The Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Spirit Art Show and Sale was developed by Bill Little, the first curator and Director of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum from 1981-1984. As the status of the show grew it attracted discriminating collectors eager to find new talent.

Emerging artists flocked to the new show which was originally called the Western Regional Art Show. Through the show, many Western artists launched their careers when their work found acceptance by the show's jurors. Many of those who made their mark were artists like: Dan Ostermiller, Dan Garrett, Clyde Aspevig, Linda Budge, Steve Devenyns, Glenna Goodacre, Julie Oriet and many more.

In the late 1980s, Harvey Deselms introduced a new feature to the show that proved invaluable to artists expressing a desire to succeed in the art world, the Artist Seminars. The seminars grew in the 1990s to include business and legal issues while continuing the valuable demonstrations. Seminars now consist of an entire day of informative presentations prior to the show's opening.