Western Art Week returns to Great Falls, bringing an annual economic boom next week
Like new buds on the trees and green grass on the hillsides, Western Art Week is something Montanans and western art enthusiasts across the nation eagerly anticipate each spring. The first of the season event is known for both the museum quality works for sale and on display, and for the rare opportunity Western Art Week provides to meet the artists who created them.
This year’s Western Art Week starts Wednesday, running between March 13 and March 17. Fourteen different art shows are scheduled this year at 10 different locations featuring the works of over 700 artists. The festivities that make up Western Art Week center around one special date, March 19, the birthday of famed cowboy artist Charles M. Russell.
“It’s an economic driver for the travel industry,” said Rebecca Engum, Executive Director of Great Falls Montana Tourism. “This is the first significant art event with auctions and the opportunity to get collectors moving on their art collection. We’re the first one in that series. We aren’t familiar with any significant art experiences like this anywhere in the state. Western Art Week is just awesome from a tourism perspective.”
For the first time since 2019 the famed high-stakes Russell Art Auction is returning to Western Art Week. A founding cornerstone of Western Art Week, The Russell Auction opted out of the event following the COVID pandemic and a major expansion of the C.M. Russell Museum’s campus. Now The Russell is back.
“I think it is so important that The Russell return to Western Art Week because of the relevance it has to the community,” said Jessica Neble, Senior Director of Operations for the museum. “We’re back where we should be.”
Bid prices on the auction’s marquee works frequently run into the hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. This year’s most anticipated work is an 1896 oil painting by Russell entitled “The War Party.” It depicts a large band of mounted Blackfeet warriors crossing the eastern plains. The painting’s anticipated sale price is between $2.25 million and $3.25 million.
After last year’s summer sale the C. M. Russell Museum reported raising $5.4 million to support acquisitions, events and staffing. The sale is the museum’s most important annual fundraising event. It’s big city art come to small town Montana.
The Russell also focuses on living artists whose works may be less well known but is critical to the continued development and vibrancy of western art in the 21st century.
“We have a great selection of contemporary pieces,” Neble said. “Our Russell Skull Society artists are so important to the museum. We also have others who are not Russell Skull Society artists but have such great careers and real momentum in advancing the western art community.”
The exhibition across town at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art highlights the collaborative work of Blackfeet artists Louis Still Smoking and John Isiah Pepion, who have created a temporary mural inside the museum inspired by the resiliency and strength of Native American culture.
“It’s an installation work,” explained Nicole Evans, Curator at the Paris Gibson Square Museum. “They installed their temporary mural in the exhibition space in addition to individual works of art interlayered within the mural space and in a separate gallery.”
The annual Western Art Week features a variety of events with artists of every kind at venues around Great Falls. For more information, visit visitgreatfallsmontana.org. Whether it’s rubbing elbows with the big spenders at a major auction or having a chat with a local painter whose work is on exhibit for the first time, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy art during Western Art Week March 13-17 in Great Falls.
2024 Western Art Week Shows
ARVON Art Show and Sale - Displayed through the lobby and hallways of Hotel Arvon at 118 1st Ave. S. Featuring work from artists Ron and Echo Ukrainetz, Chuck Fulcher, Brenda Wolf, S. Carlyle Smith, Steve Oiestad, Mimi Grant, and Joe Netherwood. For more information visit the show’s Facebook page or call 406-868-374.
Best of the West Art Show - Best of the West will showcase around 40 of the best artists the west has to offer in a location that makes it east for buyers to see a broad collection of artistry in one place. Showing from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Four Seasons Arena at the Montana ExpoPark. For more information visit thebestofthewestshow.com or call 406-868-9649.
Celebration of Native Plains Artists - Comprised exclusively of Native American artists and crafters, the show grew out of The Harvest Moon Ball, an event started in 1996 by the late Elouise Cobell. Showing from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Four Seasons Arena at the Montana ExpoPark. For more details see the Great Western Show website or call 406-564-5612.
First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park Art Show and Reception - First Peoples State Park will host their Annual Art Show and Reception, March 16 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a Rock Art Hike to the cliffs above the interpretive center from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The park is 3.5 miles north of Ulm just off Interstate 15, exit 270. Visit fwp.mt.gov or call 406-866-2217 for more information.
Footprints on the Trail - Presented by Western Heritage Artists, Footprints on the Trail has grown steadily since its inception in 1981. This year’s show will include works by 25 plus exhibitors from all over the U.S. It will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Great Falls Holiday Inn, 1625 Market Pl Dr. Visit westernheritageartists.com or call 406-899-5963 for details.
Great Falls Gun and Antique Show - With hundreds of vendors the show features everything from guns and knives to fine china, old postcards, and classic toy dolls. It takes place at Exhibition Hall at the Montana Expo Park. Tickets are $10 for adults and $1 for children 15 and younger. Visit greatfallsgunshow.net or call 406-580-5458 for more information.
Legends West Art Show - Legends West brings together over 30 top artists working in a wide range of western art mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, and charcoal. Showing from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Four Seasons Arena at the Montana ExpoPark. Visit legendswestartshow.com or call 406-868-9649 for more information.
March in Montana - March in Montana brings together museum quality antiques and artworks from as far away as Florida and New Mexico. Works include historic rifles, weavings, paintings, and sculptures. This year’s sale will be held at Great Falls Elks Lodge, 500 1st Ave. S. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit marchinmontana.com or call 208-664-2091 for details.
Out West Art Show and Sale - Touted as the largest gathering of western artists on the planet, this year’s Out West Art Show will include the works of more than 125 artists showcased in over 110 exhibit rooms. Located at the Heritage Inn, 1700 Fox Farm, the show has long list of events scheduled. To learn more, visit the show’s Facebook page or call 406-626-4696.
Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art - Blackfeet artists Louis Still Smoking and John Pepion have collaborated to create a temporary mural inside the museum inspired by the resiliency and strength of Native American culture. The project will continue each day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the museum, 1400 1st Ave. N. For details go to the-square.org or call 406-727-8255.
Studio 706 Show - Studio 706 is a non-profit artists’ guild organized to mentor and provide opportunities to young local artists. View works of students vying for the Bill Chigbrow Memorial Art Scholarship. The 2024 show will appear in the Gibson Room at the Great Falls Civic Center. For more details visit the visitgreatfalls.org web page or call 406-899-0362.
The Great Western Show - With four art shows in one the Great Western Show is the largest exhibition in town. It’s 244 booths include furniture, fashion, jewelry, and lots of art. Located in the Four Seasons Arena at the Montana ExpoPark. The show is each day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information visit thegreatwesternshow.com or call 406-868-9649.
The Russell - The C.M. Russell Museum is regarded as one of the world’s premier western art museums and this is one of its biggest fundraisers. Events include Art in Action, First Strike Friday Night, and the must-see Russell Live Auction. They occur at different locations across the city. For more go to cmrussell.org or call 406-727-1939.
Wild Bunch Art Show - This show has a big focus on visiting and telling tall tales. It’s a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere with artists selling paintings in oil acrylic, and watercolor – and just as willing to share in cookies, coffee, and conversation. To learn more go to the show’s Facebook page or call 406-842-5266.
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Western Art Week arrives in Great Falls between March 13 and March 17
