High Desert Museum plans annual ‘Art in the West’ exhibition, silent auction
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The High Desert Museum will unveil an outstanding collection of traditional and contemporary art on Thursday, July 29 in its annual Art in the West exhibition and silent auction. This year’s invitation-only, juried exhibition will feature over 90 works of art by 59 regionally and nationally acclaimed artists.
“Every Art in the West exhibition is unique, making it a new experience that Museum visitors enjoy year after year,” said Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “And it’s a wonderful way to both bring home unique artwork and support artists and the Museum.”
Silent bidding will be available online for the second year, with the opportunity to purchase artwork outright. The bidding will launch July 29 and continue through the exhibit’s closing on Saturday, October 16. Opening bids for the art range from $100 to $5,000.
The artwork selected for the exhibition is as varied as the artists themselves. The exhibit features sculptures, paintings and photography expressing responses to the landscapes, history, cultures and wildlife of the High Desert in mediums ranging from oil to acrylic to mixed media.
This year’s Curator’s Choice Award is presented to Rudi Broschofsky for his piece Gus. Broschofsky is an Idaho-based artist whose work presents a modern look at otherwise traditional Western subject matter through the use of intricate stencils, spray paint and resin. His paintings are colorful, and the subject matter is bold and powerful. Broschofsky is represented by several galleries, including Modern West Fine Art in Salt Lake City, Utah; Broschofsky Galleries in Sun Valley, Idaho; and Flat Blak Gallery in Portland.
The Jury’s Choice Award goes to Tamara Ruiz for her vibrant oil painting Desert Drama. Ruiz is a contemporary artist creating from a small farm in Nebraska. Her years in the Midwest among the small towns and open prairies has impacted both the style and subject matter of her work. In 2013, Ruiz had a monthlong solo exhibition at the Nebraska Governor’s Residence in Lincoln. She has also exhibited her artwork at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana and Desert Caballeros Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona.
Proceeds from the Art in the West auction help support the Museum’s educational programs, bringing science, art and history education to lifelong learners throughout the region.
A link to the gallery guide of the exhibit artwork will be available exclusively on the Museum’s website starting Thursday, July 22 at highdesertmuseum.org/art-in-the-west. The bidding concludes and the exhibit closes on Saturday, October 16, and purchasers will be contacted on Monday, October 18.
Art in the West is made possible by First Interstate Bank with support from Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty, St. Charles Health System and Western Art Collector magazine.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
THE HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and is a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
