Western Art Week is back, turning Great Falls into an art lover’s paradise, with dozens of shows and exhibits showcasing the best of western and contemporary art.
A twist on the traditional quick draw, the Russell Museum’s "Art In Action" event allows visitors to witness artists create works of art right in front of them, and chat with the artists about their techniques. All the art created at the event is then auctioned, with the proceeds being donated to the C.M. Russell Museum.
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Artists from all over the country participating in Western Art Week dedicate their time and donate their artwork in support of the museum. It also allows the artists the opportunity to network with each other and the community, whether they’ve been a part of the event for years, or are participating for the very first time, like Swede Winborg, an artist and current art student at BYU Idaho.
While she has participated in Western Art Week events in the past, this is her first time as an artist at Art in Action.
She says, “It's exhilarating, nerve wracking, but it's really fun. I think it's so cool that all the artists, like, we're not getting any percentage of it, but we still want to volunteer our time and get to know other artists, get to know everybody that's involved with the community, and it's awesome that it's all going back to education at the Russell Museum.”
During the event, she completed her painting, titled ‘By Fire Light’, as an ode to strong female leaders in her life. Winborg says, “I just love painting strong women. My mom is like an awesome influence on me, same with my grandma. I have a lot of great female influence in my life, and so that's what I've been focusing on painting. So this one, she's just relaxing by the fire, keeping watch, and I just think it's beautiful. It's very moody.”
Winborg also has a painting up for auction at the Russell Auction First Strike, titled 'Bad Moon Rising”, also featuring a strong female focus.
Not all artists were working on paintings. Greg Kelsey, an artist from Colorado who has been participating in the event since 2001, was working on a functional piece of art - a bison skull hat rack.
Kelsey says he likes that he can receive input at the event as he works, and uses it as an opportunity to test new ideas. He explains, “I get to be interactive with the crowd and the collector about the artwork. Sometimes, there's been years in the past that I've even come up with the idea right here with clients. You get a crowd reaction right there.”
The event concluded with a live auction of all the art pieces completed, with proceeds going directly to support the C.M. Russell Museum.
Visit the Great Falls tourism website to view the full schedule of events. No registration is required and all events are free to attend.
