Summer ArtFest showcases variety of artists this weekend

Summer ArtFest at Whitefish returns for its fourth annual art show and sale at the downtown O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center.

Organizers expect 20-plus participating artists in a three-day show with artist booths, a silent auction of 50-plus small to medium pieces at approachable prices, and a Quick Finish live demonstration by the artists, capped off with a live auction of the completed works starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 25. A carefully curated collection of 15 to 20 consigned artworks will fill out the live auction, including a charcoal on paper called “Tools of the Trade” by top Western artist Howard Terpning, valued at $70,000 to $100,000. Ten percent of Quick Finish sales will be donated to the SAF scholarship fund, administered by the Whitefish Community Foundation to local art students who plan to pursue a career in the artworld. Over $18,000 of the $25,000 funding goal has already been raised.

New artists attending and demonstrating include Joe Hickey, a Eureka artist working with carved and painted bison skulls; and Rob Samartino, a classically trained oil painter now living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and painting the West. Local emerging artists Madison Apple and Sandy Bridgewater will share landscape paintings of Glacier National Park. Acrylic painter and glass artist Grace Chepenik will travel from Seattle where she is studying and working in internationally renowned glassblower Dale Chihuly’s studio. Returning legends include acclaimed oil painter Michael Ome Untiedt from Denver and sculptor Brenna Kimbro from Oregon, as well as beloved local artists like Rochelle Lombardi, Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey and Robin Sorg.

Cawdrey Gallery, Frame of Reference and Going To The Sun Gallery will participate by hosting events or submitting artwork during the weekend. Check SummerArtFest.com for a detailed schedule of events and locations, as well as participating artists and a preview of the silent auction artwork.

“Our mission is to gather talented artists both locally from the Flathead Valley and nationally for an art-focused weekend,” organizer Morgan Cawdrey said. ‘We want to infuse their creative spirits into our wonderful community. Local supporters host the artists in their homes, leading to long-lasting friendships and new patrons of the arts, as well as making it more affordable for artists to attend. We involve as many local artists as possible, and it is also about attracting the best artists we know.”

While past years the events have been spread around town, in 2022 most of the show is based in and around the O’Shaughnessy Center.

Also new this year is the Young Artists of the Flathead juried show for high school-age students. Flathead Valley art students can submit their paintings, sculptures or other unique creations for free online and be entered for two prizes: Jury’s Choice and People’s Choice, each with a cash prize of $250. Accepted artwork will be displayed in a dedicated booth at the art show and sold at auction Saturday, June 25.