29th Annual Western Spirit Art Show and Sale

Click here to see the 2009 exhibit
**The 2010 art will be availble for viewing February 22, 2010.**

Click here to see the list of artists

Artwork will be available for purchase beginning Saturday March 6th at 5:00 p.m. for Old West Museum Members and at 5:30 pm for the general public.

It’s time again for the 29th Annual Western Spirit Art Show and Sale. The Western Spirit Art Show features over 100 western Artists from across the country and can be seen through April 18, 2010. The opening reception for the 2010 Western Spirit Art Show and Sale takes place on Saturday March 6, 2010 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. Museum members will be admitted at 5:00 PM for a special preview and will be open to the general public at 5:30 PM. Tickets are just $30.00 for museum members and $40.00 for non-members. Tickets and membership packages may be purchased in advance by telephoning Kristen Ruck at (307) 778-7289.

A special feature of the March 6th opening night festivities is the Vandewark Miniature Art exhibit. Miniature Sales will begin at 5:00 PM for museum members.

A “Quick Draw” will also begin at 7:00 PM with a live auction following the awards ceremony. The Chugwater Philharmonic String Quartet will provide entertainment with an open bar and heavy hors d’ oeuvres provided by Outback Steakhouse. An artist development seminar will be conducted on Saturday from 8:45 AM to 3:30 PM.

Click here to download 2010 Western Spirit Art Show & Sale Prospectus

Artist Development Seminar
Saturday, March 6, 2010 -- 8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

$30.00 Museum members, $40.00 non-members, $45.00 at the door

(A continental breakfast & lunch are included)

Richard Galusha – The Life and Influences of Frank Tenney Johnson 

Richard Galusha, Artist, Educator, and Co-Owner of Wild Horse Gallery of Steamboat Springs, Colorado will present a lecture on the Life of Frank Tenney Johnson, his works and influences on other artists.

Jeanne Mackenzie – Approached to Plein aire Painting: 

Jeanne Mackenzie, artist and educator, will show you how to best capture the great outdoors in paint. She will discuss the basic equipment for painting on location and the best approach to master the elusive, changing light. Learn how to tackle a big subject in a short amount of time.

Coni Grant – Marketing for the Individual Artist   

Coni Grant is a full time professional painter who spent 20 years in the advertising and design world as an art director and marketing consultant.  No mystery - just straight talk about making and meeting your goals as a professional artist.

Kay Jessen - Guidelines for the Western Art Show  

Kay Jessen of the Western Art Show will make recommendations to artists as to the application process. Learn how to prepare a submission to this invitation only art show and sale that occurs annually in July.

Chris Navarro - The Rewards of Being a Professional Artist

Chris Navarro a full time professional artist for over 24 years. He will explore the challenges and rewards of being a professional artist.  He will discuss ways to channel your desire, harness the power of belief and follow your dreams of creating art for a living.

Nicole Parks – Contemporary Realism Collection at the Denver Art Museum 

Nicole Parks, Curatorial Assistant of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum, will give a digital tour through the western galleries at the Denver Art Museum, illustrating the impact the Contemporary Realism Collection has had on the collections of the museum.    

If you need to make reservations at the Holiday Inn please call:

Holiday Inn

204 W Fox Farm Rd

Cheyenne, WY 82007

307-638-4466
The “Western Spirit” Rate is $62.00

2010 Western Spirit Art Show and Sale FAQS

Over 100 artists from across the Western U.S.
300 pieces of original Western art.
Oil, bronze, pastel, watercolor, ceramic, and pencil pieces.
Over 500 attendees expected on opening night.
Opening night reception will be held at CFD Old West Museum and presented by Outback Steakhouse.
The CFD Old West Museum is the #1 cultural tourism attraction in Southeast Wyoming.
The CFD Old West Museum is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.
The CFD Old West Museum receives no federal, state or local funding.
Art sales support year-round arts and education programs at the CFD Old West Museum.

2010 Western Spirit Art Show and Sale Jurors

Chris Navarro lives with his wife Lynne, and his children J.C. and Natalie in Casper, Wyoming. A rodeo competitor, Chris has been sculpting professionally since 1986.  He is best known for his large monumental sculptures.  10 galleries throughout the country represent him.  A book detailing the art of Navarro entitled Chasing the Wind: The Art of Chris Navarro was published in 2000.   His reflections of the West have given Navarro a national following, and collectors covet his limited editions across the country.

Chris Navarro’s experiences have everything to do with his beliefs and how he sees the world.  As in art and life, if what you create is real, and if it’s done with genuine emotions, there will always be others who will want to experience and relate to that power.  As a sculptor, Chris recreates his experiences and brings them to life in bronze images of the West, both contemporary and past, but with an intimacy of detail that reflects his knowledge and understanding of the roots of western tradition.

Nicole A. Parks has been with the Denver Art Museum for five years and serves as the Curatorial Assistant for the Petrie Institute of Western American Art.  Nicole has worked on various exhibitions relating to art of the American west including, George Carlson: Heart of the West, In Contemporary Rhythm: The Art of Ernest L. Blumenschein, Allen True’s West, and most recently, The Masterworks of Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Painting and Sculpture, and the upcoming exhibition, Charles Deas and 1840s America (summer 2010).  She has been integral in major gallery installations, such as the refurbished 7th floor galleries in the North Building highlighting historic western American art in “Creating the West in Art”, as well as the first installation of the Dietler Galleries of Western American Art in the Frederic C. Hamilton Building in 2006 and the gallery’s succeeding rotations and small shows highlighting contemporary western art.  She is project manager for the Petrie Institute’s Western Passages publications such as Redrawing Boundaries: Perspectives on Western American Art, Heart of the West: New Painting and Sculpture of the American West, Colorado: The Artist’s Muse, Charlie Russell and Friend, and the forthcoming Shaping the West in Art: American Sculptors in the 19th Century, in addition to the catalogues for the Ernest Blumenschein, Charles Russell and Charles Deas exhibitions.  Nicole contributed to the 2009 Western Passages publication Colorado: The Artist’s Muse with her article Bierstadt’s Colorado. She also organizes the Petrie Institute’s adult educational programs, such as the annual symposia (a collaboration with the National Western Stock Show’s Coors Western Art Show and Exhibit), most recently Shaping the West in Art: American Sculptors in the 19th Century held in January 2010.  Nicole continues to act as liaison for the Institute’s support group, the Contemporary Realism Group, whose main focus is to support the Institute’s acquisitions of contemporary Western art.

Richard Galusha was born in Casper Wyo. in 1955. He grew up on a ranch outside of Abilene, Texas.  His family moved to boulder, CO. in 1969.  After high school, he joined the Navy and developed a love for travel.  He received a BFA and teaching degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a master’s degree in Education from Adams State College.

Richard’s extensive travels plein aire painting around the world have given him countless opportunities for studies and painting subjects.  His works are in many private and corporate collections in the United States and Europe.