Annual Art In The West Exhibition And Auction Returns To The High Desert Museum (Photo) - 05/19/26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
BEND, OR — From canvas to photographs to sculptures, the annual Art in the West exhibition and online auction features the very best of art inspired by the High Desert. On Saturday, July 18, the High Desert Museum will unveil this year’s Art in the West exhibition featuring a captivating blend of traditional and contemporary artworks.
The exhibition celebrates the people, wildlife, landscapes, cultures and history of the region that stretches from the eastern slope of the Cascades and the Sierra to the Rockies.
“The diverse artistry that continues to captivate our community in this exhibition, and the 2026 Art in the West collection in particular, is exceptional,” said Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “These pieces reveal fresh, unique perspectives of the High Desert, challenging us to see the region's landscapes and cultures through a modern lens and deepening our collective appreciation for the West.”
Visitors to the Museum will be awed by the vast array of artworks ranging from landscapes to abstracts to baskets and photographs. Two artists’ works are recognized each year as part of the exhibition, one as Jury’s Choice and another as Curator’s Choice.
The 2026 Jury’s Choice winner is Peter Dawson’s Infinity #3363, Eastern Oregon, a captivating and dramatic photograph of an expansive western sky above a stark High Desert landscape. Dawson is a photographer of the American West. His work has been featured at Modern West Fine Art in Salt Lake City, Utah, and The Oregon Center for Photographic Arts in Portland. His signature style has attracted commercial clients like Land Rover, Subaru, and Nike, as well as editorial features in The New York Times Magazine.
Growing up in Seattle, he became the self-assigned documentarian of every Dawson family adventure, captivated by the unique character of new places and people. He later honed his craft at Brooks Institute of Photography and now lives in Eugene, Oregon.
Natalie Kirk (Warm Springs) was taught basketry by master weaver and Warm Springs resident, Eraina Palmer. Both women worked together at The Museum at Warm Springs. Kirk’s work, Yamash in Thunderbird of Nch'I Wana, is the 2026 Curator’s Choice award winner. Made of yarn, smoked elk hide and seed beads, the colorful basket depicts the thunderbird against a bright blue sky. Kirk holds various awards for her basketry including Judges Choice awards for the years 2000 and 2026. She considers herself a contemporary weaver and artist, with her baskets included in collections at The Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, Oregon and The Autry Museum in Los Angeles, California. Kirk has taught basketry to many eager students throughout her years.
Those artists are just the tip of the iceberg, though. The 2026 exhibition boasts nearly 130 pieces crafted by acclaimed painters, sculptors, photographers and more, hailing from across the country.
Visitors and art enthusiasts can look forward to seeing works by national artists such as Arturo Garcia and local favorites like Judy Hoiness, Taylor Manoles, and Stuart Breidenstein. Garcia’s Nine Chiefs oil on canvas is a testament to the artist’s love for color, giving a unique perspective on both the subject and his preference to create depth to figures by applying layers of paint using palette knives. Manoles’ oil painting, Assurance, depicts a peaceful sunset over a dark forest, bright oranges and yellows blending into the blue of night.
Another artist returns to the Museum for Art in the West. Frank Buffalo Hyde’s GLHF - How the west was won #2 (acrylic on canvas) continues the renowned Indigenous artist’s use of color and graphic style to blend modern reality with Indigenous history. Boise, Idaho artist Miguel Almeida, whose exhibition Las Manos que dan de Comer (The Hands That Feed) is on view at the Museum, shares two pieces in Art in the West, both with his signature style of bright and bold colors inspired by his Mexican roots.
The entire 2026 collection will be on exhibit at the High Desert Museum and available for viewing through the Museum’s online auction page at highdesertmuseum.org/aiw. The 2026 Gallery Guide will go live beginning Monday, July 13, and online bidding will start on July 18 at 9:00 am, with the opportunity to purchase artwork outright. The auction is exclusively online, and shipping is available.
The bidding concludes and the exhibition closes on Friday, October 2, at the Art in the West Closing Party at the Museum. Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with participating artists, watch live demonstrations and enjoy food and libations. The event begins at 6:00 pm and the auction closes at 7:00 pm. Register today at highdesertmuseum.org/events/aiw-closing-party-2026.
Art in the West is made possible by Western Art Collector and American Art Collector magazines and Campfire Hotel, with support from High Desert Frameworks, 1859 Magazine and Willamette Valley Vineyards.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
The HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2025 recipient of the Autry Public History Prize from the Western History Association and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
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