Wyoming Arts Council

31st Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Kicks Off Sept. 9

Featured News | July 21, 2015

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Thirty-one years ago the very first Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival was created with the intention of extending the area’s tourist season beyond the typical summer months. The year was 1985 and Billy Schenck was named the event’s first featured artist. Growing in popularity, attendance and activities each year since those early days, the festival has become a highly anticipated time for locals and visitors alike – proving the mountain town of Jackson may be small in population, but is BIG in art, culture, design and cuisine. Highlighting all of these talents over the course of 11 days, this year’s Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, Sept. 9–20, comes full circle as famed artist Billy Schenck returns as featured artist, his painting “13 Minutes from Eternity” gracing the 2015 poster.

This year’s festival begins Sept. 9, with the Jewelry & Artisan Luncheon at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The 23rd Western Design Conference (WDC), a signature event of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, kicks off with its opening party and Ward + Blake Architects-sponsored fashion show on Sept. 10, followed by the WDC Exhibit + Sale of one-of-a-kind Western furniture, fashion and accessories at the Snow King Center Sept. 11-13. This year’s WDC also features a Designer Show House, where guests can enjoy a truly interactive experience walking through six professionally designed rooms. Taste of the Tetons, another festival favorite, returns on Sept. 13, with culinary artists from area restaurants offering an open air tasting of their finest creations in Town Square.

The always popular Palates & Palettes gallery walk takes place Sept. 11, and the ‘Wild 100 Artist Party,’ part of the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s month-long annual Western Visions fundraiser, returns on Sept. 17. The Showcase of Homes tour also returns on Sept. 19, where guests can explore some of the most spectacular local homes and talk shop with renowned architects and interior designers.  The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival QuickDraw on Sept. 19 celebrates 20 years of national and local artists painting and sculpting al fresco, also on the famous Jackson Town Square, followed by an auction of the QuickDraw artwork – and Billy Schenck’s featured painting “13 Minutes from Eternity.”  A full schedule of all of the festival’s events can be viewed on the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Arts Festival page: http://www.jacksonholechamber.com/fall_arts_festival/

Conveniently located just 20 minutes from the Jackson Hole Airport, Jackson, Wyo., is served by major airlines including Delta, United, American and SkyWest.  Reservation information for Jackson’s numerous hotels, as well as a complete schedule of Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival events may be found at www.jacksonholechamber.com.  For additional information, contact Maureen Murphy at Jackson Hole Chamber, 307.733.3316.

Media Contact: Amy Stark, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, amy@wordenpr.com,307.734.5335

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