(Curator’s Choice Award: Gus by Rudi Broschofsky, spray paint on panel with resin, 31” x 45”)
On July 29, the High Desert Museum unveiled a remarkable collection of artwork in its annual Art in the West juried, invitation-only exhibition and online silent auction. This year’s exhibition highlights the work of 56 regionally and nationally acclaimed artists and includes 94 works.
The highly anticipated exhibition focuses on art inspired by the landscapes, history, people, cultures and wildlife of the High Desert. The vast region stretches from the eastern slope of the Cascades and Sierras up into southeastern British Columbia and south to the Wyoming Basin, Colorado Plateau and Northern Arizona.
“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. “Now people beyond the Museum walls can explore the stunning exhibition with viewing and bidding available online.”
Silent bidding is available online for the second year, with the opportunity to purchase artwork outright. In addition to experiencing the artwork in person, everyone can fall in love with their own piece of the High Desert online at highdesertmuseum.org/art-in-the-west. The bidding continues through the exhibit’s closing on Saturday, October 16.
This year’s Curator’s Choice Award was 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, Oregon.
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.
Additional renowned artists also featured in Art in the West include Dawn Emerson, Terry Cooke Hall, Kat Houseman, Robert Martinez, Robert Moore and sculptor Rebecca Tobey, and past Art in the West winners Sarah B. Hansen and Hadley Rampton.
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 gallery guide of the exhibit artwork is available to preview on the Museum’s website at highdesertmuseum.org/art-in-the-west, as is registration for bidding. Opening bids range from $100 to $5,000. Bids or outright purchases may be made online.
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.