ART MAKES A STATEMENT AT WESTERN GOVERNORS MEETING

JACKSON, Wyo. - Western artwork took center stage during the Western Governors Association annual meeting this week, with an iconic painting of a buffalo serving as a backdrop to panel discussions, and sculptures by Western artists prominently displayed at an evening gala.

Hosts Governor Dave and First Lady Freudenthal chose to highlight Western art and artists at the annual meeting attended by the governors of 11 western states and four Canadian provinces. During the three-day meeting, discussion centered on wildlife migration corridors, water management and energy development and transmission in the West.

First Lady Nancy Freudenthal, long a champion for the arts in Wyoming, saw an opportunity to shine a spotlight on Western art and artists by working with several prominent art galleries in Jackson Hole. 

“Art informs our lives; it tells our story,” said Wyoming’s First Lady, “I believe that the vibrancy of any community is reflected in its artistic and cultural opportunities. I so appreciate the work of the gallery owners to assemble these magnificent works and thank them for their commitment to promoting the arts in Wyoming. These pieces hit exactly the right note for the conference.”

At her invitation, business leaders from Jackson’s cultural community stepped up to demonstrate visually that while Wyoming is proud of its cowboy traditions, wild places and western heritage, the state is open to new paradigms of expression and preservation.

Gallery owners Mariam Diehl of Diehl Gallery, Tayloe Piggott of Jackson Hole Muse Gallery and Lyndsay McCandless of McCandless Contemporary Gallery selected sculptural pieces by western artists that demonstrate contemporary treatments of traditional Wyoming subjects and promote a sense of place.

The selected sculptures will be showcased at the Western Governors’ Association gala event on Monday evening, June 30, at the Four Seasons Resort in Teton Village.

Local residents Mr. and Mrs. Michael Faems also loaned a newly acquired contemporary oil painting of an iconic buffalo by Doug Schneider from their private collection to serve as the backdrop for plenary sessions in Walk Festival Hall. 

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