That’s a Wrap!

More than $700k worth of art was sold when the gavel dropped on the last artwork during the 39th annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale—bringing an end to another successful series of events. While our 2020 season looked much different due to Covid-19, we are thankful for our loyal patrons and artists for continuing to support the arts during these unique times.

The Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale benefits the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce and the prestigious Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This event was held in conjunction with By Western Hands’ exhibit for Western Functional Art during our annual weeklong celebration of the arts known as Rendezvous Royale which takes place in beautiful Cody, Wyoming the third weekend of September. Rendezvous Royale has tremendous value to the Chamber, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and to the community.  It is without a doubt the most successful shoulder season event bringing hundreds of people to Cody each year. 

The art show, produced by the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, generated more than $700k in total art sales – a tremendous feat for 2020. While in person attendance was limited, hundreds of patrons, artists, and community members were able to enjoy a variety of art related events throughout the week leading up to our annual Art Walk, remastered Saturday morning Quick Draw Downtown and the 39th Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale which was offered at two in person events at the Center of the West and the Party Tent on 12th Street and virtually for the first time!

The Live Auction’s highest selling work went to Michael Blessing for his captivating, neon sign inspired piece titled The Keeper at $34,000. Nicholas Coleman’s piece Land of Buffalo netted the second largest sum at $30,000 followed by Mark Eberhard’s Snowy Owls at $25,000. Snowy Owls was the recipient of Fine Art Connoisseur’s Best in Show Award.

This year, over 10 artists were honored with various awards and recognitions. Carefully chosen from the three categories of collectors, art business professional, and art curation/historian, the 2020 jurors include Patrons and Art Collectors, John and Charlotte Osborne, Executive Director of the Booth Western Art Museum, Seth Hopkins, and Associate Curator of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum, Jennifer Henneman.

Tennessee native Ezra Tucker was awarded The Spirit of the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale for Where the Missouri Breaks, a 20 x 30 inch acrylic, which encapsulates the spirit of the American West through Tuckers’ dynamic and bold perspective. The Two-Dimensional Award recipient was Adam Smith for his work Back Track, and the Three-Dimensional Award was presented to Cody local Jeffrey Rudolph for his sculpture Renegade.

Additional works honored with Judges Awards of Excellence included Buffalo Heart by Krystii Melaine, Get Off My Lawn by Dustin Van Wechel, and Bar Room Bandit by Sherry Salari Sander, and the Judges Award for Innovation was awarded to Old Town by Charles Ringer. Ty Barhaug’s Caught By An Unexpected Snow and Mark Kelso’s Rally on the Ridge tied for this year’s Live Auction Gallery People’s Choice Award.

The ever-popular Saturday morning Quick Draw event drew in hundreds of all ages to observe 25 artists complete a work of art in 2 hours. The Quick Draw’s People’s Choice Award was awarded to Joe Kronenberg’s piece Ride’n the Express, and Fine Art Connoisseur’s Best in Quick Draw Award was presented to LaQuincey Reed for Sundown, Fletcher & Spain.

The Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale is a fine art sale with a contemporary Western theme, offering works relating to the land, people and wildlife of the American West. Artists offer a broad range of stylistic interpretations of the West, in oil painting, watercolor, pastel, sculpture, ceramic and mixed media. All works are original art.

Dates for the 2021 Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale are Sept. 13-18, 2021.