArtPalmBeach 2016.  This innovative visual arts event showcases women who dare to expose their disabilities.  The models boldly face the photographer’s lens, and through the process, they uncover their beauty, sensuality and strength to break the molds of conventional beauty (January 23).
 
Biennial Art Exhibition
The Biennial Faculty Art Exhibition is presented every other fall semester and features producing visual and media artists as well as designers teaching in the following Colleges and Schools at FAU: Department of Visual Arts and Art History and School of Communication and Multimedia Studies in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters; School of Architecture in the College for Design and Social Inquiry; and two artists employed by the FAU Libraries. November 12-January 23.
 
Continuum West Palm Beach Arts
CONTINUUM is a pop-up art exhibition in the Arts & Entertainment District in downtown West Palm Beach that takes place during ArtPalmBeach week, January 21-30.
 
The Armory Center: Women of Vision, Rising Waters and River
The Armory Center will be featuring three exhibitions during Art Palm Beach week, “Women of Vision,” “Rising Waters: an exhibition of recent works by Mag Harries” and “River: an installation by Mag Harries and Lajos Heder.  The Women of Vision will feature sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics and mixed media.  Rising Waters is an exhibition by Boston based artist Mag Harries.  It is an ironic and poignant commentary on the dilemma of “Rising Waters” – our inability to grasp it on an individual level and our societal refusal to deal with the effects of global warming already so evident in South Florida.  River, the installation by Mag Harries and Lajos Heder creates an apparition of a river from one bucket of water. January 16-February 12
 
To learn more, visit Art Palm Beach 2016.
 

As part of Art Basel Miami Beach 2015, Red Dot Art Fair is entering into its 9th year of art, entertainment, and more.
 
“Red Dot Art Fair is pleased to announce its 9th edition in our new location in the Arts and Entertainment District in Miami at 1700 NE 2nd Ave at NE 17th Street, ï»¿December 2 – 6, 2015, ï»¿concurrent with Art Basel Miami Beach.  Building upon its reputation as a diverse fair, Red Dot will offer a unique selection of approximately fifty galleries exhibiting contemporary painting, sculpture, photography and secondary market.

“The opening reception is on Wednesday, December 2 from 6 – 10PM, and will benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“Red Dot Art Fair strives to create a fair for galleries specializing in emerging, mid-career and established artists that present work of lasting value. The luxurious layout of the fifty thousand square foot venue will provide visitors with a sophisticated and friendly environment to view artwork presented by galleries and dealers.  Red Dot is excited about being part of Miami’s vibrant art scene and its great fabric of galleries, museums and cultural institutions.

“Red Dot Art Fair is pleased to announce that the Spectrum Miami tent will share the new 7-acre location at 1700 NE 2nd Avenue (corner of NE 17th Street) and tickets will be valid for both art fairs.  Each fair will have their own tents and entrances, tickets will be valid for entrance to both fairs.”
 
A full list of participating exhibitors for 2015 can be found here.
 
To learn more, visit Red Dot Art Fair.
 

The International Fine Print Deals Association (IFPDA) is overjoyed to be celebrating the 10th edition of the INK Miami Art Fair – one of the many ‘satellite fairs’ of Art Basel Miami Beach.
 
“The International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) is pleased to celebrate the 10th edition of its INK Miami Art Fair this year and to announce the participation of IFPDA member dealers in the Art Basel Miami Beach Edition sector as well as Art Miami, UNTITLED., and Pulse Miami Beach fairs. 
 
“This year’s Editions Sector at Art Basel Miami Beach will consist entirely of IFPDA members. These exhibitors are Alan Cristea Gallery, Crown Point Press, Gemini G.E.L., Sabine Knust, Carolina Nitsch, Pace Prints, Paragon, Poligrafa Obra Grafica, Paul Stolper, STPI, Two Palms, Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE). Exhibiting at Art Miami are IFPDA dealers Dranoff Fine Art, Durham Press, Flowers Gallery, Goya Contemporary Gallery, Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art, Mixografia, Osborne Samuel, Sims Reed Gallery, and William Shearburn Gallery. Arroniz Arte Contemporaneo and Cirrus Gallery & Cirrus Editions, Ltd. will exhibit at UNTITLED. Fair. Carl Solway joins Pulse Miami Beach as an exhibitor and The Tolman Collection of Tokyo exhibits at Red Dot Art Fair.
 
“INK Miami has been unique among satellite fairs of Art Basel Miami Beach for its exclusive focus on works on paper. Founded in 2006 by the International Fine Print Dealers Association, the Fair has distinguished itself by the quality of its works and exhibitors, as well as its lush open-air courtyard, with surrounding suites transformed into uniquely defined gallery spaces offering a diverse survey of 20th century masterworks and editions by leading contemporary artists.
 
“To celebrate its tenth year, INK Miami Art Fair launches INK Miami Invitational, a new platform to showcase art dealers outside the IFPDA membership who demonstrate a special commitment to works on paper. The three dealers exhibiting in INK Miami Invitational are Flying Horse Editions (FL), Rabley Contemporary Gallery (UK), and Gregg Shienbaum Fine Art (FL). With Ink Miami Invitational, the IFPDA fosters a wider community of dealers dedicated to works on paper.
 
“Major highlights of INK Miami include:

• A “selfie station” featuring Trenton Doyle Hancock‘s wallpaper project “Flowerbed II: a Prelude to Damnation” at Graphicstuide/U.S.F.

• “Miniature Soft Drum Set” a 1969 multiple by Claes Oldenburg, as well as prints by Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol at Gregg Shienbaum Fine Art.

• New editions by Will Cotton, Luis Gispert, and Diana Al-Hadid at contemporary publisher Flying Horse.

• A vivid gouache by surrealist William Baziotes titled ‘Yellow Creature’ (1936-39) at Susan Teller Gallery.

• A survey of British contemporary artists at Rabley Contemporary Gallery.

• A set of bold screenprints from the early ’70’s combining bold tropical hues and simplified shapes by American Modernist Maud Morgan, a mentor to Frank Stella, at Childs Gallery.

• Bold new etchings by Enrique Chagoya and Carrie Mae Weems at contemporary publisher Segura Arts Studio.

• New editions by seminal American pop artist Jim Dine, Michelle Grabner, and Dan Rizzie presented by Tandem Press.

• Drawings by Nate Cassie, a past fellow in the Artspace International Artist-in-Residence Program and collage works by Texas-based figurative artist Julie Speed from Ruiz-Healy Art.

 
Preview Breakfast: Wednesday, December 2 at 9 A.M. 
 
Location The Suites of Dorchester, 1850 Collins Avenue (at 19th Street), Miami Beach, FL 33139 [located two blocks from the Miami Beach Convention Center].
 
Hours
Wednesday 9pm – 5pm
Thursday 10am – 7pm
Friday 10am – 7pm
Saturday 10am – 7pm
Sunday 10am – 3pm
 
More information on INK Miami Art Fair can be found at INK Art Fair.
 

For its 11th year, Manifest Gallery is calling for entries into its “Juried Exhibition-in-Print,” with submissions needed by December 31.
 
Cincinnati-based fine art gallery Manifest is calling on artists to submit their drawings into their 11th International Drawing Annual, selections of which will appear in a much anticipated publication.  In addition to having your work printed in the book, cash prizes include $1200 for ‘First Prize.’ 
 
Manifest writes, “As this is a BOOK project, works that are not otherwise available (i.e. physically) may still be submitted for consideration.  All that is required of accepted artists is a print-quality hi-resolution digital image of accepted works.  All included artists receive a complimentary copy of the finished book.
 
“The award-winning International Drawing Annual (INDA), which was launched in 2005, is an extension and merging of Manifest’s nonprofit Educational Drawing Center Studio, Press, and Gallery programs. Its goal is to support the recognition, documentation, and publication of excellent, current, and relevant works of drawing of all kinds from around the world, and to do so while maintaining a deliberately non-commercial platform.

“Submissions are expected to vary, including a range of drawing types, from the most academic to the most experimental, but all with some relevance to the artists’ honest understanding of the practice of ‘drawing.’

“Open to any media applicable to the practice of drawing including but by no means limited to traditional drawing media. Printmaking, digital/new media, photography, sculpture, painting, installation, etc., are all possibly valid.”

To learn more, visit Manifest Gallery.
 

One of the leading American Modernists, Max Weber, is being remembered during an upcoming retrospect in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

December 11 marks a tantalizing date in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as Gerald Peters Gallery opens its retrospect on the monumental modernist Max Weber.  The Gallery states, “This acclaimed 20^th Century artist was one of the leading American Modernists and studied under Matisse and developed friendships with Cezanne and Picasso through his relationship with Leo and Gertrude Stein.  After a time in Paris, Weber returned to New York and involved himself with the new avant-garde and began developing his stylistic, Modern vocabulary.  In 1911 Weber showed at Stieglitz’s 391 Gallery and his career as one of America’s leading Modernist artists began in earnest.

“Max Weber has influenced American Art since the early 1900’s, defining, with John Marin, Marsden Hartley and Arthur Dove, American Modernist Painting.  His early embrace of abstraction influenced a new generation of artists:  the New York School.  In the early 1930’s Max Weber was the first American artist to receive a solo exhibition at MOMA.  Any contemporary artist whose work inhabits the realms of the abstract can reflect back on Weber, as he was an American original, forging new ways of seeing and interpreting the world.”

To learn more, visit Gerald Peters Gallery.
 

A benefit group exhibition – featuring an array of over 40 artists – is just around the bend.
 
“This holiday season, Stephanie Chefas Projects in collaboration with p:ear, a Portland non-profit that mentors homeless youth, are delighted to announce a benefit group exhibit titled “Project p:ear.” Featuring an array of over 40 artists, “Project p:ear” celebrates the creativity of the human spirit and our inherent drive for self expression. From Aaron Nagel’s contemporary realism to the intuitive paintings of Zio Ziegler, each participating artist delivers a distinct voice for art lovers to experience. In addition, 20% of all proceeds from the exhibit will be donated to p:ear programs.” 
 
Opening reception will be held Friday December 4 from 6-10 P.M.
 
To learn more, visit Stephanie Chefas Projects.
 

The Steamboat Art Museum (SAM) is poised to kick-off the holiday season with a honoring of the great Len Chmiel.
 
Opening on December 4, “Len Chmiel: A Retrospective” will honor one of America’s most accomplished painters at the Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  As exciting, patrons will have their chance to meet the artist on Saturday December 5, when a “Night at the Museum” dinner will take place between 6 and 9 P.M.  Tickets to the dinner are still available for $75. 
 
“Len Chmiel: A Retrospective” will hang through April 9.
 
To learn more, visit the Steamboat Art Museum.