Official Guide to Art Week Great Falls, Montana March 15th-19th, 2023
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20 • portfolio outwest art show & sale Out West Art Show & Sale Experience Art in Action he Out West Art Show and Sale will be stampeding into Western Art Week for the 49th time this year, driving a herd of nonstop energy, cultural immersion, and masterful creators right along with it. Over 120 stellar artists and seven different galleries will have a wide array of work available at the 2020 Out West show, which has long been regarded as one of the largest gatherings of western artists in the world. All events are free and open to the public at the Heritage Inn. The celebration kicks off at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, with hors d'oeuvres, live music, and the opening of the Bitterroot Frame and Gallery's miniature auction. Pieces curated for the silent auction can be no larger than 12 inches by 16 inches, and are available until the auction wraps up on Saturday night. Postcards on the Prairie, new to the show this year, will launch at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Guests will each have a 15-second opportunity to select one of 100 postcard- sized sketches created by the exhibiting artists, but the artists' identities won't be revealed until after the buyers flip their chosen cards over to the signature side. "It is a great way to introduce people to our artists," Out West Executive Director John Godwin says. Tickets to purchase a Postcards on the Prairie piece are $50 each. Montana's next generation of artists will have their time in the limelight during the Young Masters Art Programs on Thursday. Since its inception in 2007, the program has expanded into a means by which students throughout central Montana can enter their artwork to be judged by Out West show artists, providing a multitude of scholarship and art education opportunities. The program also helps art teachers throughout the state with opportunities to receive supplemental funding to bolster their art curriculums. The Young Masters Art Program will take place on the Sun Terrace on the second floor of the Heritage Inn beginning at 8 a.m. The fun continues on Thursday evening, when reenactors from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center Foundation will take center-stage for the Portage Route Honor Guard posing event. Five Out West artists will have one hour to complete their initial renderings of the troupe, and their final work will be included in Saturday's auction. T By Holly Matkin