31 Jul Round Up: Agenda: Art Events of Note

Museums, galleries, and curated art events celebrating the artists of the Northern Rockies offer an intimate glimpse at life in the American West. Upcoming calendar highlights include:

Ongoing

Through August 17
Patchworking: Big Sky Domestic Cast-Offs
Aunt Dofe’s Gallery | Willow Creek, MT
auntdofegallery.com

Rebecca Hutchinson’s volumetric, human-scale paper-and-clay vessels incorporate repurposed domestic goods from Montana, including blue jeans, flannel shirts, and table linens. The artist’s practice involves rummaging through what is typically discarded and considered worn-out. For this exhibition, she highlights the harvest, making, and presentation of these vessel forms, as well as three handmade, hand-sewn paper quilts.

Through August 23
10th Annual Bighorn Rendezvous
The Brinton Museum | Big Horn, WY
thebrintonmuseum.org

This month-long exhibition features 16 nationally recognized, award-winning artists with more than 40 works in oil, pastel, and bronze. The show culminates in an August 23 art auction and quick-draw event, where artists make art inspired by the Bighorn Mountains and the grounds of the museum’s Quarter Circle A Ranch.

Through September 14
Benjamin Walter: Time & Terrain
Horizon Fine Art | Jackson, WY
horizonfineartgallery.com

For the first time, Benjamin Walter has released 30 entirely plein-air paintings exploring immediate impressions of different times and terrains. These works are small, allowing Walter to focus on capturing a fleeting impression — a specific light, time of day, or visual effect. Walter will also participate in the Jackson Hole Quickdraw on September 13. Turn to page 160 to read more about his work.

Through October 18
A Kin to Clay
Tinworks Art | Bozeman, MT
tinworksart.org

Celebrating the remarkable legacy of clay in Montana, this exhibition explores the relationship between a diverse but connected group of artists who have worked with clay and earthen materials to uncover shared histories and creative affinities. Featured artists include Frances Senska, Theaster Gates, Gabriel Chaile, Marguerite Wildenhain, and David Drake. Building on last year’s Wheatfield—An inspiration. The seed is in the ground. installation by Agnes Denes, Chaile presents a new work in the form of an earthen communal oven that will be used monthly to bake bread from flour milled from Denes’ 2024 wheat harvest. Additionally, Denes has installed a new ecological artwork, Sunflowers—To Follow the Wheat, demonstrating nature’s resilience while bringing a sense of surprise and beauty to the community. A harvest dinner is slated for September 26 with the sunflower harvest following on September 27.

BLAIR SPEED | Courtesy of Tinworks Art

Through November 16
Will James: The Eternal Cowboy
Yellowstone Art Museum | Billings, MT
artmuseum.org

An exploration of the archetypal cowboy figure, this exhibition features the works of Montana artist, author, and cowhand Will James [1892–1942].

WILL JAMES: THE ETERNAL COWBOY | Courtesy of Yellowstone Art Museum

Through December 28
Bean Finneran: Curves, Cones, and Rings
Boise Art Museum | Boise, ID
boiseartmuseum.org

California artist Bean Finneran presents site-specific sculptures composed of thousands of entwined, thin, ceramic forms. The exhibition showcases the interconnectedness of nature, Finneran’s ultimate inspiration, as the individual pieces take on meaning based on their interrelationships.

Through January 11, 2026
Of Neon and Bones: New Acquisitions to the YAM Permanent Collection, From 2020 to Now
Yellowstone Art Museum | Billings, MT
artmuseum.org

A showcase of paintings, drawings, and three-dimensional objects that have been added to the permanent collection of the Yellowstone Art Museum within the last five years, this exhibit features abstract meditations and hyper-realistic snapshots centered on the cultural heritage and artistic history of the Northern Plains and Rocky Mountain regions.

Upcoming

August 1 – September 2
26th Annual National Juried Exhibition for the American Impressionist Society
Cassens Fine Art | Hamilton, MT
cassensfineart.com

A national exhibition featuring 181 juried works selected from over 1,000 submissions, this exhibition for the American Impressionist Society showcases the highest level of contemporary American impressionism. On August 1, Cassens Fine Art will host a reception with remarks from awards judge Ned Mueller and chairman Debra Joy Groesser.

Courtesy of Cassens Fine Art

August 4 – 30
Where Shadows Hold Their Breath
Turner Fine Art | Jackson, WY
turnerfineart.com

Artists William Alther, Ray Brown, and Kyle Paliotto deliver a masterful collection of charcoal and oil works, each highlighting how light and shadow create depth, evoke emotions, and draw viewers in.

SKY DANCE, RAY BROWN | Photo by Turner Fine Art

August 8 – 10
Sun Valley Arts & Crafts Festival
Atkinson Park | Ketchum, ID
sunvalleyartsandcraftsfestival.com

This annual outdoor juried event showcases fine arts and crafts from local and national artists, offering activities for kids, food vendors, and a picnic area with live music.

August 8 – 31
Tyler Murphy: Reticent West
Old Main Gallery | Bozeman, MT
oldmaingallery.com

Eastern Montana painter Tyler Murphy is inspired by the landscapes of Montana, from the Beartooth front to the eastern backroads. His work seeks to help viewers refocus their attention on the meaningful aspects of life. An artist reception is scheduled for the evening of August 8.

August 8 – September 19
Benjamin Langford: Scenes and Images
Ochi Gallery | Ketchum, ID
ochigallery.com

Benjamin Langford’s painting and photography explore the idea of nature after the death of nature, reflecting on idealized constructed environments such as zoos and arboretums.

August 15 – 17
Art Fair Jackson Hole
Art Association of Jackson Hole Campus | Jackson, WY
artassociation.org/art-fair

As the largest fundraiser for the Art Association of Jackson Hole, this annual juried show and sale marks the celebration of six decades of the arts in its 2025 season. The event showcases a range of local and national artists who will be on site presenting their ceramics, paintings, furniture, photography, and more.

PRONGHORN ANTELOPE, CARL RUNGIUS | Courtesy of Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival

September 2 – 30
Beckoned by the Wild
Turner Fine Art | Jackson, WY
turnerfineart.com

Works by artists Jacob Aguiar, Kathryn Mapes Turner, and Paul Rhymer connect viewers to the rhythms, strength, and enduring beauty of nature.

September 3 – 14
Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival
Various Locations | Jackson, WY
jacksonholechamber.com/fall-arts-festival

Honoring art in the Tetons, this annual festival showcases Western, wildlife, and landscape artists with a series of events held across various Jackson venues. Notably, on September 13, the Jackson Hole Art Auction (jacksonholeartauction.com) returns, where buyers can find works from some of the world’s leading contemporary and historic Western artists.

September 5 – 7
Cheyenne Home Show
Cheyenne Ice & Events Center | Cheyenne, WY
cheyennehomeshow.com

Featuring the latest home-improvement trends, this show includes displays and live demonstrations that highlight new home technologies, interior and exterior designs, remodeling tips, and more.

September 5 – October 12
American Tonalist Society’s Shades of Gray III
Ballard’s Fine Art Gallery | Sheridan, WY
americantonalistsociety.com/shades-of-gray

The third biennial exhibition and sale for the American Tonalist Society features more than 30 invited artists whose works represent some of the best in American tonalism, a style defined in the 1800s as primarily landscape pieces that translate a mood through the tonal quality of a chosen color.

September 5, 2025 – January 11, 2026
Jon Lodge: Carbon Strata
Yellowstone Art Museum | Billings, MT
artmuseum.org

An exhibition of Billings-based artist and musician Jon Lodge, this show seeks to ignite visitors’ senses with works in graphite inspired by Lodge’s childhood growing up in the 1950s and ’60s in Carbon County, where he explored the region’s coal-mine shafts.

BROOKE MOORE | Courtesy of Jon Lodge

September 6 – 28
Western Visions 38th Annual Art Show + Sale
National Museum of Wildlife Art | Jackson, WY
wildlifeartevents.org

A signature of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, this 38th annual exhibition showcases the works of more than 170 artists in the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s largest and longest-running fundraiser. The art sale and awards presentation take place on the evening of September 11.

September 15 – 20
Rendezvous Royale
Various Locations | Cody, WY
rendezvousroyale.org

An annual celebration of the arts, Rendezvous Royale is a collaboration between the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, By Western Hands, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The week-long arts invitational includes workshops, lectures, classes, and studio tours. The 44th Annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale returns September 19 as a fast-paced live auction of original Western art.

September 22 – 27
Art Week Park County
Various Locations | Park County, MT
artweekpc.com

An annual event organized by the Livingston Depot Center, Danforth Museum of Art, and Livingston Center for Art and Culture, Art Week Park County is a county-wide celebration of the arts, with events that showcase a range of art forms and provide local artists opportunities to connect with the community. Highlights include art workshops, a sneak peek exhibit at the Livingston Center for Art and Culture September 9–26, a downtown art walk and an artists’ reception on September 26, and the Fine Art Auction at the Depot on September 27.

Looking Ahead

March 19 – 21,  2026
Out West Art Show & Sale
Heritage Inn | Great Falls, MT
owas.online

A highlight of Western Art Week in Great Falls and a major fundraiser for the Out West Art Foundation, this show features 84 painters and sculptors from across the U.S. and Canada. It includes quick-draw events, live music, and an awards ceremony for the Young Masters Program, an artist-run mentoring program for Montana high-school students.

March 19 – 21, 2026
The Russell: A Western Art Experience
Various Locations | Great Falls, MT
cmrussell.org

Celebrating renowned artist Charles M. Russell and benefitting the C.M. Russell Museum, this event-filled weekend offers something for every age and Western aesthetic, including auctions, Art in Action, and an educational symposium. Turn to page 38 to learn more about the museum.